# Curing and smoking turkey breast



## atcnick (Apr 4, 2020)

Howdy fellas.  I’ve got a couple turkey breasts curing right now in Pop’s recipe.  Been in the brine for 3 days now.  My plan was to take them out this morning, let them soak in fresh water for a little while.  Then layer some course black pepper on one and Cajun seasoning on the other.  Then smoke as low as I can get my smoker to 162ish internal.  I’m surprised I couldn’t find anyone having done this before.  What do y’all think of my process?  Suggestions?  Thanks


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## jcam222 (Apr 4, 2020)

Sounds good to me. I’ve done Turkey legs in Pops to do the Disney style legs and it was delcious. I assume you pulling at 162 to let it rise to 165. Post up some pics, should be delcious.


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## Ishi (Apr 4, 2020)

I’ve done several wild turkey breasts in Pops brine and the results were very good. Bring it to 165 degrees like said above and enjoy the results


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## thirdeye (Apr 4, 2020)

Did you also inject some of the curing brine into the thick part of the breasts?

Your plan will work, and the Cure #1 will keep you safe at lower smoker temps... but, you can take advantage of the USDA's 7-log10 relative reduction  in salmonella bacteria calculation.   This occurs in 10.5 seconds when the internal reaches 165° for poultry, but if you maintain a holding time you can pull your poultry at a lower temp. 

TEMP ----------------------------------------  HOLDING TIME

155°F (68°C)54.4 seconds157°F (69°C)34 seconds160°F (71°C)16.9 seconds162°F (72°C)10.5 seconds165°F (74°C)<10 seconds

Let's say you pull the turkeys at 157°, and they remain at that temp for 34 seconds, the meat is safe to eat.  However, there will be carry-over, so it's likely to rise to  160° or 161°.  If you pull it at 161° or 162° you might overshoot the 165°.


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## SmokinAl (Apr 5, 2020)

thirdeye
 is right on.
I pull mine at 157 & they are always tender & juicy.
Al


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## atcnick (Apr 5, 2020)

Thanks fellas.  Didn't get any pictures last night.  Fell asleep before I got it off the pit and found it in the fridge this morning!  too much covidbrew lol.


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