If you’re looking for a showstopping main for the upcoming holidays, stay on this page because you'll want to know all about this bacon-wrapped turketta! Two turkey breasts are flattened, heavily seasoned with an Italian-herb blend (courtesy of this Iron Range Porketta seasoning recipe), rolled into a roast that is lovingly wrapped in bacon, which bastes as it cooks, resulting in a moist, juicy, boldly-flavored turkey.
I won’t lie to you, this recipe requires a little finesse, but if this home cook can do it, so can you! At-home bird butchery isn’t something I’d list on my culinary resume, but you don’t have to be a pro to remove the breast meat nor does it matter much if your knife cuts aren’t perfect. The rolled roast covers a lot of sins 🙂
You could also opt for a boneless turkey breast and avoid the butchery - or see if your local butcher will remove the breast meat for you. Bone in turkey breasts are great though, because you can use the leftover carcass to make gravy or soup. And you already know I made a gravy to go alongside this turkey porketta.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
There are numerous reasons to love this turketta recipe - it makes a statement, is incredibly delicious, cooks quickly compared to a whole turkey and is perfect for smaller dinner gatherings.
- Juicy, Flavorful Turkey: The bacon wrap adds savoriness and imparts sodium, all while basting the turkey and keeping moisture in.
- Eye-Catching Presentation: I mean look at it! Rolled and wrapped like a classic porchetta, this turketta makes a stunning centerpiece to impress at holiday meals.
- Perfect for Smaller Gatherings: If cooking a whole turkey is too much, this turketta offers an alternative. It's a manageable size that serves around 6 people. Or make it for two and look forward to those leftover turketta sandwiches the next day.
- Quicker to Cook: A 6-pound turketta roasts a lot faster than a whole turkey, around an hour total cook time. Plus, this roast is approximately the same thickness throughout (with some tapering at the ends) so it cooks more uniformly than a whole turkey - so no troublesome overcooked or undercooked spots.
Ingredients
- Bone-in turkey breast - I used a 6-pound frozen turkey breast (weight at time of purchase, including gravy packet). Aim for a 5-7 pound turkey breast for this recipe.
- Porketta seasoning - Three tablespoons should be the minimum used as you want those herbs to pop! I encourage 4 tablespoons, or 5 if you really want that herb flavor to pop.
- Bacon strips - Regular thickness, no thick cut bacon strips here as it might not cook through. Choose a basic bacon, but grab that Applewood Smoked bacon if you feel so inclined. You’ll need 8-10 slices, depending on the size of your turketta.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below - keep scrolling!
Suitable Seasoning Substitutions
The simplest substitution to making your own porketta seasoning would be to direct you to an Italian seasoning blend, like this store-bought one. By the way, if you like porketta, you should definitely check out this Instant Pot Porketta Roast made with pork butt.
Other seasoning blends you might consider to get a similarly herb-forward result include:
- Dukkah Seasoning - An earthy Egyptian seasoning mix featuring spices, seeds and nuts, like hazelnuts, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, and cumin, though recipes vary widely - though one commonality you can expect from Dukkah is crunch and herbaceous flavor.
- Za’atar Seasoning - This Middle Eastern herb blend typically includes dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, sesame seeds, and sumac. While za’atar may be an untraditional suggestion, it’s deliciously herbaceous like porchetta seasoning, and works well here.
How to Make Turketta - Directions
- Step 1: Remove the skin, then remove the breast meat from the carcass with a boning knife. I recommend Kenji López-Alt’s turkey breast deboning process on Serious Eats. Reserve the carcass for gravy (recipe to come!).
- Step 2: Cut the sides of a gallon-sized Ziploc storage bag open and lay it over the turkey breasts. Using the flat side of a meat tenderizer, tenderize and flatten the turkey breasts. Aim for 1 inch or less in thickness.
- Step 3: Peel the Ziploc layer off the top of the turkey, setting the clean side down on a cutting board. Transfer the turkey breasts onto the dirty side of the Ziploc bag, arranged tightly together.
- Step 4: Add 3-4 tablespoons of porketta seasoning, spreading evenly over the top of the flattened turkey breasts.
- Step 5: Carefully roll the turkey meat into a tight cylinder using the Ziploc bag. Follow this with a layer of alumium foil over the top of the Ziploc, rolling the turketta tight like a burrito. Refrigerate for 2 hours (up to 24 hours).
- Step 6: When you’re ready to cook, preheat your oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Lay out 8-10 slices of regular cut bacon, then nestle refrigerated turketta on top, centered.
- Step 7: Roll the bacon until it overlaps and pinch it together. Repeat until completely wrapped. Use two metal skewers to weave the bacon together and trim off excess bacon ends.
- Step 8: Transfer turketta, metal skewer side down, onto a wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for around 50 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 145° Fahrenheit. Increase heat to 475° Fahrenheit. Bake for an additional 3-5 minutes, to crisp the bacon up further.
Roast until the thickest part of the turkey registers 155° Fahrenheit (66°C) on an instant-read thermometer; a 6-pound turketta roast takes around 1 hour to cook. Remove from oven, and transfer wire rack with turketta onto a cutting board. Let rest on the rack for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Remove metal skewers. Carve and serve with hot gravy (recipe coming soon).
Note: If there are pieces of bacon on the bottom that aren’t as cooked as the top pieces, give the turketta a quick sear in a hot pan upon removing it from the oven.
Top Tips for the BEST Turkey Porchetta
Tip 1. Cook the turkey porchetta elevated on a wire rack. The turketta needs to be on a wire rack or the bacon will get soggy and not cook through if it sits flat on a pan.
Tip 2. Wrap the bacon slices tightly around the rolled turkey breast. I like using metal skewers woven through the bacon ends to secure the turkey. You can also use kitchen twine to secure things (it will leave indentation marks in the meat as it cooks; I like to avoid those if possible).
Tip 3. Don’t skip the tenderize and flatten step. Flattening the turkey breasts to a uniform thickness makes it easier to roll and ensures even cooking. You could also butterfly the breasts instead, excellent directions from Kenji at Serious Eats can be found here.
Recipe FAQs
If there are pieces of bacon on the bottom that aren’t as cooked as the top pieces, give the turketta a quick sear in a hot pan upon removing it from the oven. You should only need to sear the bottom.
The best way to reheat turketta is low and slow to avoid the turkey drying out.
First, preheat the oven to 300°F. Wrap the turketta loosely in aluminum foil and set on a baking sheet. Warm the turkey porchetta in the oven until heated through (depending how much you are reheating, this should take around 20-30 minutes). The aluminum foil does the bacon no favors, so remove it for the last 5–10 minutes of reheating to allow the bacon to crisp up (increasing the heat to 350°F).
Perfect Dishes for Pairing
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The Best Turketta (Turkey Porchetta)
Ingredients
- 6- pound bone-in turkey breast weight at time of purchase, including gravy packet
- 3-4 tablespoons porketta seasoning
- 8-10 bacon strips regular sliced
Instructions
- Make porchetta seasoning or use an Italian seasoning blend of your choosing. Just make sure you have 3-4 tablespoons at the ready for this recipe.
- Remove the skin from the turkey breast. Using your hands and a boning knife, carefully remove the breast meat from the carcass.
- Cut the sides of a gallon-sized Ziploc storage bag open and lay it over the turkey breasts. Using the flat side of a meat tenderizer, tenderize and flatten the turkey breasts. Aim for 1 inch or less in thickness.
- Peel the Ziploc layer off the top of the turkey, setting the clean side down on a cutting board. Transfer the turkey breasts onto the dirty side of the Ziploc bag, arranged tightly together.
- Add 3-4 tablespoons of porketta seasoning, spreading evenly over the top of the flattened turkey breasts.
- Carefully roll the turkey meat into a tight cylinder using the Ziploc bag. If you pick up the edge of the Ziploc, the weight of the turkey should get the rolling started for you. Use your hands to wrap a tight roll around the turketta. Follow this with a layer of alumium foil over top of the Ziploc, rolling the turketta tight like a burrito. Refrigerate for 2 hours, but up to 24 hours in advance.
- When you’re ready to cook, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Lay out 8-10 slices of regular cut bacon on a cutting board. Lay turketta on top. Season the exterior if you’d like, but keep in mind the bacon will impart sodium. Roll the bacon until it overlaps and pinch it together. Repeat until the turketta has been completely wrapped. Use two metal skewers to weave the bacon ends together. Trim the excess bacon ends off.
- Transfer turketta, metal skewer side down, onto a wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for around 50 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Increase heat to 475. Bake for an additional 3-5 minutes, to crisp the bacon up further.
- Roast until the thickest part of the turkey registers 155° Fahrenheit (66°C) on an instant-read thermometer; a 6-pound turketta roast takes around 1 hour to cook. Remove from oven, and transfer wire rack with turketta onto a cutting board. Let rest on rack for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
- Remove metal skewers. Carve and serve with hot gravy.
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