Ninja Woodfire Thanksgiving

If your turkey breast is bone-in, set it skin side up to remove the breast meat from the bone. Use a filet knife to remove the ribs, slicing against the breast bone and down the ribs as closely as possible. Use the filet knife to make shallow slices into the breast meat in a cross-hatch pattern. Cover the breast with plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet to about thick ¼ inch thickness. Remove the plastic wrap and season generously with the Italian Juicy Bird Dry Brine Blend on all sides. Dry brine the turkey breast on a cooling rack uncovered overnight.

The following day, heat a pellet smoker or grill to 325 degrees F. We’re using our Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill so we can grill, smoke and air fry this whole recipe. 

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, cook the sausage, breaking it into small pieces as you do, about 8 to 10 minutes total cook time. Remove the sausage from the pan. Add the fennel to the hot pan and cook until tender and caramelized, another 8 minutes. 

Cool the sausage and fennel and remove the turkey breast from the fridge. Make sure you’ve got butcher’s twine and scissors nearby. Turn the turkey so the skin side is down and layer on the sausage and fennel. 

Starting from a short end, roll the turkey into a log with the skin on the outside. Tuck in any loose bits. Secure the roll with kitchen twine. 

Rub the turkey all over with more Italian Juicy Bird Dry Brine Blend and vegetable oil and transfer to the smoker/grill at 325 degrees F until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the turkey reads 145 degrees F, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. 

Poke the sweet potatoes all around with the end of a paring knife, drizzle with olive oil and season well with kosher salt. Add these to the grill with the turkey breast. Roast until they are super tender, about 35 minutes. 

Remove the turkey breast and potatoes from the grill. Rest the turkey for 10 minutes while finishing up the sweet potatoes. 

Slice open the sweet potatoes and let them cool for a few minutes before topping each with a spoonful of mascarpone and sprinkle with the maple sugar. 

Remove the twine from the turkey breast and slice the breast into ½ inch pieces for serving. Serve the potatoes alongside the turkey breast. 

For the apple hand pies:

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the butter, apples, and 2 teaspoons of the lemon juice and cook until they’ve just started to soften, about 5 minutes. Keep cooking but add in the sugars and Apple Cinnamon Blend. Cook the filling down until almost caramelized, about 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat to cool completely before building the hand pies.

Roll out the dough and cut each round into 4 rectangles, about 3 by 5 inches. You may need to trim the rounded top and bottom of the pie round to give you straight edges to work with. Fill 4 of the rectangles with about ⅓ cup of the filling. Brush the edges of the pie dough with water, top with another rectangle and press to seal. Use a fork to press the edges together further. 

Heat your air fryer to 380 degrees F. Cook the hand pies directly in the air fryer for 6 to 8 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the air fryer and cool for 5 minutes before icing. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and remaining 2 teaspoons lemon juice until a thin icing forms. Brush the still warm hand pies with the icing. Let the icing set for 2 minutes before enjoying.