Cherry smoked honey turkey breast

[austin87]

My girlfriend likes to have deli meat around for snacks, so I'm working on getting my own down that are lower in salt, don't have ingredients I can't pronounce, and ultimately taste better 

I put a skinless turkey breast in a zip top bag with some honey, kosher salt and black pepper. I figure to keep it simple for the first go, then add flavors later. I would consider this a dry brine vs a wet brine, because even though I used honey, I applied the salt and sugar to the meat with no liquid carrier. After a few days, I neatly tied it up with silicon grilling bands, painted it with some honey, and let it pick up some cherry smoke, it took about 1:30 at 325 degrees to reach 155 internal



Then I let it cool for a day in the fridge and sliced it up on the meat slicer (hole in the middle from the Maverick proble)



It turned out great. There is a faint smoke ring, good snap on the exterior, and really good flavor. It's not quite as moist as deli turkey (more like the thicker stuff labeled "carving board") but nothing to be ashamed of. Next time I will try a brine to add a little moisture and see if the finished product is any better.

All in all I ended up with about 1.5 lbs of homemade sliced turkey breast for about $9. Not significantly cheaper than store bought (it usually ranges from $6-10/lb depending on quality in my neighborhood). But I know exactly what's in it and I'll keep tweaking the recipe until it's perfect.

Thanks for looking.

[WNC]

Looks great, keep us posted on the experiments, this is one I'd love to try!

[Lumpy Coal]

That's great.  One of the many things I've wanted to do. 

[Uncle Al]

That looks real good!  We are thinking about doing the same thing with making our own l lunch meat with better ingredients.  We did some roast beef last weekend and had good results on the first try.  What meat slicer do you have?  That is still on my wish list. 

[1911Ron]

I think you maybe right with a wet brine you will have more moisture as most chickens and turkeys have anywhere from 10 to 13% solution in them.

[CharliefromLI]

@austin87 thats a great idea. I've really stopped eating cold cuts because of the salt and chemical ingredients they put in and I've mostly switched to salad with grilled chicken instead of turkey sandwhiches for lunch. This is a great alternative for people who want to eat more naturally.  Time to find a meat slicer

[austin87]

@Uncle Al @CharliefromLI I have a Waring Pro home use model meat slicer. It was a gift and works fine, but I wouldn't purchase the same one again. I did a little looking online and it seems that restaurant depots and restaurants that are going out of business will sell used top end professional models (Hobart is the best name in the business) for less than a new home model.

Also, a sharp knife will work well too. You probably won't get cold cut thickness but you should still be able to make a nice rustic cut.

[Nate]

Looks great. I bet it makes some really good sandwiches.

[santrigo]

I'm gonna try this my wife too will love it


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[weldboy]

I need to try this, looks way better then anything I could buy around here


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[feeshrman]

Very good idea, I like it. have you considered injecting the bird with anything to add moisture and flavor?

[austin87]

@feeshrman next time I'm trying the same recipe with a brine vs a dry cure. I don't think an injection is necessary given the relative thinness of a single boneless turkey breast - most things I've read said that 3-4" at the thinnest point is when an injection makes the most impact. The breast should absorb enough moisture from just being in the brine.

I will let you know how it goes

[1buckie]

You can inject a hotdog if you want......thickness has no bearing at all in this camp......


(Pork tenderloin)

The brine / marinade thing works great & you get anywhere from very tender, but not real juiced to a lot of moisture still left in.........it's a little bit of a crapshoot for me.....never really sure just how much "soak" it will take up, so injection wins most times.....

[SixZeroFour]

Great job austin87 - It came out great!