Smoked Turkey Breast

I have had a craving for smoked Turkey Breast for a few weeks.  I decided that it was time to take care of that.  Three days ago I found a nice 8 – 9 pound frozen turkey breast with the bone (very important), I let it thaw out in the fridge for a day and then brine it to finish the thaw and give it some flavor. It is important to keep the water below 40 degrees so I keep adding ice to make sure. It did help that the breast was only partially thawed – it was like a big turkey ice cube.  I only let sit in the brine for about 6 hours before I started cooking.  Here is the brine and method for cooking.

Brine

½ cup of Kosher Salt

3 tablespoons of garlic powder

4 fresh rosemary stems

4 quarts of water – enough to cover the breast.

Mix all of the above to ensure that the salt is dissolved.  Add the turkey and enough ice to cover.  I use a round Igloo cooler, it works great!

After 6 hours or overnight, remove the Turkey.  Get your smoker ready and set the temperature at 225.  Smoke for at least 3 hours.  Then move the turkey to a 325 oven and cook until the internal temperature is 165 – 180.  The last step will ensure that the breast is completely cooked and will crisp the skin.

Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes before carving.

If you do not have a smoker just cook the turkey in your oven at 325 for about 3 hours or until the correct temperature is reached.

Cucumber Dip

I love this recipe for dipping raw vegetables and to use on sandwiches and wraps. It is easy and simple but tasty.

Cucumber and Yogurt Dip

This recipe calls for Greek Yogurt which is much thicker than your normal yogurt.  If you want you can use a regular yogurt but you need to get the excess water out first.  To do that you need to line a fine sieve with cheese cloth and place it over a bowl to catch the water.  Put the yogurt in the cheesecloth, cover and refrigerate overnight.  By morning the water will have drained out and you can proceed with the recipe.

For seedless cucumbers you can use a regular cucumber just  cut them lengthwise and use a melon baller to remove the seeds.

12 oz. Greek Yogurt

3 Tablespoons finely diced Dill

2 Tablespoons finely diced chives

1 garlic clove pressed or finely diced

½ teaspoon of sea salt

2 cups of seedless cucumbers – peeled and shredded.  Do not dice as the shredding adds the best flavor and texture.

Combine all in a non-reactive bowl and chill for at least one hour. 

Variations

 You can also add 2 tablespoons of finely diced mint

OR

You can add chopped scallions

BBQ Baked Beans

Who does not like  good baked beans with anything BBQ?  Or as a side dish? This is a recipe from my cookbook that I think you will love. The recipe use a technique that I find very helpful for long baking times with any food that you do not want to dry out.  You first cover the top of the pan with plastic wrap and then cover the plastic with foil.  It may sound crazy but it works great.

(BTW - sorry for the break in posting - busy week and several power outages payed havoc with my time and the computers!)

BBQ BEANS

The best beans I ever made!  It takes time but the wait is worth it!

INGREDIENTS

1          #10 can pork and beans

1          cup dark brown sugar

1          large onion – diced small

½         cup of maple syrup

2          cups of ketchup

1          cup of yellow mustard

1          teaspoon chili paste

½         pound of bacon.

Preheat your oven to 275

Mix all the ingredients except the bacon and put in a large pan for baking.  Separate the bacon and lay the pieces on top of the bean mixture.  Cover the pan with plastic wrap and then with foil.  Place in the oven and cook for five hours or until the mixture is thick and the bacon is cooked.  Remove bacon, chop and return to beans. 

Using dry beans – if you wish you can start from scratch.  Use a pound of navy beans.  Rinse and sort to make sure you get all the stones, dirt and bad beans out.  Cover with water and soak over night.  If you have hard water, the beans will not absorb the moisture needed as quickly.  So plan on a long soak or longer cooking time.  When you are ready to cook, drain the beans and add fresh water.  Do NOT cook the beans in the soaking water.  Allow at least 2 – 3 hours for the beans to cook before you start this recipe.  You will want to add celery and onions to the beans while they cook.  Once they are tender proceed with the above recipe.  Taste for seasoning after about one hour in the oven and adjust to your liking.