Hi! Just bought a turkey breast (6lbs). It is half frozen. What should we do?

Dinner is 5:30 tomorrow. Wanted to put on a dry rub overnight. :/

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4 Comments

myfavoritesquash November 26, 2015
I didn't put the rub on last night. It is worth doing the rub for only 5 hours until cooking time? Or should I not bother at this point? (I'm fine not bothering. My brother suggested the rub, which threw me off.)
 
Leslie S. November 25, 2015
Hi! First thing to do is defrost the breast—but it may not happen tonight unfortunately!. Dunk it into a bowl of cold water immediately, it will take them 30 minutes per pound to defrost so about 3 hours. (Change the water every 30 mins or so.) Not sure what coast you're on or at what point the turkey will be defrosted since it's half-frozen, so that may be too late for you, but at that point you can put a dry rub on it! Do you know what rub you're using?
 
myfavoritesquash November 25, 2015
Thanks for your answer. I'm on the East Coast. Can I put the turkey breast in water overnight (or just put it in the refrigerator)?

I'm thinking of defrosting tonight and skipping the rub.

I was going to do this rub: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/11/spice-rubbed-butterflied-smoked-turkey-food-lab-recipe.html

And Ina Garten's Herb Roasted Turkey Breast: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/herb-roasted-turkey-breast-recipe.html

The rub might not be necessary. Thanks!
 
Leslie S. November 25, 2015
I would start to defrost them while you're up as much as possible—it may take much less than three hours since they're only half-frozen, then pat them dry and put them in the fridge with a dry rub if they're defrosted or at least mostly defrosted and then they'll continue to defrost in the fridge. Plus, putting them in the refrigerator will help the skin dry out so that it crisps up when you roast it (as long as they aren't skin-less).

But if you're unable to do the rub, it looks like the Ina recipe is really flavorful as-is!
 
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