The Confident Kitchen Series

One of my favourite deli lunch meats is thinly sliced turkey breast, which is one of the most expensive lunch meats available. After posting the Pork and Ham Lunch Loaf last month, I had a number of requests for additional lunch meat recipes that can easily be made at home for a fraction of the cost when compared to store bought luncheon meats. The recipe for Herb and Spice Turkey Deli Meat provides a simple technique that does not involve roasting. It is very economical to make an extremely high-quality product which is gluten free, grain free, dairy free and preservative free.

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COST ANALYSIS:

Store Purchased Turkey Deli Meat vs. my Make Your Own Turkey Deli Meat

• Store Purchased Prepared Turkey Breast: $ 4.99/100 grams sliced Turkey Deli Meat or approximately $50.00/kg.
• Make Your Own Turkey Deli Meat: Cost to purchase $15.41/kg of boneless raw turkey breast
• #WOWSavings : $ 50.00 – 15.41 = $ 34.59 Savings on just 1 kg of lunch meat

Herb and Spice Turkey Deli Meat

CHEF TALK:  The Herb and Spice Turkey Breast is essentially steamed to doneness, refrigerated overnight and sliced.  Boneless Turkey breasts are commonly available in grocery stores.  The raw turkey breasts are typically bound with an elastic string netting to hold the turkey breast into a tight round football shaped roast.  I always take the elastic string netting off since I wrap the turkey breast tightly in parchment paper and plastic wrap. Plan on making the turkey breast the day before as it needs to chill overnight before slicing.  I thinly slice the entire turkey breast in 100 g portions in small zipper bags (just enough for a turkey panini).  Use any leftovers within three days or freeze.

CHEF TALK Discussion: Steaming vs. Roasting

There is essentially little to no shrinkage steaming the turkey breast and the moisture in the tender breast meat is retained. Roasting the turkey breast, on the other hand, can potentially dry out the tender breast meat and there is significant shrinkage. Try this steaming method and see if you don’t agree that this is a delicious and moist tender turkey meat.

Instant Pot Procedures:  Wrap the turkey as described in Steps 2-7.  Add 1 cup of water to the instant pot. Placed the turkey on a trivet inside the instant pot. Seal the lid & hit the steam button. Adjust the time to 70 mins & away it went! Quick release, remove & cool as directed. Cool as directed in Steps 9-11.  Enjoy!

Many thanks to one of my readers, Kristi Heggie, for providing information to me regarding how to make this recipe in an Instant Pot.  She stated, “Even my picky son loved it!”  I love that kind of feedback.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Herb and Spice Turkey Deli Meat:

• 1 kg turkey breast (approximately)
• 1/4 cup Quick Pork and Poultry Rub (see below)

METHOD:

Yield: approximately 900 g – 1 kg. lunch meat

1. Prepare the Quick Pork and Poultry Rub (see recipe below)
2. Lay a large sheet of plastic wrap on the countertop.
3. Place a large sheet of parchment paper on top of the piece of plastic wrap.
4. Place the raw turkey breast on top of the piece of parchment and remove the elastic netting from the turkey breast and discard. Dry the turkey breast with a piece of paper towel.
5. Sprinkle ¼ cup of the Quick Pork and Poultry Rub on the turkey breast, and ensure the entire surface of the turkey breast is covered. Use more rub, if necessary.
6. Roll the parchment paper tightly around the turkey breast and enclose the ends of the parchment package by folding under like a sandwich.
7. Now roll the plastic wrap tightly around the turkey breast. Take another piece of plastic wrap and repeat, wrapping the turkey breast in the opposite direction.
8. Set up a double boiler by placing water in the bottom pot and placing the wrapped turkey breast inside the top of the double boiler strainer. Insert the probe of the internal thermometer into the center of the turkey breast. Cover the double boiler (placing the thermometer monitor on the countertop). Set the thermometer alert to 170F. The heat should be low heat (slow simmer). The Turkey breast should take approximately 1 hour – 1 1/2 hours.
9. When the thermometer alerts to doneness, turn off the heat and carefully remove the cover and remove the turkey breast with a pair of tongs onto a plate. Cool for 30 minutes on the counter top and then place the package (still wrapped) in the refrigerator overnight.
10. The next day, remove the plastic wrap and parchment covering from the turkey breast. You will notice the turkey breast has a small amount of gelatine-like covering around the base. Remove this fat-free gelatine and save or freeze it for sauces or soups. It is highly flavourful.
11. Slice the turkey as thinly as you can. Enjoy in sandwiches, paninis, salads, etc. Use the leftovers within three days or freeze in a sealed container.

For the Quick Pork and Poultry Rub

INGREDIENTS:

Makes: about ½ cup dry rub

• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Kosher salt
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon sage
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon paprika

METHOD:

1. Combine all the ingredients above in a small bowl and set aside. (You will use approximately half of this herb and spice mixture for the turkey breast.
2. Store in an airtight container. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.

Following is your Visual Step-By-Step Procedure to Make Your Own Herb and Spice  Turkey Deli Meat:

Learning how to make this Herb and Spice Turkey Deli Meat for your family will be an excellent new technique.

WHAT ELSE CAN I DO WITH THIS RECIPE?

Here are a few ideas:

1. Turkey Panini:  On sliced sourdough bread, spread one side with mayonnaise and the other with cranberry sauce or another favourite condiment; place Provolone cheese on top of one side; then layer sliced turkey; fresh spinach leaves; more Provolone cheese and then place the other slice on top.  Place the sandwich on a preheated panini grill until the cheese starts to melt.  Enjoy!
2. Turkey, Vegetable and Wild Rice Soup – dice the turkey into 1/4 inch cubes and add to your favourite poultry soup.
3. Turkey Wrap – sliced turkey, cheese slices, shredded lettuce, on a cream cheese spread wrap.  Roll tightly and enjoy!
4. Turkey Quesadillas – sliced turkey, grated Cheddar Cheese, cranberry sauce, a little green onion.  Grill and enjoy! 

LEARNING TIPS:  

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

• Internal Meat Thermometer
• Parchment Paper
• Double Boiler (Bain Marie)
  __________

You Might Also Enjoy:

More DIY Deli Meat – Pork and Ham Lunch Loaf

Crispy Roasted Chic Peas

Grilled Double Cheese Bacon Sandwich

Australian Meat Pies

If you give this recipe for Make Your Own Herb and Spice Turkey Deli Meat a try, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback.

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy! 

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

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