This recipe uses turkey cutlets stuffed and wrapped in bacon to make delicious smoked jalapeno cheddar turkey bombs
Course Entree
Cuisine Hot Smoking
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 2 hourshours
Total Time 2 hourshours20 minutesminutes
Servings 4-6
Author Jeff Phillips
Ingredients
1lbof thin or original sliced bacon
Turkey cutlets
Brine solution
¼ to ½cupjalapenodiced
¼ to ½cupshredded cheddar
Jeff's original rub
Instructions
Step 1: Brine the Turkey Cutlets
Make about ½ gallon of brine or whatever is required to cover the turkey cutlets.
Basic Brine: ½ gallon of cold water, ½ cup of coarse kosher salt, ½ cup dark brown sugar (optional)
To this recipe you can add fruit juice, beer, wine, hot sauce, marinade, seasoning, almost anything and the flavor will make it's way deep into the meat.
To make the brine: Start by adding ½ gallon of water to a large pitcher. Pour in the salt and stir until the salt is dissolved into the water. Add the sugar and stir once again until it is dissolved.
Add any other ingredients you like and give it one last stir to combine. The brining solution is now ready to use.
Place the turkey cutlets into a bowl or even a zip top bag and pour enough brine over the meat to cover. Seal it up and place in the fridge for 2-4 hours for best results.
Once the brining is complete, you will want to discard the brining solution and rinse the turkey cutlets with cold water to remove any excess salt.
Step 2: Season and Stuff
Lay the turkey cutlets on a cutting board or into a foil pan and coat the top and bottom sides with my original rub .
Place about a tablespoon of diced jalapeño and a tablespoon of shredded cheddar onto one half of the cutlet.
Fold the cutlet over to finish the stuffing process.
Step 3: Wrap in Bacon
Pick up the stuffed turkey carefully with one hand and wrap bacon around the stuffed turkey cutlet so as to hold in the cheese and the jalapeños.
I wrapped mine tight with 2 pieces.
Give them another good sprinkle of rub on the outside and they are ready to cook.
Step 4: Prepare Smoker
Setup your smoker/cooker for cooking at about 240°F with indirect heat for about 2 hours.
If your smoker has a water pan, use it.
Make sure you have enough dry smoking wood for at least 1 hour but it is ok to keep a light smoke going for the entire cooking time of 2 hours or so.
Once the smoker is preheated and everything is ready to go, the cooking smoking process can commence.
Step 5: Smoke the Turkey Bombs
Bradley racks or something similar is a great way to transport these and almost anything you cook to and from the smoker.
Place the rack in the smoker or you can lay the wrapped turkey bombs directly on the smoker grate.
Maintain 225-240°F for the entire time and keep a light smoke flowing.
Monitor the temperature of the turkey by using a leave in digital meat thermometer such as the Maverick ET-733 or Maverick ET-735.
You can also check the temperature now and then using a Thermapen. Since these read so quickly, you can open the door/lid, check the temperature and close the door/lid in less than 8 seconds without a significant loss of heat.
When they reach 160°F, they are perfectly done and ready to be taken out of the smoker. It is not uncommon for me to remove them a degree or two early since I know the temperature will continue to rise even after they come out of the smoker due to residual heat.
Let them rest covered loosely with foil for about 5 minutes before serving.
Step 6: Serve
After the resting is complete, serve a smoked jalapeño cheddar turkey bomb to each diner with plenty of tasty sides and you'll have a meal to remember.