Rubbery turkey breast?

[stfron]

Good Morning Smokers!

I have a quick question, I hope someone has the answer for- I'm preparing to smoke a turkey breast for a nice afternoon get together-

If I go low and slow, will it make the skin rubbery like on chicken?

 

[glued2it]

Pretty much.
Poultry really doesn't benifit from low and slow.

There are a few ways to crisp up the skin.
Search around and you'll find a few methods.

 

[bbq bubba]

Smoke it at 325ish for crispier skin, brine first or probably gonna be fairly dry.

 

[travcoman45]

Hey Ron: For poultry (chix, turkey or whatever) I always brine, and on a whole bird or thick meat like breast, inject. After a nice overnight bath in the brine, I rinse, coat with rub and into the smoker at 275* to start, giver her some time to soak up the smoke, then up the temp to 325* or 350* to crisp the skin. Pull the meat when the thermo says 165* or so.

I spritz my meat with a combination of:
8 oz. Apple Cider
6 oz Water
4 oz Whiskey
2 oz Cider Vinegar

The spritz adds flavour, color and helps with the skin. I will spritz about 1 every hour.

This way you get nice juicy meat and a crispier skin. Let the meat rest tented with aluminum foil in a roaster pan for 20 to 30 minutes. Makes for fine eatin! Remember, this is smoked bird, not fried, you won't get a fried skin smokin, but it doesn't have to be like a rubber glove either! Good luck with your smoke, hope all enjoy the fine meal your fixin em!

 

[stfron]

Follow-up

Thanks to an overnight brine, the breast was SUPER JUICY! I smoked at 325 (Highest I could get on my GOSM) for around 2.5 hrs. The bird came out of the smoker @ 160-

I used the Hungarian Chicken Rub called Szeged (Yummy!) Although the skin wasn't as crispy as hoped, all folks agreed that the meal was yummy.

We had a 2lb Fatty (Bob Evans Sage, stuffed with aged cheddar and ham) and The old standby- Dutch's beans.

The dinner was fabulous, thanks again smokers!

 

[bbq bubba]

Glad it worked out for ya!!

Next time you gotta show pics........or it never happened!

 

[stfron]

Yeah, Yeah, I know- I just get so darned excited when it gets done. I never can find the time to take photos, when it's sitting there just waiting!!

 

[richtee]

Can't go wrong with the Hunky Connection ;{)

 

[schoolsmoker]

What did you use for the overnite brine?

 

[richoso1]

What bbq bubba said...

 

[chef skip steele]

pull the turkey breast at 140 , you will thank me later.

 

[richtee]

That IS an awesome poultry rub. Even a plain roasted chicken really comes alive with it. That brand also makes one of the very best paprikas on the market too, FYI

 

[sumosmoke]

Is that rub something that you can get at the local grocery store or do you have to special order?

 

[richtee]

You can usually find it in the specialty cooking stores, or the Farmer Jack chain carries it... Hmmm do a search... I know they have a website too.

 

[travcoman45]

School smoker here is my brine recipe and the injection recipe I use:

Poultry Brine
1 1/2 Gal Water
1/2 C salt
1/2 C Dark Brown Sugar
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Cajun Spice
2 tsp Celerey Salt

I brine about 12 hours or upto 24 hours. Give the bird a good rinse after brining. Then dry and sprinkle with your favorite rub.

Poultry Injection Recipe
1/2 Pkg Good Seasons Italian Dressing
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Celery Salt
2 Tbs Melted Butter (real butter)
2 C Apple Cider.

Inject into the breast, thighs and legs. Inject before brinning.

Good luck, hope this helps.

 

[stfron]

I kinda free-handed the brine, I know it had about a cup of kosher salt, 1/2 c dark brown sugar, fresh ground pepper (some fancy french peppercorns we bought from the spice market in Milwaukee) Bayleaf, and maybe some molasses, but I had inbided in quite a few adult beverages by that time, so my memory is hazy...