I told Vangie this attempt at turkey pastrami was going to suck, or be the best thing I have ever done. Glad it tipped the scales towards magnificent. I am not new to brining, but curing is something I only dabble at.
I bought a 6 lb. bone in turkey breast from Ho-Ka, minimally processed bird. I whipped up a basic brine:
- 2 qt water
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- just under 2/3 cup canning salt
- 2 tsp mustard seed
- 1 head of garlic smashed
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp cloves
- 2 bay leaf crumbled
- some other stuff I threw in there
brought the water, salt and sugar to a boil, until disolved. I removed from the heat and added the spices and let cool completely, I even put the stock pot on the deck on that 40 degree evening.
Put the whole breast in the 1 gallon bag and added the brine, sealed and put it in the fridge for 48 hours. I turned the bag and squished it to mix the brine. After 48 hours i removed the breast and rinsed thouroughly and set it aside to make a rub.
Rub, as many spices as posible ground fresh:
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 6 tbsp fresh ground corriander seeds
- 6 tbsp black pepper corns fresh coarse ground
- 2 tbsp mustard seed fresh ground
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 2 tbsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp thyme
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- a few other spices
I rubbed the brined breast and pit it in the fridge uncovered for 12 hours. I removed it and re rubbed. My cooking method was using the WSM, water pan in, with no water. R.O. lump, and some alder and oak, ran the WSM around 300ish for the cook. Took the breast to 165ish and pulled. Took about 2 hours. I let the breast cool a bit, then split it down the breast bone for quicker cooling. I set this cooked bird outside as well, November temps really help with added cool storage. As soon as the halves were cooled I wrapped them in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for about 4 hourse before i sliced.
End result and some earlier tastes confirmed a fantastic product. Peppery, a little salt on the front end, some sweet from the brown sugar, and a really deep flavor from the brine. Folks might notice I didnt use juniper berries in the brine or rub, I am not a fan of their flavor. This turkey pastrami was a great addition to an artisnal cheese board we had as an app.
Breast out of the 48 hour brine:
Just about done:
Pepper:
A big hit:
Last minute adder to the cheese board:
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