By Robyn Lindars, from GrillGirl.com
This smoked turkey breast recipe, brined and injected with pickle juice and then finished with flavorful and moisturizing Alabama White BBQ Sauce, will change the how you think about turkey forever. With only a few simple ingredients, a bone-in turkey breast kissed with smoke on the LoCo SmartTemp Kettle, is transformed into something very extraordinary that makes the perfect protein for date nights or an intimate holiday gathering. Clean ingredient pickle juice is used for both brining and injecting the bird, while seed oil-free mayo is used as a binder for the rub and as a key ingredient in the Alabama White Sauce.
Alabama White Sauce is a mayo and vinegar-based white BBQ sauce that can be used as both a marinade and a dip. I like to serve it in a mason jar at the table so everyone can pair their turkey with additional sauce.
Don’t be surprised when your friends and family tell you this is the best turkey they’ve ever had!
The brine, injection, rub, smoke flavor and Alabama White sauce come together in the perfect symphony of complimentary flavors that also aid in creating one super moist bird.
Tools Needed:
- LoCo Kettle
- Meat Injector
- Wood Chips (I prefer bourbon barrel chips)
Ingredients:
- 1 bone-in turkey breast
- 1 64 oz sized jar of dill pickle juice, with 1 tbsp reserved for injecting- look for pickle juice without the preservative Polysorbate 80.
- 2 tbsp seed oil free mayo such as Chosen Foods - this is to be used as a binder
Rub Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp smoked kosher sea salt (regular sea salt works fine too)
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp smoked black pepper (regular black pepper is fine too)
Alabama White Sauce Ingredients (makes 3.5 cups):
- 2 cups mayo (use a brand without seed oils- I prefer Chosen Foods Mayo)
- 1 cup of dill pickle juice OR distilled white vinegar
- 1⁄3 cup apple juice
- 2 tsp prepared horseradish
- 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- Juice and zest of one lemon
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1⁄2 tsp cayenne or chipotle powder
- Dash of hot sauce
Directions:
Brine your turkey overnight in pickle juice by placing your turkey breast in a large pot. If you don’t have enough pickle juice to cover the turkey, add water so the turkey is completely submerged in the brine.
After brining, remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry.
Combine the salt, pepper and smoked paprika to create a rub.
Using your fingers, gently separate the skin from the breast being careful not to tear the skin. Place mayo underneath the skin to moisturize the breast meat. Next, add the rub and spread to all parts you can access with your fingers underneath the skin. Repeat this process on the outside of the bird fully coating the bird with the mayo as a binder and then adding the rub until it is spread evenly all over the turkey.
Next, using the reserved 2 tbsp of pickle juice, inject each breast with pickle juice.
Prepare your LoCo Kettle for smoking at 250 degrees. Add your preferred wood chips in (I’m a big fan of bourbon barrel chunks), and then place the heat deflector into the LoCo, leaving a small slit open to give oxygen to the charcoal. Place your turkey on the grill and let it smoke until it has reached an internal temp of 165 degrees as measured by an internal read thermometer.
While the turkey is smoking, make your Alabama White Sauce.
Combine the mayo, pickle juice, apple juice, horseradish, salt, pepper, lemon juice and zest, cayenne pepper, sugar, hot sauce and smoked paprika with an immersion blender in a large mason jar. Reserve 1⁄3 of this sauce for basting on the turkey after it has been removed from the grill. Serve the remaining sauce at the table to serve with the smoked turkey.
Remove the turkey from the grill after it has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Wait 10 minutes before slicing into the turkey to let the juices reabsorb. Serve with the Alabama White Sauce for dipping the turkey slices into the sauce. Pair with your favorite sides and wait for the compliments to roll in! This will be the juiciest, most flavorful turkey you’ve ever had!