Turkey for Two
By this point, you’ve probably read a hundred recipes and blog articles on turkey. You’ve seen them smoked, fried, baked, and stuffed with just about anything. But what if its just the two of you for your special meal and you still want that traditional holiday turkey? Even the smallest of birds is going to yield enough leftovers for the next month. A split turkey breast is a great cut for the small dinner party. Enough for two or even three people. It cooks in less time than a whole bird and can fit in your refrigerator.
A complex recipe and process isn’t necessary to have great tasting turkey. The split breast I prepared for this article was simple, yet had a lot of flavor and moisture. It was a three step prep process:
Step 1 - The Brine
I used a simple brine of salt (1 Cup), sugar (1 Cup) and water (2 Quarts). Using warm water will help the salt and sugar dissolve quicker. The split turkey breast sat in the brine overnight for about 10 hours.
Step 2 - The Injection
Again a simple injection was used to add a little flavor and moisture to the dense breast meat. To a stick of cooled, melted butter I added Garlic Powder (1 tsp), Onion Powder (3/4 tsp), and White Pepper (1/2 tsp). Spices like black pepper, chili powder, paprika, etc. are going to stain the meat. This is okay, but know that before you use them. Some guests may be turned off by this. Herbs or chunky garlic are going to clog your injector, making the job a lot harder.
Step 3 - The Rub
Use any homemade or commercial BBQ rub that you like. Watch for the salt content since we’ve already brined the bird with salt. A little salt in the rub is okay, but particularly avoid rubs like Montreal Steak which has large crystals of kosher or sea salt. This isn’t going to be a long, hot cook, so your salt will not dissolve like it would on a seared steak. Rubs with herbs like sage are great for a smoked bird. You can even modify your favorite commercial rub by adding some herbs, but experiment ahead of time, not on the day when you are feeding friends and family.
The Cook
160 degrees at the breast is a safe temp and will tell you when it is done. In a 250 degree smoker, this could be 3 to 4 hours depending on the size of the breast. You can pull it off when the breast hits 155 and cover with foil. It will continue to cook out of the smoker and rise to 160 before you serve it. Let it rest before slicing.
Split breasts still on the bone are better than boneless for this cook. The bone traps moisture and your bird won’t dry out as easily on you. Follow these easy steps and you can have an amazing holiday dinner for two without the hassle of a large bird and a complex recipe.
