After a successful first effort with a butt, my wife wants a turkey breast cooked on Primo for Christmas. Should I cook it the same basic way as a butt (indirect over pan with apple juice)? Different wood than hickory? About how long should it take?
TIA,
Ratpack
First thing to do is check the label on the turkey breast to see if it's been "enhanced, injected, fortified, already brined, etc" with a salt or saline injection. If it has less than 6-8%, then go to this thread Brining 101 and read it thoroughly. There is nothing better than a brined turkey or chicken.
As far as the cooking set up, I would cook it indirect (over a pan with apple juice is fine), either using half the firebox or the the whole thing, choice is up to you. If you use just half the firebox, you may or may not have to turn the breast halfway through the cook.
Adjust your vents for a 325° cook.
As far as wood chunks or chips, ALL poultry is a literal SPONGE for smoke, so you want to take it a little easy, unless you like SMOKEY meat. A chunk or a good handful of chips at the beginning is usually enough to give it a good flavor.
As far as the wood type, hickory can be a little harsh tasting so you might want to try something lighter like pecan (my choice), apple, peach, pear or a citrus wood.
If you brined it, use caution with your rub as you don't want much added salt. Covering the skin with veg or olive oil before the seasonings will help them adhere to the skin and aid in the browning.
Depending on the size of your turkey breast, it could take any where from 1½ to 3¼ hours or roughly 20-30 (plus or minus) minutes per pound of meat. If you brine the breast, figure on the quicker cooking times, as liquid in the meat will hasten the cooking time.
Best thing to do is use a cooking thermometer of some type in the thickest part of the breast. Shoot for an internal temp of 160-165° (a little higher is not a big deal), then pull it from the grill, cover with foil and let sit about 15-30 minutes before you start slicing it.
If the skin is looking too dark while you are cooking it, cover loosely with foil.
Now to try a Turkey « Result #2 on Dec 18, 2009, 1:29pm »
After a successful first effort with a butt, my wife wants a turkey breast cooked on Primo for Christmas. Should I cook it the same basic way as a butt (indirect over pan with apple juice)? Different wood than hickory? About how long should it take?
Re: Butt Pressure « Result #3 on Dec 18, 2009, 1:24pm »
Happy to report very successful first attempt. Eager to try again. Cooked in about 10.5 hours for 10 lb butt. Heat got up to 275 at end before I realized. Took off at 195 and it was very moist; will try to cook to 200 next time.
Joined: Jun 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 1,541 Location: Ft. Myers, Fl
Re: Christmas & Addicted To BBQ cookbook « Result #5 on Dec 14, 2009, 9:14am »
Roughly a little over 2 weeks left to get this reduced price!
And, YES, I take PayPal! Just send $20 to steve.askabutcher@gmail.com and don't forget to include your shipping address and any other special instructions
Re: Roast Beast « Result #7 on Dec 13, 2009, 2:14pm »
YES! Fantastic suggestions. I came to the right place.
I really like the bacon wrapped picnic and the turducken ideas. I might even do some combination of the two.
I will be sure to try the other ideas too when the holiday pressure is not on me. As it turns out, I did a coke ham yesterday for the family. It was a bit simpler that the link you sent me. Just pour a coke (or Dr. Pepper) over a ham in a large pot, cover, and cook the pot at 250-300 degrees for 4-6 hours. When it is done you can just lift the bone right out of the center of the ham. Delicious. Not much for presentation, though.
Even though I just signed up for your forum, we've had a few email exchanges. The first time was about 5 years ago when you helped identify a mystery meat that was sold as "tri tip".
Joined: Jun 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 1,541 Location: Ft. Myers, Fl
Re: Roast Beast « Result #8 on Dec 13, 2009, 10:30am »
Chef Salads for the veggietarians
Well, I still like the idea of a stuffed Crown Roast of Pork.
Shank Half of Fresh Pork Ham (leg not shoulder) with a Cherry Coke Marinade and the appropriate holiday sides.
How about some Pit Style Beef that you could slice right at the table and impress the shit heck out of every one???
You probably still have time to order, or make your own Turducken. That's a fairly impressive meal. Not one of my favorites, but lots of folks swear by them. Here is a good link for doing your own at home.
There is my Bacon Wrapped Pork Picnic. Nice and juicy...adds to the impressiveness if they see you take it out of the oven or grill and unwrap it in front of them.
And definitely different, almost a one dish recipe (just add the salad on the side) is a Pork Pie.
Lastly, my mind is gone now (wayyy too much thinking in the AM ) is an Italian Christmas. Apptetizers (antipasta), salads, pasta dishes (with and without meat), fish, meats and desserts.
I might come up with something else today, if so I'll post it here.
« Last Edit: Dec 13, 2009, 12:15pm by BBQ Butcher »
Joined: Jun 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 1,541 Location: Ft. Myers, Fl
Re: Roast Beast « Result #10 on Dec 12, 2009, 4:53pm »
My first thought was "How many are you feeding?"
Two great presentations you might want to consider......1) a Crown Roast of Pork, stuffed with either mashed potatoes or sausage and 2) a 'Fresh' Ham (completely different from it's city brine injected cousin).
I've got a Christmas event that I'm heading out to now, but will certainly give your request some thought over night.
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Happy to report very successful first attempt. Eager to try again. Cooked in about 10.5 hours for 10 lb butt. Heat got up to 275 at end before I realized. Took off at 195 and it was very moist; will try to cook to 200 next time.
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