While hunting in Tennessee, it was a no-brainer to create a Jack Daniels-inspired recipe.
Jeremiah Doughty•August 27, 20212 min read
Driving to Tennessee, we passed a bunch of black and grey wood buildings. I was just about to ask what these buildings were when suddenly I saw a huge sign that read “Jack Daniel’s.” I realized we were hunting outside Lynchburg, Tennessee, and, being someone who loves to build recipes connected to the area and its local ingredients, I knew exactly what I was going to do: wild turkey breast in a sticky Jack Daniel’s glaze. The dish was a huge hit with everyone at camp; the only issue everyone had was there wasn’t enough glaze to use as a dip. So, keep that in mind as you make this recipe; you may want to make a little more.
Photo Credit: Jeremiah Doughty
Photo Credit: Jeremiah Doughty
Ingredients
1 turkey breast
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon cracked pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt
Glaze
1 cup Jack Daniel’s
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cracked pepper
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix paprika, salt and pepper together, coat the breast in maple syrup on both sides, season with seasoning mix. Coat both sides. Place in baking dish and bake until 155 degrees internal temperature is reached in the thickest part of the meat.
While turkey is cooking, let’s begin on the sauce.
In medium saucepan, add Jack and cook over medium-high heat. Carefully light whiskey on fire to remove alcohol. If you don’t feel comfortable lighting it on fire, just bring it to boil for 2-3 minutes. This will reduce the liquid by half, so double the alcohol if not lighting on fire.
Once flame is gone, add remaining ingredients and whisk hard until spices have dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes, stirring often. Sauce will reduce by half. Remove from heat and allow to rest; this will help the sauce become a glaze and thicken.
Once meat has reached temperature, remove from heat and glaze. Let rest and baste 2-3 more times with glaze.
