Two years ago, both of my sisters had plans to eat Thanksgiving with their in-laws. So it was going to be the 5 of us: Tim and I with our little 1-year-old Benson and my mom and dad. Mom and I thought we could dodge a huge cooking and clean-up bullet by convincing the boys that we should just eat at Rodizio that year. I mean, who says no to a full-on Brazilian churrasco? No one in this family, that’s who.
 
But around 7 or 8pm, the meal settles and it’s time to go back for round two. Right? (Please comment below and tell me I am not the only two-round Thanksgiving human…) And there was no turkey in the fridge to put on mom’s homemade rolls. No stuffing to heat up. No seven-layer-salad to inhale before the rest of the family got to it. Nope. Nada. 
 
And that’s when I decided that the cooking and cleaning bullets of Thanksgiving are not to be avoided. Because leftovers. All the leftovers.
 
I. Love. Thanksgiving. Leftovers.
 
I also love mixing the Thanksgiving family favorites with at least one or two new dishes. I think it’s only fair to open up spots on that beloved holiday foods list. So if you’re looking for something new to try that is easy-peasy and will keep the mess OUT OF YOUR KITCHEN and make space in that oven that’s already working overtime, I’ve got your new recipe.
 
The first step is deciding how you’re going to season the turkey breast. My most favorite way is this age-old family marinade that we usually use with chicken. But it’s just as much of a stunner with turkey. Promise. And with just 3 easy ingredients, it makes your Thanksgiving turkey prep a breeze. 
 
 I mixed the marinade right into a gallon bag, put the turkey in the bag, sealed it, and put the bag in a bowl. I tried to turn it every few hours or so to make sure the marinade was soaking into the bird from all directions. I let mine marinate for just over 24 hours. 
 

When you’re ready to grill, heat up your grill to 375-400 degrees and do what you can to keep it steady at that temp. This isn’t one of those recipes where you’re looking for a hard sear on your meat, it’s an indirect heat cook. So I turned on (using a gas grill) my burners on the sides and left my middle burners off. Before starting to grill I let my turkey sit in a pan and drip for a few minutes to remove any excess marinade. 
 
Make sure you’re allowing time to grill. This turkey breast was just over 4 pounds and it cooked in about two hours. You’ll want time to grill and time for it to sit (I’d recommend 20 minutes) before carving. 
 
The turkey is done when its internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Be sure you’re placing the meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast to get an accurate read.
 
There’s no turning, no flipping. If you use this particular marinade, the sugar in it will turn the skin almost black, but we always peel it off and throw the skin away. This is what that will look like for reference.
 

 

Then it’s just time to let it rest until carving time. 
 

While you’re waiting, it also might be the perfect time to clean your grill. And we’ve got just the thing.
 

The BBQ Scraper is a wooden grill cleaner. It customizes itself to your particular grill, leaving your grill clean and without a scratch. The bristles that are normally found on grill scraping brushes can fall off and be left behind on your grill. From there, they can find their way into food, which then find their way into you with not-so-awesome consequences that include a hospital trip. This is a safer, environmentally friendly option that you can feel good about using on your grill. It’s worked beautifully on our own grill!
 

It would also make a great hostess gift for all of those upcoming holidays or, hey, just a great gift for that master griller in your life. You can find it here on Amazon.
 
We’re giving away one of these BBQ Scrapers on our Instagram with a $50 gift card to Amazon. So be sure to head on over and enter!
 
For more information about the BBQ Scraper, you can check their website, Amazon, Facebook, or Twitter account!

 

Natalie