Brining

RDMS

What is a good recipe for brining turkey breast to be smoked.

 

RDMS

The Cen-Tex Smoker

I think Doc Eggerton did a brined turkey that he loved not too long ago. It's from the book Charcuterie but PM Doc and see if he will pass along the recipe for you

Brownie

I think I remember @GrannyX4 doing one too. Sounds tasty, I would like to hear about your results.

GrannyX4

I have done a lot of playing around with brining. I did the Charcuterie, several other wet brines, buttermilk brine and a dry kosher salt and spice brine. The buttermilk was my least favorite, great for chicken. The wet brines were OK. I like the dry salt brine the best. It seem to give turkey the most flavor and the best texture. Yes it is salty but I wash the salt off befor cooking. I also break the rule of 160 for the bird and take it off at 150 to 155.

newegg13

Check out Alton Brown's turkey brine recipe. I did it for a roasted turkey and it was great. I bet it would work with smoked with little or no alterations.

U_tarded

My favorite has been a apple/orange brine pretty simple a gallon should be close but you may need a direction I do it from memory now but I got it from a friend when I lived in Texas

(1 gallon recipe) main point is one gallon liquid to 1 cup kosher salt don't use table salt in the same proportion or you will give yourself a salt lick

1 cup kosher

2 quarts apple juice

2 quarts ice water (key to drop temp fast)

1 head of garlic (small to medium) finely chopped

1 cup ginger grated or finely chopped

1 tsp ground clove

1 or 2 cup honey depending on how sweet you want it the bine mildly flavors

3 oranges 

2 table spoons of mortons tenderquick

put apple juice, salt and honey in a stock pot over medium heat

add ginger, honey, garlic, and cloves and stir/heat until disolved then remove from heat

quarter oranges rind and all squeeze juice into the brine then toss them in as well

cool down with ice water/refridgerate.

when the water temp is below 40 degrees you can either toss it in the pot or at that time I like to inject the brine into the breast thighs legs etc in several places.  I then put my turkey in one of the roasting bags for the oven pour the brine into that and seal it up.  I brine for 24-48 hours depending on my timing.  Then I remove from the brine 12-24 hours prior to smoking so that the skin will dry out.  

When smoking I stuff the turkey with apple and orange slices and and onion for extra flavor.

I also wrap the turkey in a cheese cloth for smoking to help with prevent blackening of the skin.  I remove it at about 140 internal breast the crisp up the skin the last part of the cook.  done about 5 turkeys this way and 3/5 skin was great 1 I didn't wrap and the skin was black and super rubbery but the meat was the moistest I have ever had in white meat of a turkey.  Watch the wings and the legs you may have to wrap in foil to protect them 1/2 way through the cook the get dark really fast.  

Good luck and I hope I helped!