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If you’re not cooking for a large crowd for Thanksgiving, roasting a whole turkey might seem like such a waste. This brined roasted turkey breast might bethe best option for you!
Brined Roasted Turkey Breast
We love turkey and we find ourselves roasting or barbecuing some all year round. Because let’s be honest here, turkey isn’t just for Thanksgiving and Christmas! But turkey can dry out even if you cook it low and slow. Plus, most times a whole turkey is a bit too much for us, it’s just not justifying the time and efforts involved. This brined roasted turkey breast recipe will solve all problems.
Brining will add moisture and if you add flavoring to your brine, it will give you a deliciously flavored turkey meat too. A brined roasted turkey breast will turn out tender and juicy on the inside, with a beautiful, slightly crisp skin if you decide to keep the skin on. As I’m watching calories these days, I removed the skin but the outside of my turkey breast still got the right amount of crispiness, just as I needed.
As for the rub in this brined turkey breast recipe, I used chili and paprika powder, dry thyme, black pepper, sugar and brown sugar but you could obviously adapt it to your liking. I think a little orange zest would also work wonders to this recipe. And don’t even get me started on garlic! If you are a garlic freak as myself, you know what I’m talking about; pure heaven!
So if you’re looking for some versatile, flavorful turkey recipe, this brined roasted turkey breast is it. Give it a try, you will want to make this over and over again, not just at Thanksgiving! We served this with a cranberry orange sauce which recipe I’ll be sharing tomorrow, so stay tuned.
Brined Roasted Turkey Breast Recipe
Ingredients:
For the brine:
1/3 cup salt
1 cup boiling water
1 cup ice cubes
cold water to cover turkey
3 lbs turkey breast, boneless and skinless (you can keep both bone and skin on if you prefer)
For the rub:
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp dry thyme powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
cranberry orange sauce for serving (recipe follows)
Place salt and boilingwater in a tall pot. Stir until salt dissolves. Add ice cubes and stir until water is cold. Place turkey in pot and add enough cold water to cover. Stir brine around turkey, cover pot and refrigerate overnight (anything between 12 and 24 hrs works).
Preheat oven to 350 C = 180 C
Make the rub: mix dry ingredients, in a bowl then stir in oil.
Remove turkey from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Rub spice mixture over breast then place in foil pan.
Place pan in the middle of the ovenand cook for about 1 1⁄2 hours, bastingevery half an hour.
Remove turkey to a cutting board and let rest for 20 minutes before slicing.
Serve with cranberry orange sauce.
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5 from 8 votes
Brined Roasted Turkey Breast
Author: Petro Neagu
Ingredients
For the brine:
1/3cupsalt
1cupboiling water
1cupice cubes
cold water to cover turkey
3lbsturkey breastboneless and skinless (you can keep both bone and skin on if you prefer)
Place salt and boiling water in a tall pot. Stir until salt dissolves. Add ice cubes and stir until water is cold. Place turkey in pot and add enough cold water to cover. Stir brine around turkey, cover pot and refrigerate overnight (anything between 12 and 24 hrs works).
Preheat oven to 350 C = 180 C
Make the rub: mix dry ingredients, in a bowl then stir in oil.
Remove turkey from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Rub spice mixture over breast then place in foil pan.
Place pan in the middle of the oven and cook for about 1 1?2 hours, basting every half an hour.
Remove turkey to a cutting board and let rest for 20 minutes before slicing.
Place your bone-in turkey breast into the mixture (depending on its size, you may need to pour out a little so it doesn't overflow!) so that it's fully submerged in the brine solution. Cover and store in the fridge overnight, for 12 to 24 hours.
Brining for too long can result in meat that tastes overly-salty and has a spongy texture. If you're not ready to roast the bird after 18 hours, remove it from the brine, rinse it, pat it dry, and refrigerate for up to two days.
Remove turkey from brine, rinse and pat dry, and place on rimmed baking sheet or inside roasting pan. Store turkey in refrigerator, uncovered, for up to 24 hours before cooking.
A brined turkey will cook much faster than a non-brined turkey. Here are the basic rules of thumb for smoking: Smoking at 225° – 235° at 21-23 minutes per pound. Smoking at 245° to 255° at 19-21 minutes per pound.
After 12 to 18 hours, remove the turkey, dry carefully with paper towels, and roast. For crisper skin, brine a couple days in advance, and let your turkey air-dry at least overnight and up to two nights, uncovered, in the refrigerator on a rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.
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.
And if you're wondering, no—you don't need to rinse the bird, whether it's been dry-brined or wet-brined, before adding more seasoning and roasting. Again, the bird needs to be dry, and Youngman also notes "it's not particularly sanitary to wash meat in the sink."
If your brine recipe calls for heating the mixture, be sure to cool it to room temperature before using it. Then place the turkey in the brine and place in the refrigerator. Don't leave the turkey sitting out at room temperature while brining.
You should always rinse the turkey after wet or dry brining. Once rinsed, you can let the turkey air dry, uncovered, in the refrigerator for several hours, or pat it dry with a paper towel.
Add herb sprigs, if using. Place the turkey in the brine, breast side down. Add more water if the turkey isn't completely submerged in the liquid. Place the bucket in the refrigerator for at least 10 to 12 hours or overnight.
As the turkey cooks, the proteins won't tighten up as much, helping keep the meat moist. Drier, leaner meats benefit from brining, so try this method with turkey crowns and breasts as well.
Place that volume of water in a container large enough to hold the brine and the meat. Add 1 tablespoon of salt for every cup of water you used and mix until the salt is completely dissolved. For example, if you are using 1 gallon (16 cups) of water, add 16 tablespoons (1 cup) of salt.
We recommend starting the turkey in a 425 degree oven for 30-45 minutes before tenting the pan with foil and lowering the temperature to 350 degrees until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the bird.
Roast the turkey for 13 minutes per pound, but start checking the temperature of the turkey at least 30 minutes before you expect it to be finished. Baste the turkey with the drippings every 45 minutes or so and add more water to the roasting pan if the dripping evaporate too quickly.
Brine your turkey for 12 to 24 hours. The longer the better, but honestly, even a quick brine does wonders for the turkey. If you only have a few hours before it needs to go in the oven, then it's still worth doing. Be sure to keep your turkey covered and refrigerated while brining.
As the turkey cooks, the proteins won't tighten up as much, helping keep the meat moist. Drier, leaner meats benefit from brining, so try this method with turkey crowns and breasts as well.
The salty briny flavors will have absorbed into the meat so you're not removing those flavors by drying the bird before roasting. Dry brine the turkey breast for a minimum of 24 hours, but 48 hours works even better.
The meat will be moist and delicious, but the gravy you make from the drippings will be so salty it will almost be inedible. Anything over 48 hours will probably be too much. You can soak in water after over-brining to extract some of the salts.
Introduction: My name is The Hon. Margery Christiansen, I am a bright, adorable, precious, inexpensive, gorgeous, comfortable, happy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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