| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 7 days 2 hr 20 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Inactive: | 7 days |
| Cook: | 2 hr |
| Yield: | 4 sandwiches |
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 1/4 cup juniper berries, crushed
- 1/4 cup freshly cracked black peppercorns
- 8 cloves garlic, smashed
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 (5-pound) fresh bone-in turkey breast
- 1/2 cup juniper berries
- 1/4 cup black peppercorns
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup hickory chips
- 8 pieces pumpernickel or dark rye bread
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1/2 red onion, sliced very thin
- 2 tomatoes, ends trimmed, sliced in 8 (1/4-inch) slices
- 4 romaine lettuce leaves, trimmed
- 2 tablespoons stone-ground mustard
Instructions
- For the brine: In a medium saucepan, bring to a boil all ingredients except the turkey. Simmer until sugar and salt are dissolved. Let cool completely. Double a one gallon re-sealable bag and fill with brine. Add turkey, seal bags and place in a shallow pan in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days. (Just in case of leaking, check occasionally.) Remove breast from brine and rinse and dry well.
- For the rub: Pulse all the ingredients in a spice grinder or food processor until it becomes a coarse paste. Rub mixture all over turkey breast. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate resting in a bowl for 24 hours.
- To cook: Soak the chips submerged in water for 15 minutes. Place oven rack to position 4 inches below broiler. Preheat broiler on high. Drain chips and place in a 2 pound aluminum loaf pan. Broil the chips for 5 minutes, stir broil another 2 minutes. Remove to lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Place turkey skin side up in a pan fitted with a roasting rack. Place oven rack used to broil the chips in to the center of oven and roast turkey above smoking chips for one hour.
- Increase the heat to 325 degrees F if convection, 350 degrees F if standard oven. Carefully turn over and continue to roast until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F, another 1 hour 20 minutes.
- Remove turkey from oven. Cover loosely with foil and cool.
- To make the sandwich: Slice pastrami very thin. Toast bread. Spread mayonnaise on 1 piece, layer pastrami, onions, tomato and lettuce on top. Spread mustard on the other piece of toast. Place on top and cut it in half diagonally. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 16 servings |
| Calories | 283 |
| Total Fat | 11 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 15 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 30 g |
| Cholesterol | 84 mg |
| Sodium | 547 mg |
Reviews
Overall ok, I ‘d eat it again, depending on mood.
Very good, but not at the level of foodalicious karma that most of Guy’s recipes impart. I enjoyed making this because I’d never brined, I’d never worked with juniper berries, and I’d also never smoked anything in the oven.
I would do this again, but the juniper berries were so very expensive. I had to geth them online and they cost me about $40.00!
Well we just finished our Thanksgiving bird and I have to say it was delicious. Since I am only cooking for two on the holidays I always look for something different instead of the same old traditional meals. From the first time I saw this earlier in the month on Guy’s show I decided that this would be the turkey I tried this year. Definitely a good choice. I didn’t brine for 5-7 days though. I did mine for approximately 36 hours and put the rub on for 10 hours and it was perfect. Definitely moist and juicy.
I am looking forward to making the accompanying slaw to serve on the sandwiches tomorrow night!
Thanks for a great recipe. I’d definitely make it again.
Ok-I just took a “big bite” of this pastrami turkey breast. It came out very moist and juicy. The rub is too sweet for me, however. When I started this process, I didn’t realize I would need about 8 days, plus the 2 hours 20 min cooking time. I found the juniper berries at Whole Foods, bit of a goose chase. I smoked it on the grill at 250, then finished it off in the oven, so not to smoke up the house. Is it good – yes. Would I do it again – probably not.
Was wondering what size turkey his recipe uses? It doesn’t state in the recipe and it must be small or a breast to fit in the gallon sized bag. Hopefully I’ll get to watch today to find out. Hope the recipe will be corrected to include the size so I can try making some turkey pastrami. It sounds great.
I saw this recipe on the Sunday, November 16 show. Didn’t realize it was a rerun, or maybe you re-showed the recipe for Thanksgiving. thought it was a great idea to put the wood chips in the oven to give a smokey flavor when you can’t bbq outside. When I go back to SOCAL my son always bbq’s for me, and I thought this would be a good trick for him when the weather isn’t the best. It might even be a good trick when he bbq’s outside as he always starts his ribs in the oven (about 1 1/2 – 2 hrs) and then puts them on the grill outside. Sometimes the chips don’t seems to want to smoke on the grill, for a number of reasons, so thought I might suggest this alternative. P.S. I love to watch your Big Bite and Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. You are a real kick to watch and you remind me a lot of my son, just a little more animated:) Maybe it’s CA thing. Keep it up and thanks for also bringing your son onto the show, loved that too. You are just a really great California Trip!!!!!!!