Turkey breast has a bad reputation, it's often thought of as the dry leftover meat that you have to throw in a pie or throw out. Discard this myth as this may be the best turkey breast I have ever made. KOL Foods is a nationwide supplier of hormone free, organic and grass-free meat and poultry. It's a great pleasure to have been sent this product to cook with and write about. This is just one of many recipes I have developed using products sent to me by KOL Foods and I invite you to see them all.
The combination of black tea and pickling spice make the perfect brine and create a delicate and moist flavor that sticks with the turkey through the process. I used loose black tea leaves but you could just as easily use a tea bag.
Steep the pickling spice just as you did the tea, then combine the two liquids, stir and allow to cool. Once the temperature has dropped, pour it over the turkey, cover and put in the refrigerator overnight. I would not recommend skipping this brining step.
Tea Smoked Turkey Breast
- 2 tablespoons of pickling spice
- 1 tablespoon of black tea leaves
- 3 lb turkey breast
Brining and smoking the turkey
- Steep the black tea in two cups of water
- Steep the pickling spice in two cups of water
- Combine the the tea and picking spice liquid, mix and allow to cool
- Once the brine is cool, cover the turkey breast with the liquid, add a little water if you need more brine but don't dilute this too much. Set the KOL Foods turkey in the fridge for at least six hours (for a 3lb breast).
- Bring the smoker up to 200 degrees then put the turkey breast on the smoker
- Check on the bird every 30 minutes making sure the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. This is when you want that meat thermometer.
- Let the turkey breast sit for at least 15 minutes before cutting into it so that the juices can absorb.
- Slice the turkey with an electric knife.
Because this turkey breast is organic and I monitored the temperature with a meat thermometer, the breast was juicy and moist. Learn more about organic meat at KOL Foods. You can see more photos from this recipe on Facebook.
