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A turkey breast on a grill's rotisserie, with a lit rotisserie burner in the background.

Rotisserie Turkey Breast, Dry Brined


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  • Author: Mike Vrobel
  • Total Time: 26 hours
  • Yield: 10 servings 1x

Description

Rotisserie Turkey Breast, Dry Brined. Nothing more than a salt brine and rotisserie cooking yields a simple and fantastic turkey breast.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 whole turkey breast, bone-in (6-7 lbs)
  • 4 teaspoons kosher salt (or 3 teaspoons fine sea salt)

Instructions

  • Dry Brine the Turkey: 1 to 2 days before cooking, salt the turkey. Rub 2 tsp of salt in the big cavity, then work the skin loose from the breast, being careful not to tear it, and rub 1 tsp of salt on each breast. Set the turkey in a baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, and up to 2 days.
  • Prepare the grill: Set your grill up for rotisserie cooking at medium heat (about 350°F internal temperature). For my Weber Summit, this means turning the two outer burners (burners 1 and 6) to medium, and turning the infrared burner to medium. Then I put my drip pan in the middle, over the unlit burners. (See my basic rotisserie poultry technique for more rotisserie setup details.)
  • Truss and Skewer the Turkey: If there is loose skin on the turkey around the wings and the neck, trim it off. Skewer the turkey on your spit, running the prongs under the belly of the bird, so you don't pierce the meat on the breast. (See the picture below, where the turkey is upside down.)
Turkey Breast on the spit
  • Cook the Turkey to 160°F: Put the spit on the grill, and turn on the rotisserie motor. Cook with the lid closed. It should take 1 ½ to 2 hours, depending on the size of the breast. My 7 pound breast was done in 1 hour and 50 minutes. It's better to cook to temperature, though - the thickest part of the breast should read 160°F to 165°F. Start checking the temp after an hour, and every 15 minutes after that. Turkey breast gets very dry when overcooked, so please don't go above 165°F.
  • Serve: Remove the turkey from the spit, and let rest for 15 minutes before carving. I like to cut the breast halves from the carcass, then slice them crosswise into ¼-inch thick slices. Serve with the juices in the drip pan, if they're not sooty from your fire. (On a gas grill, this isn't a problem, but check them if you're using charcoal.)
  • Prep Time: 24 hours
  • Cook Time: 2 hours
  • Category: Sunday Dinner
  • Method: Rotisserie
  • Cuisine: American