Buttermilk-Brined Turkey Breast Recipe (2024)

Can you double this recipe using a whole breast?

I had the same question as others regarding doubling the recipe for a 5lb breast. On a whim, I messaged Samin on Instagram — and she responded!Here is what she wrote. “Yes! Double the salt and buttermilk for double the weight of meat! Happy cooking!”Mystery solved. Happy cooking indeed.

Could we please try to do this without using a plastic bag? Perhaps in a bowl or rectangular terrine-type container? Maybe we need to increase the amount of brine to ensure the turkey breast is covered. Or just turn frequently.

Any thoughts on the best way to make gravy with this method? Thanks

I wanted to test a couple of recipes before Thanksgiving. Bought a whole breast, split it, brined one half in buttermilk and roasted the other with an herb and olive oil rub. This was the winner - moist and flavorful. My takeaways - it was a tad too salty for me, next time will brine for 24 hours rather than 36. Will also add chopped fresh herbs to the brine. I started it at 425 for 30 minutes then lowered the temp to 350 so it wouldn't burn.

Has anyone doubled this and done it with both breasts?

If you don't have buttermilk, you can make a substitute by adding one tablespoon of either white vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of milk. Let sit for 5 minutes. This works for waffles, salad dressings, anywhere buttermilk is called for.

Can anybody answer if there's a good way to make gravy for this recipe? We'll only have four people for Thanksgiving this year, so we'd rather do a turkey breast than a whole turkey. But we still want gravy!

I understand for food safety, turkey needs to reach 160 deg F before removing from oven and rest 15 mins with foil to the reach 165 deg F on retained heat, Pls advise on recipe 150 deg F, is this a new standard of food safety for turkey?

Question: Can this recipe be used with a small turkey say 10-12 lbs?

Why is the salt content so different in this recipe for turkey breast (33g/2 cups = 66g/quart) compared with the salt in the whole turkey recipe (128g/3 quarts = 43g/quart?

My sister brines a large turkey every year in a very large pot in her spare fridge. If you want to avoid plastic just increase the brine recipe to fit the pot you need.I'm having Thanksgiving for one this year so I'll be giving this recipe a try!

has anyone tried this with turkey thighs?

For those looking for how to make gravy, when you buy your turkey breasts, ask the butcher or grocery meat department folks for turkey necks and backs. Make the roasted turkey stock, then follow Mark Bittman's recipe for turkey gravy also in NYTimes food. %20Search%20Recipe%20Card&pgType=search&rank=1 The turkey stock is sooooo good; you can use it for leftover soup, or to moisten a good stuffing.

Would this work if smoking a turkey breast on a Weber with indirect heat?

For a 2 lb boneless breast, getting to 150 degrees in just 40 minutes at 425 (all per the recipe) seemed dubious and proved preposterous.

This recipe is amazing! I don’t particularly like turkey… and turkey breast is always rather dry. But this recipe worked perfectly (though time in the oven was longer than indicated in the recipe). I just tried it because I had a frozen turkey that needed to be cooked, but I am happy I did!

New years Day 2024. Very tasty! Try no bone next time - Easier to cut.

I used a full bone in turkey breast and doubled the buttermilk and salt. Came out moist and delicious. I did drop the temp after 25 mins. to 350 and it came out great.

We are out of the country for Christmas dinner this year, so the family will gather on the 28th. I’ve had bad luck with “fresh” turkey breasts that are frozen when I get them home, so I’m looking for solutions to still use this recipe, which is fabulous (I’ve tried it before). Can I buy fresh turkey breasts before I leave on the 18th and just stash them in the fridge until the 26th? Should I gamble on the supermarket butchers and order them to pick up on the 28th? Help!

2023 - I cooked a 22.5# turkey and it was done in 2:20.

Update: after making this I bought another breast and just roasted it directly. The brining DOES help it stay moist and tender! Next time will make as directed but season without salt.

*Too salty by a lot. Though the results were moist.*If you derive the salt-to-buttermilk ratio from the original recipe (spatchco*ck chicken), the salt would be significantly less per pound. Next time, I will use the ratio derived from the original recipe.

This was delicious! So juicy, with perfectly crackling skin. My grocery store was out of buttermilk so I looked up a substitute - 1 scant cup milk with 1 tablespoon white vinegar. Worked like a charm. I made gravy by caramelizing half an onion and some garlic in butter, throwing in a sprig each of rosemary and thyme, adding some flour to make a roux, and then whisking in some homemade chicken bone broth and a couple of drops of soy sauce for umami.

It was delicious. Only brined 24 hours and was still moist and flavorful. Wish there was some timing advice here for cooking larger breasts (we did an 8 pounder for Thanksgiving). Took a lot of guessing and testing for done-ness to get it right.

I used a boneless half breast. I roasted it on one side for 20 min, then flipped it over for another 20 minutes. I found that it still needed another 25 minutes. It was perfect when it came out of the oven. So juicy!

The turkey was very moist. It even stays moist when reheated. But I doubled the brine because I had a whole turkey breast and the meat was too salty. I should only have doubled the buttermilk. I wish I had added fresh rosemary.

Very good and very easy. I had a full 8# breast so doubled the buttermilk and almost doubled the salt (55g instead of 66g). Brined for a little over 24hrs. Was so delicious and moist. Will be making this simple recipe again.

Amazingly tender, moist, and easy to prepare. I brined a 3 lb bone-in turkey breast in the buttermilk and salt for approx. 36 hours. It served five at Thanksgiving to rave reviews and I got a beautiful bone out of it for soup.

I cooked a whole bone-in turkey breast - about 7lbs. Used a whole quart of buttermilk in a 2.5 gallon ziplock bag. I cut back on the salt because the breast was pre-seasoned. Brined for about 24 hours.I cooked it on top of a bed of stuffing at 325F for almost 3 hours. It was super moist and delicious. Everyone loved it.