Wild Turkey Pastrami
A flavorful, succulent, moist turkey breast that lets you enjoy wild proteins with a hint of smoke and spice is hard to beat. Making pastrami involves several steps: a wet brine, a dry rub, air drying and smoking.
However, there are a few tricks and techniques that can elevate your wild turkey to even greater culinary heights. Instead of bringing the meat up to temperature on the smoker, smoke it just long enough to impart flavor. Then place it in a sealed bag and cook it with an immersion circulator using the sous-vide method to finish cooking without losing moisture. This game-changing technique also allows you to add a couple of ounces of brandy, spiced rum or your favorite spirit to the bag before sealing it.
It takes significantly less time to brine fowl versus red meat. If you have made venison pastrami, the brine time is much longer than with a turkey. It is more about moisture management than curing.
Brine Ingredients
*Makes enought for up to two whole turkey breasts
- 8 cups water
- ½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup pickling salt
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp juniper berries, crushed
- 2 tsp mustard seed
- 6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 2 bay leaves, crumbled
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 6 star anise pods
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- ½ tsp Prague Powder #1 or pink curing salt
Dry Rub Ingredients
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 3 tbsp ground coriander
- 3 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp dry mustard
- 2 tbsp sweet paprika
- 2 tbsp granulated garlic
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp dried thyme leaves
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring the brine ingredients to a boil. Whisk until the sugar and salt are fully dissolved. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let the brine cool for about 1 hour, or until it reaches room temperature.
- Prepare the turkey breast by removing any feathers or connective tissue and patting it dry with paper towels.
- Pour the cooled brine into a large non-metal container or a heavy-duty plastic brining bag. Place the turkey breast into the brine, ensuring it is fully submerged. Seal the container or bag, then refrigerate for at least 24 hours for the best flavor.
- Remove turkey from brine and rinse thoroughly, removing all spices. Pat completely dry with paper towels.
- Combine all dry rub ingredients and generously coat turkey with rub, pressing firmly into all sides. Place on a rack, uncovered, in the refrigerator overnight to air dry.
- Remove turkey from refrigerator and let rest at room temperature 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat smoker to 200°F. Place the turkey on the rack and smoke for 2 hours.
- Increase smoker temperature to 225°F. Continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 150 to 152°F in the thickest part.
- Remove from smoker and loosely tent with foil. When cool enough to handle, wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least 24 hours to develop flavor.
- Slice thin across the width for serving. Serve cold or gently warmed in a pan or steamer.
Optional Smoke and Sous Vide Finish (Highly Recommended)
- After applying the dry rub and air drying overnight, preheat your smoker to 200°F. Smoke the turkey breast for 2 hours using mild wood to build flavor without overpowering the meat.
- Remove the turkey from the smoker and allow it to cool for 10 to 15 minutes until it is no longer steaming.
- Place the turkey breast into a vacuum sealer or chamber sealer bag. Add 2 oz of brandy, spiced rum or your favorite spirit. Vacuum seal tightly.
- Preheat a sous vide water bath to 150°F. Submerge the sealed turkey and cook for 4 hours (an old gobbler could go 6 hours).
- Remove from the water bath and chill in an ice bath for 20 to 30 minutes, then refrigerate overnight for the best slicing texture and flavor.
- When ready to serve, remove from the bag, pat dry and slice thin like deli meat. Serve cold or warm gently in a pan or steamer.
*Note: Turkey thighs were also brined and smoked, but needed 45 minutes in a pressure cooker on high for 45 minutes to be tender and sliceable. The dark meat had excellent flavor and texture, but does require the extra step.
