Buying and lighting calculator · Poultry
How much bone-in turkey breast do I buy and when do I light?
Bone-in turkey breast is sold whole, skin on, in pieces of 1.5 to 3 kg, and it is the easiest way to roast turkey without buying the whole bird. We work with 330 g raw per person: the breastbone, the skin and the water lost in the oven take about 40 %, which leaves about 200 g of meat on the plate, almost identical to the three quarters of a pound per guest the USDA recommends. It is lean meat and dries out easily, so use indirect heat at 165 °C with the deflector in, and put the probe in the thickest part without touching the bone. A 20-minute rest under foil keeps it juicy.
How to ask for it
For 4 people: Ask for a whole bone-in, skin-on turkey breast, 1.5 kg in total; each piece 1.5 to 3 kg so it cooks evenly.
A bone-in breast loses about 40 % to bone, skin and moisture: 330 g raw leaves about 200 g of clean meat. 74 °C in the thickest part, not touching the bone.
How we calculate it
We start from a reasonable cooked portion (about 200 g of meat on the plate, 170 g of cleaned fish) and convert it to raw weight using each cut's bone and trim loss. "Hungry" adds 25 %. We round up to what is actually sold: quarter kilos, whole pieces, units.
To the cook time (per kilo or per piece, at each method's temperature) we add the kamado's lighting and stabilising (20-45 min depending on the method, as on the recipe pages), the rest, and a margin for long cooks, which vary from one piece to the next. Times are approximate: your kamado, the wind and the charcoal decide; on big cuts, trust the probe.
Frequently asked questions
How much bone-in turkey breast per person?
About 330 g raw per person, which leaves about 200 g of clean meat. The USDA recommends three quarters of a pound (about 340 g) for bone-in breast, and half a pound (about 230 g) if you buy it boneless. For six people a 2 kg piece is just right; if you want leftovers for sandwiches, buy 2.5 kg.
How long does a 2 kg turkey breast take in the kamado?
At 165 °C indirect, allow about 45 minutes per kilo: a 2 kg breast takes around 90 minutes. USDA charts at 163 °C give a bit more for pieces that size and kamado makers a bit less, so the time is only a guide. Take it off when the probe reads 74 °C in the thickest part.
How do I keep turkey breast from drying out?
Do not go past 74 °C: take it off as soon as the probe gets there, because lean meat dries out beyond that point. Cook it skin side up with the deflector in, and let it rest for 20 minutes under foil. An injection of butter and stock, as in the recipe on this site, helps keep it juicy.
Other Poultry cuts
- Whole chicken
- Chicken wings
- Chicken thighs and drumsticks
- Cornish hen (picantón)
- Whole turkey
- Whole duck
- Duck breast (magret)
Approximate figures. Sources and the portion rule are in "How we calculate it".