What’s a nitrate? – Homemade deli meat recipe.

March 7, 2018 megansularix

I think I could live off of eating sandwiches every single day for the rest of my life. Granted, my body does not respond well to the amount of sourdough bread that I like to eat, but I can still live in my sandwich dream heaven can’t I? The problem is, deli meat is 1. expensive and 2. usually full of a ton of additives that make it less like deli meat and more like a science experiment. A few years ago I decided I was DONE wasting money on expensive deli meat and started to make my own. For half the money, you get double the meat, double the flavor, and well…you know exactly what is going into it. Winner. Winner.

To start, I buy a 6-8 pound double turkey breast. I find mine at Target or Costco and then follow these easy steps. Side note: do not buy the pre-seasoned birds. They taste like they injected it with plastic! Just take the time and make your own.

Step 1: Defrost your bird. I put mine in the fridge and let it thaw out slowly over a few days. You can let it thaw in the sink but 9 times out of 10 that ends up with me cursing because I woke up the next morning to find that I had left a room temperature bird in the sink all night.

Step 2: Rinse your bird with water and pat it dry with paper towels. Be sure to check the cavity of the bird. There’s usually a bag of innards or sometimes a premade gravy. I personally throw those in the trash.

Step 3: By this point, you’re gonna have to get up close and personal with your little featherless friend, so if this grosses you out, wear gloves. Pull back the skin from the meat but just enough to spread the spice paste underneath (see recipe for paste at the bottom of this post). Massage the paste under the skin as well as on top of the skin. Basically, schmear it everywhere. I also like to cut two lemons into wedges and stuff these in the cavity.

Place your bird (meat facing up) on a rack in a medium to large roasting pan. Pour a can (or half a bottle of white wine) in the bottom of the pan and place it on the center rack in a 325 degree pre-heated oven. Cook that sucker for 20 minutes per pound. If your bird is slightly over a whole number, round up in time. For example, if your chicken is 6 lbs, cook it for 2 hours. If it is 6lbs. 9 ounces, cook it for 2 hours and 20 minutes, or until a thermometer reads 165 degrees fahrenheit in the thickest part of the meat.

Once you remove the bird from the oven, let it rest on a cutting board for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing. I use an electric carver for speed and because my carving skills are subpar.

A 6-8 pound bird gives me enough meat to feed my family of five for a week. We put it on sandwiches, in soups, lettuce wraps, basically any way you like to eat turkey. If you are a Whole30 follower, this is a great straight-from-the-fridge snack dipped in homemade approved ranch. If you’re feeling really ambitious, use the carcass to make homemade turkey broth. Place the carcass in a large pot, pour enough water in to cover the bones, add 2 quartered onions, 5 chopped stalks of celery, 5 chopped carrots, two tablespoons of dried parsley, 2 bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for an hour. Drain the broth, let it cool completely, and store it in freezer bags, or use ice cube trays for smaller portions!