Recipe: Cranberry-Smoked Turkey Breast

Okay... This post is gonna be in "almost-real-time!"

With Thanksgiving coming, I figured I wanted to start "Messing with Turkeys!"

A couple-three years ago, I bought a Brinkmann Electric Smoker and - to be perfectly honest - it hasn't seen *nearly* enough use! So I figured I'd futz around with a Turkey Breast - just to see how it comes out!

For ACTUAL Thanksgiving, I will probably drag out my propane "Oil-less Turkey Fryer" (aka "The Big Easy" - which, to be honest, I really like it a LOT). It is actually more like a convection oven - but is still WAAAAAY the hell easier/cleaner than traditional roasting! And yes, I will post my T-Giving Preparations this year!

Anyway - in the meantime - I've decided I want to play around with the Brinkman Electric Smoker. It's GREAT for ribs and pork roasts - but I've yet to attempt poultry in it...

Tomorrow, all that's gonna change! I am smoking a turkey-breast, by golly!!!

Sooooo.... This evening, I ran over to the grocery store and procured a small-ish (~8#) turkey breast. Frozen-solid, unfortunately:

It does include the bones and also has a built in, pop-up, meat-thermometer (which I will be removing prior to cooking). It has also been "injected" with some kinda brine... But I hope to offset that with my OWN brine!

Here is the brine-bag:

Turkey-Breast Brine:

• 2 gallon Zip-Lock Baggie, filled with:
• 8 cups of water
• 8 cups of "Natural" Cranberry-Pomegranate Juice (sweetened w/Stevia - *not* High Fructose Corn Syrup!)
• 1 cup of Sea Salt
• appx 1 cup of Splenda "Brown-Sugar Blend" (50/50 Splenda + Brown Sugar)
• 2 TBS of McCormick Grill-Mates "Chicken Rub."

The primary ingreeeediments!

Nekkid, Frozen-Solid Turkey Breast (Hide the Children!!!)

I mixed up the liquids + spices and salt in a large Zip-Lock Baggie. Made sure that the salt and Sugar-Blend-Stuff was thoroughly mixed-in with the liquid. Then I plopped the Turkey Breast in the bag...

Like thus!

Now, since the breast is frozen solid (it actually came with a gravy packet - but it is "iced-in" - inside the bird!!! Nights/Early mornings around here are now in the low 40's, so I decided to stick the whole thing (bird, bag, pot and all!) in the garage. Hopefully, overnight, it will be able to thaw (but not give us food-poisoning - I hope!!!).

Tomorrow morning, I will rinse the bird off and fire-up the smoker.... I will post subsequent updates, as they occur (tomorrow!!!)...