Brined Turkey Breast Recipes

Steps:

• In 6-quart container or stockpot, mix water, salt and sugar; stir until sugar and salt are dissolved. Add turkey. Cover; refrigerate at least 12 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
• Heat oven to 325°F. Remove turkey from brine, rinse thoroughly under cool running water and pat dry.
• Place onion on center of rack in large shallow roasting pan; top with rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. Place turkey, skin side up, over onion and herbs.
• In small bowl, mix butter and wine. Soak 16-inch square of cheesecloth in butter mixture until completely saturated; cover turkey completely with cheesecloth. Roast 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Remove cheesecloth. Place onion and herbs in pan with drippings if using drippings to make gravy (or discard). Insert ovenproof meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of turkey and does not touch bone. Turn turkey skin side down. Roast 30 to 60 minutes longer or until thermometer reads 165°F.

Steps:

• 1. Combine the brine ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until sugar and salt dissolve. Cool to room temperature.
• 2. Rinse the turkey breast, discarding excess fat. Place in a deep bowl or pot, breast-side down. Pour the brine over the breast and refrigerate, loosely covered, overnight.
• 3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the turkey from the brine 30 minutes before roasting. Line a shallow roasting pan with long pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
• 4. Place turkey in the pan. Brush with 4 tablespoons of melted butter; season with pepper. Gather foil loosely on top and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Open the foil and bake for 2 1/4 hours more, basting every 30 minutes with broth and the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, until the turkey is golden brown and a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 165°F and the juices run clear. Transfer the breast to a cutting board; let rest for 15 minutes before carving. Reserve pan juices for gravy .

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, dissolve salt and sugar in 1 gallon cool water. Place turkey, bone side up, in brine and weight it with a plate. Refrigerate 6 to 8 hours. Rinse turkey thoroughly under cool water and pat dry with paper towels.
• Set up grill for indirect cooking. Place turkey on grill, away from hot coals; cover, keeping vent holes open over meat. Grill until cooked through, or an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of turkey registers 165 degrees, about 1 1/2 hours (if using a charcoal grill, add a couple handfuls of charcoal every half hour to maintain heat). Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine 1 quart water, salt, brown sugar and peppercorns. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Pour into a large bowl. Add remaining 1 quart cold water to cool the brine to room temperature. Add turkey breast; turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 4-6 hours, turning occasionally., Prepare grill for indirect medium heat, using a drip pan. Meanwhile, combine basting sauce ingredients. Grill turkey, covered, until a thermometer reads 170°, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours, basting occasionally with sauce. Remove to a cutting board. Cover and let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Steps:

• For brine, place first four ingredients and 4 cups cider in a Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Cook and stir until salt is dissolved. Add rosemary; remove from heat. Stir in remaining cider; cool to room temperature., Place one roasting bag inside the other. Place turkey breast inside both bags; add brine. Seal bags, pressing out as much air as possible; turn to coat turkey. Place in a baking pan. Refrigerate 6-24 hours, turning occasionally., Preheat oven to 325°. Line bottom of a roasting pan with foil. Drain turkey, discarding brine. Place on a rack in prepared pan; pat dry., Roast turkey 30 minutes. Brush with oil; roast until a thermometer reads 170°, 1-1/4 to 1-3/4 hours. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.) Remove from oven; tent with foil. Let stand 15 minutes.

Steps:

• Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a large pot; stir kosher salt and white sugar into the water to dissolve completely. Remove from heat and let cool somewhat before transferring to a large food-safe container large enough to hold the brine and turkey, but small enough to fit in your refrigerator. Pour 2 gallons cold water into the container; add rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs, garlic, Allspice, and black pepper.
• Gently submerge turkey into the brine; refrigerate for 12 to 36 hours.
• Remove turkey from the brine and rinse both inside and outside thoroughly. Discard brine.

Steps:

• Mix water, salt, and sugar in a 6-quart container or stockpot, stir until sugar and salt are dissolved.
• Add turkey.
• Cover ; refrigerate at least 12 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325°.
• Remove turkey from brine, rinse thoroughly under cool running water and pat dry.
• Place turkey, breast side up, on rack in large shallow roasting pan.
• Fill cavity with onion, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves.
• Sprinkle salt and pepper over turkey.
• Insert meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of turkey and does not touch bone.
• Mix butter and wine.
• Soak 16-inch square of cheesecloth in butter mixture until completely saturated; cover turkey completely with cheesecloth.
• Roast 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Remove cheesecloth.
• Remove onion and herbs from turkey, but leave in pan.
• Bake 30-60 minutes longer or until thermometer reads 165° and juice of turkey is no longer pink when center is cut.

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients together in a large re-sealable plastic bag. Place in a bowl, to catch any leaks, and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Remove the turkey breast from the brine, drain well and pat dry with paper towels.
• Place the turkey breast, skin-side up, on a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack. Place in the oven and cook for 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn the oven up to 400 degrees F and cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F and the skin is nicely browned. Remove from the oven, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the grill to medium heat and oil the grates generously with vegetable oil.
• Once the turkey has rested, cut the meat off the bone and carve into 3/8-inch thick slices. Place the slices on the grill and cook 1 to 2 minutes on each side, just until grill marks develop.
• Remove from the grill. Use in a Po' Boy or as main course.

Steps:

• Dissolve the kosher salt and sugar in the water in large, clean bucket or stockpot. Set the turkey breast in the brine, making sure it is submerged. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to overnight.
• Remove the turkey breast from the brine. Pat dry and set aside. Place the butter in a bowl; add the sage and thyme. Season the butter well with pepper and stir to combine. Set aside.
• Twenty minutes before roasting, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Place the turkey on a clean work surface. Using a chef's knife, remove the remaining portion of the neck and reserve it for the stock and gravy. Remove the wishbone to make carving easier; set it aside with the neck for the gravy. With your hand, carefully release the skin on both breasts to form two pockets. Rub the seasoned butter under the released skin. If there is any extra butter, massage it on the outside of the skin.
• Put the celery, carrots, and onions in a large roasting pan. Pour 1/2 cup of the chicken stock into the pan bottom to prevent the drippings from burning. Place the prepared turkey, skin side up, on top of the vegetables. Place the pan in the oven with the wide neck end toward the rear of the oven. Roast for 15 minutes, then rotate the pan back to front. Roast for 15 minutes more, until skin turns golden. Decrease the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and continue to roast, rotating the pan once more about halfway through the cooking, until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the breast registers 160 degrees F to 165 degrees F, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the turkey breast to a cutting board, preferably with a moat. Cover the turkey loosely with aluminum foil. Pour the remaining 2 cups chicken stock into a saucepan. Add the reserved neck and wishbone and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to simmer.
• Place the roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add the flour to the pan drippings and stir until well combined. Strain the warmed stock over the flour-vegetable combination and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to simmer and cook until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Strain the mixture into a saucepan (the saucepan that held the stock is fine to use), pressing on the vegetables to get every drop and all the flavor. Check and make sure the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon; if not, continue simmering the sauce until the correct consistency is achieved. (If it's too thick, add a little water or additional stock.)
• Carve the turkey breast and plate on a warm platter. Add any juices that run into the moat to the gravy. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper and serve with the gravy on the side.
• Combine 3 cups cranberries and 3/4 cup sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally,until the berries release their juices, about 8 minutes. Add the juice of 2 oranges (about 1/2 cup), 1/2 cup golden raisins, 1 cinnamon stick, and 1 star anise. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Peel 3 firm pears, then core and cut into 1/2-inch dice and add to the chutney with the finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cook until the mixture thickens and the pears are tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Steps:

• One to two days before you plan to cook, place buttermilk and salt in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag and stir to dissolve salt. Place turkey breast in the bag and seal carefully, expelling the air. Squish the bag to distribute buttermilk all around the turkey, place on a rimmed plate, and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. If you're so inclined, you can turn the bag periodically so every part of the turkey gets marinated, but that's not essential.
• Two hours before you plan to start cooking, remove the turkey from the plastic bag and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can without being obsessive. Discard buttermilk, set the breast on a rimmed plate and bring it to room temperature.
• Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat to 425 degrees. Place breast skin-side up on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a wire rack or parchment paper.
• Place baking sheet on the prepared oven rack and roast the turkey until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the breast without touching bone registers 150 degrees, about 40 minutes for a boneless breast or 50 minutes for a bone-in breast. (You may want to tent the breast with aluminum foil if it's darkening too quickly.)
• Transfer turkey to a cutting board or platter and allow to rest at least 15 minutes before carving.

Steps:

• Combine water, salt, parsley, coriander, peppercorns, mustard seeds, garlic powder, and bay leaves in a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Boil until salt has dissolved, about 2 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes. Stir in buttermilk.
• Rinse turkey in cold water. Place in a brining bag and pour buttermilk brine over the top. Refrigerate for 24 hours, turning occasionally.
• Discard the brine and rinse turkey thoroughly in cold water. Pat turkey dry with paper towels and place breast side-up in a roasting pan. Rub butter over all of the skin and let turkey sit for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Cook turkey until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, reads 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 3 hours.

Steps:

• Rinse turkey in cool water.
• In a very large clean container (non-corrosive pan or stockpot such as stainless steel or glass or a food-grade plastic container), mix salt and water together until salt dissolves. Stir in brown sugar and spices, mix well until sugar dissolves.
• Totally submerge poultry in solution and store, covered, in refrigerator for at least 6 hours and up to 8 hours. Since brining does not preserve meat, the turkey must be kept below 40 degrees F throughout the entire brining process. Ice packs may also be used to keep turkey at a safe temperature of below 40°F.
• Remove turkey from brine. Discard brine. Thoroughly rinse turkey under a slow stream of cool water, rubbing gently to release salt and sugar, both inside and out. Pat skin and both interior cavities dry.
• * NOTE: The ratio of water to salt is appropriate for a 15-pound turkey. If a larger or smaller turkey is brined, please calculate accordingly.
• * *NOTE: Other combinations of herbs may be added including 6-8 bay leaves, 3 cloves garlic and 2 teaspoons black peppercorns. Or a spicy flavor may be achieved by the addition of 1 cup small dried red chile peppers.
• In the cavity of turkey, place onion, carrot and celery.
• Brush turkey with melted butter.
• Roast turkey, breast side down, in a preheated 325 degree F oven for 2 hours. During this time, baste legs and back twice with melted butter.
• Remove turkey from oven and protecting your hands, grasp turkey with several layers of clean paper towels at both ends, and turn turkey, breast side up.
• Return turkey to oven and continue to roast, basting twice with pan dripping. Continue to roast until internal temperature reaches 170°F in the breast and 180°F in the thigh. NOTE: A brined turkey cooks slightly faster than an unbrined turkey, so check the internal temperature frequently.
• Remove turkey from the oven and allow to stand for 20 minutes before carving.
• Transfer to a platter and garnish with fresh fruit.