# Cured Smoked Wild Turkey Breast With Photos



## processhead (Apr 30, 2012)

Last Tuesday I arrowed a tom, so Wednesday I cured the boneless breasts and smoked them Sunday. Tonight they got sliced and vacuum packed.

There is just nothing like seeing it through from the shot to the plate.

My cover brine recipe is pretty basic but I like it.

3 cups of Morton Tenderquick

2 gallons ice cold water

Stitch-pump the breasts and then refrigerate under the cover brine for three days. Stir once each day.

Rinse well and soak in fresh water for 1 hour.

Roll up the breasts meat and put in a stockinette that has been soaked in vegetable oil to prevent sticking.

Hang stockinettes on a stick and place in a 140 degree smoker with the dampers wide open for 1 hour.

After 1 hour close dampers to ¼ open and apply smoke for 5 hours.

Raise temperature to 200 degrees. Continue smoking until core temperature reaches 160 degrees.

Remove from smoker and refrigerate overnight. Slice and serve or package.


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## pops6927 (Apr 30, 2012)

Great looking product!  Isn't it just a luxurious delicacy?  Great job!


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## processhead (Apr 30, 2012)

Yeah, its one of my favorite ways to process turkey. Great for sandwiches or just knoshing on a cracker.


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## mds51 (May 1, 2012)

How do you arrive at the 3 cups of TenderQuick? That seems like a lot of that product? I have never used it in a liquid solution and have followed the 1 TBS per pound of meat. Thank you!!


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## whitetailfreak (May 1, 2012)

THAT LOOKS AWESOME
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Congrats on the bowkill!!!!!


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## processhead (May 1, 2012)

mds51 said:


> How do you arrive at the 3 cups of TenderQuick? That seems like a lot of that product? I have never used it in a liquid solution and have followed the 1 TBS per pound of meat. Thank you!!


Using TQ in a liquid brine is quite a bit different than using it dry.  In a brine, only a fraction of the TQ actually makes it into the meat to cure it.

The advantages of cover brine curing are that you can inject the brine into a thicker cut of meat and shorten up the curing time, add additional moisture to the meat, and and obtain a more uniform flavor.


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## mds51 (May 1, 2012)

Thank you for the quick response. Your product and end results look great and I will try this recipe. As always this forum has given me and others another great way to enjoy the smoking process.


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## rbranstner (May 1, 2012)

Thats a great way to use your wild turkey. I have those stockings so I might have to give  this a try some time. I really wish I had your slicer.


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## processhead (May 1, 2012)

rbranstner said:


> Thats a great way to use your wild turkey. I have those stockings so I might have to give  this a try some time. I really wish I had your slicer.


Once you get a slicer, you will wonder how you ever got along without it. I use it primarily for whole muscle jerky, which really speeds up the preparation time, and the size of the batches you can

do. It's nice to be able to slice paper-thin pastrami, turkey, and ham.

I found this Hobart slicer in two separate pieces at a local auction a few years ago. I reunited the pieces before it went up for bid, and got it for $40. I bought a Hobart sharpening stone attachment for the

knife and paid twice as much for the sharpener as I did for the slicer. All the slicer really needed was a good cleaning and a new power cord.


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## thsmormonsmokes (May 1, 2012)

processhead said:


> Once you get a slicer, you will wonder how you ever got along without it. I use it primarily for whole muscle jerky, which really speeds up the preparation time, and the size of the batches you can
> 
> do. It's nice to be able to slice paper-thin pastrami, turkey, and ham.
> 
> ...


You STOLE that Hobart.  Before I went to grad school I did a little bit of deal hunting for stuff like that, then I'd sell it on Ebay.  Hobart equipment carries its value really well.  IIRC, you could probably get $400 or $500 for a working Hobart meat slicer.  Nice find.


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## thoseguys26 (May 20, 2012)

That's some great looking product. Now I have to get a slicer and some stockinette's..  Where do you get your stockinette's? What size, etc? Thanks


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## processhead (May 20, 2012)

thoseguys26 said:


> That's some great looking product. Now I have to get a slicer and some stockinette's..  Where do you get your stockinette's? What size, etc? Thanks


You can get them from the Sausage Maker...    http://www.sausagemaker.com/13500andnbsp36hambagstockinettes.aspx

They come in only one size as far as I know. For a smaller item like the turkey breast, just stretch the stockinette tight and tie it off.  You can cut off the excess and reuse it later. Be sure to soak the stockinette in vegetable oil beforehand so it does not stick to the turkey breast while cooking.

I harvested another tom this weekend so I think I will be doing this again...


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## thoseguys26 (May 20, 2012)

Nice! Thanks!


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