Buttermilk Brined Turkey Breast
Buttermilk and fine Sea Salt team up to create a delicious, moist turkey breast. Buttermilk is not as acidic as lemon or vinegars and it adheres to the meat, making for crispy skin and tender meat.
Buttermilk Brined Turkey Breast
Start this at least 24 hours+ ahead of cooking. The “prep” time is well worth the effort.
Ingredients
- 5 – 6 lb. Turkey Breast bone in
- 2 cups Buttermilk
- 2 TBSP (30 gr) fine Sea Salt Crystals
- 1 tsp Thyme dried
- 2 TBSP Olive oil
- Salt and Pepper
- 1.5 cups (375 ml) dry white wine
Instructions
- Carefully place turkey breast in large Zip Lock bag. Carefully because the bones will poke holes in the bag!
- In a small bowl mix buttermilk, salt and thyme until the salt dissolves.
- Pour brine into Zip Lock bag, and seal with as little air as possible.
- Place in refrigerator, meat side down in a rimmed dish and marinate for 24 hours.
- Two hours prior to cooking, remove turkey breast from brine, and lightly dry with paper towels. Discard brine.
- Pre heat oven to 425.
- Drizzle olive oil over meat side of turkey. Lightly salt and pepper.
- Place turkey (meat side up) on a rack in a roasting pan and cook at 425 for 30 minutes.
- Reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes before adding the wine to the bottom of the roaster.
- Continue to cook 1 hour and 15 minutes or until internal temperature is 165 or until that handy button pops up. Total cooking time should be about 2 hours.
- Remove from oven and let rest 20 minutes before carving.
- Leave the pan juices in the pan as the turkey rests. The juices will thicken. Test and season as desired. Serve au jus with turkey.
Notes
Turkey and Gewurztraminer pair very well, especially if the gravy and stuffing are not “big” such as the recipes we use at Thanksgiving and Christmas!
A light turkey breast also works with a dry Riesling and a Pinot Noir.
We’ve paired:
• Villa Wolf Riesling
• Racine Pinot Noir
• La Crème Pinot Noir
• Volcanic Hills Gewurztraminer