Ingredients

How to make it

  • For brine for breast:
  • Coarsely crush allspice berries with a mortar and pestle. Alternatively, place in a resealable plastic freezer bag and crush with a rolling pin or the bottom of a skillet. Transfer to a large pot. Repeat with juniper erries, then fennel seeds. Place spices in pot. Add salt, sugar, and 2 cups hot water to pot with spices. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Add onion, carrot, fennel, parsley and thyme sprigs, bay leaves, chiles, and cloves. Add 3 quarts very cold water and stir to combine. Place turkey breast in brine. Place a plate on top, if necessary, to keep breast submerged. Cover and chill overnight.
  • For roast breast:
  • Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a large roasting pan with foil. Set a rack inside pan. Scatter onion, sage, and thyme over rack. Remove turkey breast from brine. Pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey breast on top of herbs on rack. Brush breast with melted butter. Season with salt and pepper. Roast turkey for 30-40 min minutes, until nicely browned. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F, cover breast loosely with foil, and continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breast registers 150°F, 2 1/2-3 hours total. If skin is not crispy, crank up oven to 475 F and roast 10 - 20 min. longer Take breast out of oven, tent with foil and let breast rest for at least 30 minutes before carving.
  • Carve breast; arrange on a platter.

Reviews & Comments 4

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    " It was excellent "
    chuckieb ate it and said...
    Wow! That was Fantastic! Thank you so much for such a great recipe. Hubby went back for a big plate of seconds. Sooooo flavourful! I am putting this immediately into my "Made and Loved" file. More in the "I Made It" Group link.
    Brined Turkey Breast By Pongousa
    Thanks so much Ralph! It's a definite keeper!
    -Janet
    12/03/12
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    " It was excellent "
    chuckieb ate it and said...
    Hi Pongo! Just a question. I'm going to start to brine my turkey breast tomorrow and I'm just re-reading the recipe. So I dissolve all the salt,sugar and spices in hot water and then I add the veggies and cold water. So the veggies don't really 'cook' at all first, they're just added to the brine?
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  • jo_jo_ba 11 years ago
    Delicious! I love turkey when it's brined and dry rubbed
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    " It was excellent "
    chuckieb ate it and said...
    This is very cool. I haven't done a lot of brining but what I have done I've really enjoyed. Actually have a small turkey breast down in the freezer at the moment. This is going to make the short list! :) Lovely picture too!
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