I am making two 9 lb breasts this year. I have them thawing now and will brine them just over night so I'll need them completely thawed by Wed. I have a cell phone pic of my ahem breasts if anyone wants to see LOL!!! No seriously I am taking lots of pics this year to make a scrapbook to pass along to DD. Shhhh!!! Its a secret. I plan to document the entire meal all the prep, tips, serving ect... Cheers! Susie

I read on one of the BBQ sites that if the skin is too dark, then I was using too much smoke. I must say - the smoke was *pouring* out the vent in the top! LOL - I bet my whole neighborhood had their mouth's watering! We cooked it at 275 and it was done in about 4 hours - much faster than we expected. Dinner was 3 hours away, so we wrapped it in foil, turned it breast side down, and let it sit on the counter until dinnertime. It was still plenty hot 3 hours later!!! Our current plan is to try 225 and use less wood. Can anyone comment on any of this? We had thought about cutting the bird up since we will not be "presenting" a whole bird at the table. That way, we can monitor the white meat separately from the dark and pull each when ready. Thoughts on this? I'm trying to keep the oven free for the side dishes. :-)

You've started the "how to cook anything turkey related" debate months before Thanksgiving! Ha, no worries. I'll start the ping pong match. Cooking time varies on size and sizes vary so for me, cooking any meat in an oven or BBQ requires a thermometer. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, start checking the internal temp every 5 minutes at about one hour, and figure anywhere from 1-1.5 hours of total cooking time. When the internal temp reaches 155-160 degrees, it's ready to take out and be tented with aluminum foil for 10 minutes of rest before being carved. If you want to be real spiffy, before slicing, use a boning knife to separate the meat from the ribs, then slice the now boneless hunk of meat vertically. Very nice presentation and the pieces are juicier than if sliced thinly the traditional way. If the breast isn't already brined, you have time to give it a bath in a bowl of salted water before cooking. Doing this will insure moist meat that won't dry out. Google "brine turkey breast" and you'll find out how. Many suggest a variety of ingredients but the important ones can be used alone, water and salt. Rinse it well and dry before cooking. Very easy and very significant results. Even if you only have a few hours to brine the breast, it will make a difference. Remember to put the bowl into the fridge (or put in ice cubes) to keep the meat cold. For an easy path to moist turkey breasts, Trader Joes sells kosher turkey breasts. Apparently, brining is a step used in making it kosher so these need no further treatment and always come out juicy (when not overcooked).

There are a lot of variables in freezing. If they're cold and dry and you can pack them air tight (preferably vacuum sealed), and if you have a good, stand alone (or dual compressor/evaporator) freezer that doesn't run self-defrost (either evaporator or manual), they might freeze very well. The biggest enemy of vegetables in freezing is water migration, so chill in the coolest part of the fridge overnight to make them freeze fastest. Thaw in the fridge as well. They might lose some crispness or tooth, but should be okay. In that case, they should keep well for several months at least. Thrown into a box and put into a freezer that shares equipment with a fridge, they might only last a week, or might not freeze well at all. There are all kinds of variables in between. If you don't have a vacuum sealer, try a zip bag, pushing/sucking out all the air. If they're delicate, cover a piece of cardboard with parchment or waxed paper to hold them in the bag, or use a little tray. Good luck! They sound good. :)