Thursday, April 21, 2011

Grill-Roasted Turkey Breast (for Gas Grill)

Last Sunday I was planning to toss this turkey breast in the slow cooker, go to church, and come home to a delicious dinner. That plan failed when I realized my slow cooker is much too small to even consider putting something this size in it.

I ended up searching online and found this great recipe from Cook's Country. It's simple, fairly quick, and honestly one of the best tasting turkeys I have ever had.

Grill-Roasted Turkey Breast

1 bone-in whole turkey breast (5-6 lbs), thawed
3 Tbsp brown sugar, divided
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2-3 Tbsp butter

Rinse turkey breast in cool water. Pat dry with paper towels.

Combine 2 Tbsp brown sugar and salt in a small bowl. Gently loosen skin on turkey. Rub brown sugar and salt mixture onto and under skin. Wrap turkey tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 8 hours.

Remove plastic wrap. Pat turkey dry again with paper towels.

Combine remaining 1 Tbsp brown sugar and pepper in a small bowl. Rub onto and under turkey skin.

Use a skewer to poke numerous holes throughout the turkey breast.

Cut butter into very thin slices. Scatter butter slices under skin.

Turn all burners on gas grill to high. Cover, and let heat for 15 minutes.

Leave primary burner on high. Turn off all other burners. Place turkey breast, skin side up, on cooler part of grill.

Cover and grill. Lift lid only once, after about 40 minutes, and rotate turkey breast. Continue cooking until thickest part of meat registers 160 degrees on meat thermometer (about 70-90 minutes). Remove from grill. Cover with foil and let rest for 20 minutes. Serve.

10 comments:

The Harried Cook said...

Love how simple this recipe sounds... looks tasty and cooked perfect! :) thanks for sharing :)

lauyoun said...

Simply WOW! Juicy and one of the most attractive turkey breasts I've
ever made. It's almost embarrassing how little work actually goes into it. Great way to have turkey in the heat of the season. THANKS!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I have a question about "rotating" the turkey breast. Do you mean to turn it over like a somersault or clockwise like in a circle? Sounds wonderful and would like to try it with company. Also, do you put it in a pan or right on the grill?

On a side note, as scanning through your recipes I am surprised by how many of them I have pinned to my board! Great minds think alike!

Rachelle said...

Rotating just means to turn it "clockwise like in a circle." You don't flip it over. Come back and let me know how it turns out for you!

Unknown said...

Instead of putting it in a grill, could I put it in the oven instead? What kind of settings, length of time, etc would it need to cook throughly? Also, can anyone recommend a good white or red wine to pair with the turkey breast? Doesn't matter if it goes with the rest of the dishes. Thanks! Really excited to try the recipe for valentines day.

Rachelle said...

PY: This recipe is really just for the grill. It wouldn't turn out nearly the same in the oven. There are lots of other good ways to cook a turkey though. You could try this method: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-turkey-breast/detail.aspx

I don't drink wine so I have no idea what a good pairing would be. I'm sure Google can help out.

Sorry to be a disappointment. Good luck!

Matthew said...

This is an awesome recipe. I make this for friends all the time, and they go nuts over it. I cook A LOT of turkey, and can say that roasting it on the grill adds an element that can't be duplicated in the oven. Thanks for the recipe!

Anonymous said...

Oven's on the fritz so will have to make Thanksgiving turkey breast--
8-1/2 lbs on the grill. Bigger than the 5-6 spec'd here. Will this still work if I just leave it on the grill longer? When the recipe says cover and cook for 40 minutes before opening grill does that mean to cover the turkey breast with foil or simply close cover on the grill?
Help!

Rachelle said...

Yes, you can do an 8 1/2 pound turkey. You'll just need to cook it longer. Be sure to check the temperature with a meat thermometer so that you know it gets cooked through.

No need to cover the turkey with foil--just close the lid on the grill.

Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the prompt response. I've done a 5 lb and it was wonderful-flavorful and juicy. Glad to know I don't have adjust anything other than time. Everyone should try this at least once. Love this blog.