porchetta-style turkey breast

A few weeks ago on America’s Test Kitchen, test cook Dan Souza, demonstrated how to make a Porchetta-Style Turkey Breast. I roast boneless turkey breasts at least every two weeks and I’ve tried different dried seasoning blends and liquid basting sauces. This recipe, while time consuming, challenged my culinary skills.
 
First order of business was to locate a boneless turkey breast that still had its skin. I was able to purchase one at Palmer’s Quality Meats in Neptune City, NJ. As I was preparing this for my husband and I, the butcher suggested I purchase half a breast, just over four pounds of meat; I also had him butterfly the breast. Palmer’s gets their poultry from Goffle Road Poultry Farms in Wyckoff, NJ, which is located in Bergen County.

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To prep the breast, I had to carefully remove the skin from the meat as this is essential in roasting and preparation. Normally one would purchase a porchetta made with pork belly. My son-in-law prepared this one year for Christmas dinner. While extremely delicious, its richness makes this a special occasion meal. Therefore, one made with turkey has the same flavor profile that includes garlic, fresh rosemary, fennel fronds or freshly ground fennel seeds and other seasonings.
 
America’s Test Kitchen recipe gives directions for how to bone-out a bone-in turkey breast. While I can do this on  bone-in chicken breasts, I preferred to have this done by a professional. One thing I didn’t do was to prepare the porchetta-style turkey breast eight hours ahead of roasting. This would allow time for the herbs to penetrate the meat and for the exterior skin to dry out. Not only do you want flavorful meat, but you also want to achieve crackling skin on the exterior. You can also let the prepared roast sit for up to two days in the refrigerator. I only had several hours for mine to sit before cooking.
 
For the recipe you’ll also need fennel seeds, black peppercorns, fresh rosemary, fresh sage, fresh thyme, fresh garlic cloves, kosher salt, extra-virgin olive oil and melted butter. All of the herbs, fennel seeds, peppercorns, salt and olive oil are combined to make a paste which is rubbed over the turkey.  Using the skin to aid you, you fold/roll the turkey breast in the skin. Once you’ve done, you tie the meat with your precut butcher’s twine which will help the meat maintain its cylinder shape. Prior to roasting melted butter is brushed on the exterior.
 
The cooking method here is low and slow, 275° for 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 125°. In order to get a very crispy exterior, and finish cooking the meat, the oven temperature is increased to 500° for 15-25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145°. I didn’t brush the butter on, but drizzled it. When it came time to cook at the high temperature, I had smoke coming from my oven and my smoke alarm going off.
 
I was quite proud of myself and how my Porchetta-Style Turkey came out. The flavor was out of this world. The meat was tender and juicy. The exterior skin came out crispy. Overall, it was a fabulous meal. Would I do it again? Yes, but I’ll need to have a few more mouths to feed. At a little over four pounds, I’m able to get three meals out of this for my husband and I. I could make wonderful sandwiches with it. I’d toast the inside of a ciabatta roll, make an aioli spread, a slice of porchetta style turkey and maybe optional broccoli rabe on top. Now I’m hungry. 

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Porchetta-Style Turkey Breast
From America’s Test Kitchen
Season 23 “Porchetta-Style Turkey and Fennel”
 
SERVES: Serves 6 to 8
 
TIME: 3½ hours, plus 8 hours salting
 
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275°
 
“WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Turkey porchetta, or turchetta, is a flavor-packed, visually impressive turkey breast preparation that takes its name, shape, and seasonings from the iconic Italian pork roast called porchetta. After deboning a crown roast (better than starting with a boneless turkey breast, since doing the butchery yourself guarantees that the skin and meat are intact), we found it best to toss the breast halves and tenderloins with the herb-spice paste (ground fennel and black peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic, salt, and olive oil) in a bowl rather than spread the mixture on one side of the meat. When we wrapped the meat in the skin into a cylinder, the paste was evenly swirled throughout, lending each slice attractive marbling and loads of flavor. Refrigerating the assembled roast for 8 hours (or up to two days) before cooking allowed the salt in the paste to migrate into the meat, seasoning it and helping it retain its juices during cooking. Starting the roast in a low oven and pulling it out 15 degrees shy of the target temperature (160 degrees) meant that carryover cooking could gradually raise its internal temperature so that it didn't overshoot the mark. Salting the exterior of the roast so that it dried out as it rested in the fridge and brushing melted butter (the milk solids in which encouraged browning) over the surface just before cooking led to rich, flavorful color development. Briefly blasting the roast at 500 degrees deepened its color.”
 
INGREDIENTS
 
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
¼ cup fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
¼ cup fresh sage leaves, chopped
¼ cup fresh thyme leaves
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 (7- to 8-pound) bone-in turkey breast
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
 
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
We prefer a natural turkey breast here; if you're using a self-basting breast (such as Butterball) or kosher breast, omit the 4 teaspoons of salt in the herb paste. This recipe was developed using Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt; if you're using Morton Kosher Salt, which is denser, use 1 tablespoon in the herb paste and 1½ teaspoons on the exterior of the roast.
 
INSTRUCTIONS

1. Grind fennel seeds and peppercorns using spice grinder or mortar and pestle until finely ground. Transfer to food processor and add rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic, and 4 teaspoons salt. Pulse mixture until finely chopped, 15 to 20 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add oil and process until paste forms, 20 to 30 seconds. Cut seven 16-inch lengths and one 30-inch length of kitchen twine and set aside. Measure out 20-inch piece of aluminum foil and crumple into loose ball. Uncrumple foil and place on rimmed baking sheet (crinkled foil will insulate bottom of sheet and minimize smoking during final roasting step). Spray wire rack with vegetable oil spray and place on prepared sheet.
2. To remove back, place turkey breast skin side down on cutting board. Using kitchen shears, cut through ribs, following vertical lines of fat where breast meets back, from tapered ends of breast to wing joints (A). Using your hands, bend back away from breast to pop shoulder joints out of sockets (B). Using paring knife, cut through joints between bones to separate back from breast (C).
3. Flip breast skin side up. Starting at tapered side of breast and using your fingers to separate skin from meat, peel skin off breast meat and reserve (D). Using tip of chef's knife or boning knife, cut along rib cage to remove each breast half completely (E). Reserve bones for making stock, or discard. Peel tenderloins from underside of each breast (F) and use knife to remove exposed part of white tendon from each tenderloin.
4. Lay 1 breast half on cutting board, smooth side down and with narrow end pointing toward your knife hand. Holding knife parallel to cutting board, slice into breast starting where breast becomes thicker (about halfway along length). Stop ½ inch from edge of breast (G) and open to create 1 long piece of even thickness. Repeat with remaining breast half. Transfer all meat to large bowl. Add herb paste and massage into meat to coat evenly.
5. Pat exterior of skin dry with paper towels and lay flat, exterior side down, on cutting board with long side running parallel to counter. Remove any loose pieces of fat. Lay 1 breast half on 1 side of skin with butterflied end closest to you. Lay second breast half next to first with butterflied end farthest away from you (H). Spread breast halves slightly apart and lay tenderloins between them with their thin ends overlapping in center (I).
6. Using skin as aid, fold up each breast half over tenderloins so skin meets directly over tenderloins. Slip one 16-inch length of twine under roast about 2 inches from 1 end and tie into simple knot, pinching skin closed as you tighten. Repeat tying at opposite end (J). Tie remaining five 16-inch lengths of twine evenly between 2 end pieces. Trim excess twine.
7. Tie 1 end of 30-inch length of twine onto loop farthest from you. Working toward you, loop twine over top and around each successive strand until you get to bottom of roast (K). Flip roast and continue looping to bottom of roast (L). Flip roast again and tie off where you started. Sprinkle roast evenly with remaining 2 teaspoons salt; place on prepared rack; and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.
8. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Brush roast with melted butter. Cook until thickest part of roast registers 125 degrees, 1½ to 1¾ hours. Remove roast from oven and increase oven temperature to 500 degrees. When oven is up to temperature, remove twine from roast; return roast to oven; and cook until skin is browned and roast registers 145 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes.
9. Transfer roast to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest for 30 minutes. Slice ½ inch thick and serve.

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