Doing a test run...Turkey breast

[AWilliams]

So I was nominated for T-day this year and of coarse...It'll be smoked turkey, but not a whole one, just a breast with some other things. So, I bought one last week, about 7#, it's defrosting as we speak for Sunday and I noticed it said 15% solution of salt, sugar and spices, soooooo, does this mean I don't brine it? Just smoke it and go? Should I add anything?

Thanks

 

[Tannhauser42]

My test turkey was also like that, so I didn't brine it and it turned out just fine. It gave up a lot of liquid while defrosting, though, so I felt a bit robbed on what I paid for it. With the "self-basting" turkeys I've read to either not brine them or only half brine them.

 

[BKING!]

So I was nominated for T-day this year and of coarse...It'll be smoked turkey, but not a whole one, just a breast with some other things. So, I bought one last week, about 7#, it's defrosting as we speak for Sunday and I noticed it said 15% solution of salt, sugar and spices, soooooo, does this mean I don't brine it? Just smoke it and go? Should I add anything?

Thanks

I do a salted butter injection and season like normal the night before. I think the small amount of salt in the butter and seasoning won’t hurt anything.

 

[AWilliams]

I don't want to completely **** the bed on this so any recommendations for seasoning anyting pre-packaged or just simple salt pepper onion garlic type of deal

 

[diggles]

Most the turkey I cook has some kind of solution as well. I still brine because I like the other flavors and it always turns out well. I just use less salt in the brine.

 

[thirdeye]

It's getting harder to find fresh turkeys or fresh turkey breasts, and of course they cost more. So going with a name brand is the best route. I will inject the breasts with either a lite brine or a jazzy chicken broth. There are some really good storebought injections out there too, just be weary of using one that is dark colored as they will stain or streak the breast meat.

 

[Smoking Piney]

I like to inject with Creole Butter.

 

[dadsr4]

At 15%, it's already brined, so I'd go with herbal flavors like thyme, rosemary, and sage in a rub, plus pepper. Watch out for added salt, it can always be added at the table.

 

[mstewart39]

I dealt with some of that last year too:

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=254136

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=252921

I did a dry-brine and was extremely happy with it.

 

[BillN]

I take the easy way out and bard with bacon, comes out great every time.

 

[OklaDustDevil]

I don’t usually inject meat for smoking, but I do inject turkey because it’s so mild flavoured. My go-to injections are from the original Smoke & Spice cookbook. One is a garlic recipe, one is jalapeño, both include recipes for the rub and the injection. I have used both in turkey breasts — often I’ll cook two breasts and use both recipes so folks have a choice — and they work great. And of course the breasts take far less time to smoke than a full turkey.

S&S was my first smokin cookbook and all these 25-30 years later I still use it the most.

My only other turkey recipe is modified from a recipe Martha Stewart created one Thanksgiving years ago for Bryant Gumbel of the Today Show, who apparently likes spicy food. The day it aired my wife downloaded the recipe — which was for an oven-cooked turkey — and I used the same spice flavours to create a rub and injection for smokin. You likely can find Martha’s version on-line. (Martha also created a spicy dressing recipe using chorizo to accompany it, which has been my favorite dressing ever since — but then I like spicy.)

Whatever recipe you choose, I highly recommend injection for turkey.

 

[SirPorkaLot]

I dealt with some of that last year too:

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=254136

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=252921

I did a dry-brine and was extremely happy with it.

^^^^ This ^^^^

You can (and should) dry brine an enhanced turkey.

What the processors do is pump the poultry.
Meaning they literally pump (via injection) the turkey with water (sometime broth) and Sodium phosphate or Potassium Lactate (and sometimes spices)
>> more info:
https://www.naturiffic.com/blog/enhanced-meat-a-primer

They are required by law to list the percent of total weight that has been added via pumping.

I.e. a 6 lb breast that has 15% injection has 14.4 oz (almost a pound!) of stuff injected into it.

No matter what else you inject, it won’t make a difference.

Wet brine adds moisture to the bird..read above....
you certainly don’t want or need anymore moisture in the plumbed bird.

Dry brine is the answer.

It works from the outside in (unlike pumping which is inside out)

Through the magic of diffusion, dry brine will work it’s way through the bird.
The end result is denatured cells which will help to retain the natural juices of the bird.


Hope that helps