Forever and a day I’ve contemplated the age old question : ” … to Brine or NOT to Brine a Turkey …” Turns out that until I attended the California BBQ Association’s University “Authentic BBQ Advanced Class” it was always … NOT!! Well I have seen the light, tasted the results and it prompted me to definitely give brining a shot.
My local grocery store had Bone-In Turkey Breasts and Turkeys on sale so I gobbled up 3 breasts for a great price of $9 each – No matter what the weight. Picked out the largest ones and saved over $30.
Turkey Brine:
- 1 Gallon of Water
- 1 cup of Sugar
- ½ cup of Sea Salt
- 1/3 cup of Brown Sugar
- 1 ½ cups of Apple Juice
- Laury’s 12 oz Herb & Garlic Marinade
Into the fridge to brine overnight. A general rule to use for brinning is around one hour per pound. This breast was 9.4 lbs and was brined for 14 hours.
Removed breast from brine and rubbed on/under skin with EVOO and Jans Dry Rub. Preheated the MAK 2 Star Wood Pellet Smoker-Grill to 230ºF with Hickory wood BBQ pellets.
Setpoint to SMOKE (~180ºF) for 2 hours. Bumped the temperature to 325ºF until the Internal Temperature hit 165ºF. Rested under a foil tent for 20 minutes.
You can see just how moist the Bone-In Turkey Breast turned out and the flavors were exquisite!! Can’t wait to use the leftovers to make a big batch of Turkey Tetrazzini …
The Money $Shot$ … Some Brined Turkey Breast, portion of Rice garnished with some tasty Gravy, a Salad with fresh ingredients from the garden (tomatoes and cucumber) … I may never smoke/cook another Turkey without brinning it first. If you’ve been hesitant to brine a Turkey and/or Chicken I recommend you brine one the next time and see for yourself the benefits of brinning!!
To Brine or Not to Brine a Turkey Breast | Whats2KnowToday.com
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