Cedar Planked Stuffed Turkey Breast
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Ingredients
- 1 cedar plank
- Cooking twine
- 1 skinless, boneless turkey breast, butterflied to lay flat
- 1/2 c blue cheese
- 1/4 c dried cranberries
- 1/4 c pecans, chopped
- Drizzle olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
- Compound Butter
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 7 tbsp butter
Directions
Boneless turkey breast is the ultimate versatile protein for stuffing, giving the option to get creative with your favorite ingredients. In this grilled turkey recipe, blue cheese, dried cranberries, pecans and thyme make for a rich filling that is stuffed into the breast and then roasted on cedar planks on the grill to obtain smoke flavor.
Next, the turkey breast is then basted in a garlic thyme compound butter to keep it moist and juicy while cooking on the grill. It is then sliced, yielding a turkey pinwheel that makes for the perfect creamy, crunchy, smoky bite, which is an excellent dish for date night or any night you want to take dinner to the next level.
Prep for Grilling:
Presoak your cedar plank in water 30 minutes before putting it on the grill. Remove butter from the refrigerator so it can soften.
Next, butterfly the turkey breast by cutting it lengthwise in the middle so that it can lay flat. Rub the turkey with salt and pepper. Next, combine the blue cheese, dried cranberries, chopped pecans, fresh thyme and one tablespoon of butter in a bowl. Add the olive oil and mix together, ensuring the blue cheese is crumbled.
Spread the filling out on the turkey breast. Roll the breast together in a tight bundle and tie together with the cooking twine, tying in three places along the breast, and optionally a final one across both the ends to keep the stuffing from falling out (see picture).
Combine sea salt, garlic, remaining 1 tbsp thyme and butter with a stick blender. Microwave the butter for 30 seconds to melt it to be used for basting on the grill.
Place the rolled breast on the cedar plank.
Time to Grill:
Heat your grill to 400°F, creating a direct and indirect zone. For more on how to do this, check out Grill Girl’s Grill School.
Place the cedar plank on the indirect side and let it cook until the internal temperature reaches 165°F as tested with an internal read meat thermometer, this should take about 50 minutes, give or take a few minutes. After you put the turkey on the grill, baste with butter and continue to baste every time you check the temperature, finishing with remaining butter before taking the turkey off the grill.
Let the meat rest under foil for a few minutes and then slice into pinwheels.
This dish pairs wonderfully with a simple arugula salad tossed with balsamic glaze and a glass of Pinot Noir.
Mix and Match Flavors:
Don’t like blue cheese? No problem! Adjust the stuffing to match your taste buds…
Italian: Provolone cheese, pine nuts, marina, basil
Greek: Feta cheese, roasted red peppers, olives, oregano
French: Brie, mushrooms, tarragon
Get more grilling inspiration at GrillGirl.com.
