A Little Turkey Dinner

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! We traveled to see family, so I had one of those rare meals where I got to be a guest. All I had to do was bring a side dish and carve the bird. It was a very relaxing trip. When we got back, my dear wife wanted just a little Thanksgiving dinner for the two of us, so I decided to try a boneless turkey breast.

1 (3-pound) boneless turkey breast (buy a prepared one, or ask your butcher to debone and net a fresh one)
1-2 tablespoons of your favorite barbecue rub (Tasty Licks Ribit Rub in this case)

I set the Big Green egg up for an indirect cook at 300°F using an inverted plate setter to diffuse the heat. While the grill was coming up to temp, I dusted the breast heavily on all sides with the barbecue rub.

When the grill was ready, I added a chunk of pecan wood for smoke, and when the smoke turned from white to blue, I loaded the breast on the grate.

I cooked the breast, turning every 30 minutes, until the internal temp hit 155°F – about 1 1/2 hours total. I moved it off to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes before removing the netting and slicing.

I served the turkey up with some sautéed green beans  and the polenta dressing left over from our big family meal.

The Verdict: ★★★★½
Very tasty – the turkey picked up a lot of the flavor from the smoke and the rub and was nice and juicy. I’m thinking about doing up a couple more of these and then running them through the meat slicer for sandwiches. To keep the costs down, I’m probably going to have to learn to bone and net my own bird. This video shows how to do it with a leg of lamb, but same idea.

The Nutrition:
If we’re just talking about the green beans and the turkey, life is good – 3 ounces of skin-on turkey breast is only 2 Weight Watchers points and the green beans are (mostly) free. Dare not, however, try to figure out the points for the dressing. I did and it made the poor little points calculator cry. Definitely a dish for special occasions.

8 thoughts on “A Little Turkey Dinner”

  1. I had so many traveling friends tell me that even though they didn’t cook on the big day, they cooked a turkey breast for “just them”. Even though I’ve had my fill of turkey, but it sure sounds good. Maybe a turkey breast is in my future for Christmas. We traveled too, however, I smuggled the whole dinner across state line and cooked for my family. Happy belated TG to you.

  2. You will have no problem removing the bones yourself. A sharp knife and just follow the bone. I buy an extra turkey and make turkey apple sausage.

  3. Man, that looks good. I never think about turkey except Thanksgiving. Need to start cooking it more. I almost ran up to Academy on Black Friday to pick up a small slicer just so I could start cooking and slicing up my own deli meat. Maybe Santa will bring me one….

  4. We didn’t cook but I have a bone in breast defrosting to be ready when we get back home on Sunday. Yours looks excellent!

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