Turkey Club An All American Classic

The beginning of the work week. I can only imagine what a normal person does for lunch every day. Being a chef I don’t ever have to worry about what the next meal is on my plate. In fact I always have to worry about other meals on my plate. My work week is filled with crunching numbers on food cost and labor served promptly with a side of recipe testing. I began asking people I ran into what do you do for lunch during the week? A lot of them told me they went out to restaurants during their lunch break or “I pack my meals for the week”. I think about those who packed their meals for the week, and I hope I can lend a helping hand. I can only imagine the easiest thing to do for the worker on the go is a sandwich. I set out to create some recipes over the course of the next few weeks. Recipes that are meant for the working man or woman. Not your average sandwiches as I would like to show people that they don’t have to buy processed deli meats, but instead make their own.

Max told me his favorite sandwich was a turkey club. The first thing you need to remember about a turkey club is the essentials mayo, lettuce, tomato, and bacon. Don’t forget a high-quality bread. Luckily for us we had a dear friend drop off a loaf of homemade white bread. Thanks again Stephen. We have to make turkey breast, now I know what you’re thinking, you’re saying to yourself isn’t it easier just to buy turkey breast who has all this time? The answer is you do! Go to the store go to the poultry section and pick up two pounds of turkey breast. If you don’t have a meat grinder, which I’m expecting not everybody does. You can buy ground turkey, remember always try to shop local or organic.

Next, step head over to the spices and pick up what is called Northwoods chicken seasoning or any seasoning you like. Just don’t buy lemon pepper. That’s gross. There’s a time and a place for lemon pepper and it’s on chicken, not Turkey. Trust me I’m a professional. Next, move is to get some chicken stock or turkey stock if available. We use this for the poaching liquid. Now take your ground turkey and mix it with 2 tablespoons of the chicken seasoning. When it’s well mixed together what you’re going to do is wrap it in cheesecloth and tie the ends. You know you doing this correctly because it should look like a giant hot dog. Wrapped in cheesecloth. Then all you gotta do is heat up your stock . Poach your turkey breast and let it cool down. Unwrap it and thinly slice it for the most amazing turkey sandwiches you’ve ever had! Follow the recipe below and watch the video so you can get tips and pointers on how to make this deli style turkey breast. Its super fresh!

Ingredients:

1. 2 lb raw turkey breast ground or whole
2. 2 tablespoons chicken seasonings
3. 6 cups chicken or turkey

Equipment:

1. Meat grinder
2. Butcher twine
3. Cheesecloth
4. Deep 12 in roasting pan
5. Candy thermometer
6. Meat thermometer
7. Mixing bowl
8. Measuring spoons

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl combine raw chicken breast ground and two tablespoons of chicken seasoning
2. In the deep 12-inch roasting pan, heat chicken or turkey stock
3. Put in your candy thermometer and get stock up to 175 degrees
4. Lay out your cheese down on a countertop
5. Scoop your turkey in the center of the cheesecloth.
6. Roll up the cheesecloth around the turkey. Take the two ends and twist to create a meat log. Using butcher twine tie each end of the cheesecloth.
7. Put the turkey log in the stock and cook for 30 mins. Or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees. Remove the turkey from the stock and refrigerate overnight. One log should be enough for at least 20 sandwiches.

   

Plating:

Toast the bread to your preferred choice. Mayo on each side of the bun. I like mustard as well. Max prefers none. Lettuce, tomato and bacon. Close and cut in half. I made mine with onion rings. French fries, potato chips or claw would also kill it. Slice it thick or thin. It’s all up to you. The eater! Notice: To Slice The Meat You Can Use A Mandolin Slicer. Max’s grandfather owned a diner for 40+ years and the Turkey Club sandwich was always a big seller. He believed, big sandwiches equals big smiles.

Turkey Club An All American Classic

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