Gobble, Gobble, Oink, Oink… w/Avocado Spread

Last month the kids’ elementary school put a call out for parents to bring food to the school during parent/teacher conference nights so the teachers can eat since they’ll be at school for 12+ hours. I am always looking for guinea pigs taste testers for my menu creations and, since it’s a donation, I get to write it off. And let’s not forget the advertising opportunity! (hey, I will take any opportunity to push Food for the Soul!) 

So I raised Doc’s hand and offered to make my bacon wrapped smoked turkey breast sandwich. Here’s the menu description:

The Gobbling Oinker is Doc’s favorite turkey bacon sandwich! We take all nature, boneless turkey breast, brine it for 24hrs in a salt/brown sugar/herb bath. Once brined, we rinse it, pat it dry and wrap the entire breast in a bacon weave and smoke it with hickory chips, low and slow, for two hours.  The last of the cooking process happens in the oven to crisp up the bacon.  The smoked & wrapped turkey breast is allowed to cool to room temperature, then wrapped in aluminum foil and chilled overnight.

The next day, we slice the bacon wrapped turkey breast into deli-style slices and stack it high on toasted, multi-grain bread with crispy iceberg lettuce, vine ripened tomato and slathered with our house made creamy avocado/cilantro/lime spread.

 

This sangwich is normally served hot, with a sharp cheddar or horseradish cheddar melted over the top. I was concerned that some of the flavor might be lost if the turkey was served cold. Turns out, there was no need for concern as the flavors came through like a champ! Many a teacher raved about the flavors a said it was the best turkey they'd ever eaten. The smokiness of the turkey mingled nicely with the fattiness of the bacon, while the tang of the avocado spread mellowed the fat nicely. This will be a keeper recipe as most the work is done prior to taking the trailer out, so they can be slung quickly to feed the hungry masses that are sure to beat a path to our door (or trailer, as the case may be).

Finally, the name; I like both The Gobbling Oinker and G2O2 (gobble, gobble, oink, oink). What are your thoughts? While you think about it, here are some pics from the prep...