If you want to avoid dry turkey breast, follow these tips.
1) Brine your turkey
Dissolve 1 cup salt in 1 gallon of boiling water with 1 tablespoon allspice berries and 1 cup brown sugar. Let cool. Put turkey in 5 gallon cooler or bucket. Poor cool brine over turkey and cover with ice. Brine for 24-48 hours.
2) Don't stuff
Quarter a onion and put in cavity. Put temperature probe into thickest part of thigh.
3) Steam
Put bird in V rack breast down in a 325 preheated oven. Add 1-1.5 inched of boiling water to pan. close oven and set temperature alert to 155°F. Do not open up oven. No basting. The dark meat on top will baste the breast.
4) Let rest
Remove bird from oven, leave probe in and cover with heavy foil, and let the bird sit fro a hour. This carryover cooking should bring the bird to about 170°F. Monitor probe to make sure it reached 165 for food safety. The bird will then cool a bit which allows the juices to re-coagulate, keeping moisture in the bird. If the breast steams during carving, your breast will be dry. Letting it rest is the most important step to prevent a dry bird.
5) Flipping the bird
You now have a perfectly cooked bird, but it doesn't look like Norman Rockwell picture because the breast is not brown. If presentation is important, turn on your broiler, but the bird back on the v rack breast up and broil skin until desired brownness. I personally don't do this anymore.
Enjoy.
1) Brine your turkey
Dissolve 1 cup salt in 1 gallon of boiling water with 1 tablespoon allspice berries and 1 cup brown sugar. Let cool. Put turkey in 5 gallon cooler or bucket. Poor cool brine over turkey and cover with ice. Brine for 24-48 hours.
2) Don't stuff
Quarter a onion and put in cavity. Put temperature probe into thickest part of thigh.
3) Steam
Put bird in V rack breast down in a 325 preheated oven. Add 1-1.5 inched of boiling water to pan. close oven and set temperature alert to 155°F. Do not open up oven. No basting. The dark meat on top will baste the breast.
4) Let rest
Remove bird from oven, leave probe in and cover with heavy foil, and let the bird sit fro a hour. This carryover cooking should bring the bird to about 170°F. Monitor probe to make sure it reached 165 for food safety. The bird will then cool a bit which allows the juices to re-coagulate, keeping moisture in the bird. If the breast steams during carving, your breast will be dry. Letting it rest is the most important step to prevent a dry bird.
5) Flipping the bird
You now have a perfectly cooked bird, but it doesn't look like Norman Rockwell picture because the breast is not brown. If presentation is important, turn on your broiler, but the bird back on the v rack breast up and broil skin until desired brownness. I personally don't do this anymore.
Enjoy.
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