Bacon Roasted Jalapeno Garlic & Lime Turkey Breast

We'd had all the best intentions in the world of celebrating Labor Day by relaxing on the back deck, chatting with neighbors, tending the turkey as it roasted away on the grill for a few hours.  The weather guy, however, said that wasn't such a good idea...it was going to RAIN!  And it was going to rain buckets...beware you unwary, foolish people who plan an outdoor celebration, the remnants of Isaac are headed this way!  We were just POSITIVE he was right....once in a while, he HAS to be right, right?

Wrong.  Cautiously, we chickened out of the al fresco idea...tucked tail and roasted the turkey indoors.  But you know what?  Damn it was good just done in the oven indoors...the bacon wrap gave moistness and great OUTSIDE smokey flavor to our INSIDE bird!  When we thought about it afterwards, we could never have roasted the turkey on the grill with all that bacon anyway - it may have burned up from bacon grease flare ups before it ever roasted properly...even over an indirect heat.  Maybe the indoor prep was meant to be after all. 

The jalapeno, garlic and lime butter?  It infused the turkey breast with deep heat and garlicky goodness through and through.  We still had the outdoor BBQ grill flavor!  Good to know for cool and rainy or cold and snowy days to come, yes?  Yes!  

And that weather guy?  He's predicting rain for the next 4 days....yeah, right.

Bacon Roasted Jalapeno Garlic & Lime Turkey Breast

• 2 jalapenos, stem end removed, leave in seeds & ribs for more heat, cut into chunks
• 1/2 small onion, chunked
• 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and stem end cut off
• 2 limes, zest only (save the juice for cocktails!)
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• fresh ground black pepper, lots!

• 1 turkey breast, with ribs and skin
• 1/2 pound bacon

Prepare jalapeno butter:  In a food processor, whirl onion & jalapeno.  While the processor is running, drop the garlic cloves down the chute & continue processing until everything is minced.  Transfer to a small bowl & add the salt, pepper, zest & butter.  Work the butter into the rest until everything is incorporated into an even mixture.
 

Run your hand gently between the flesh and the skin of the turkey breast, creating a nice pocket on each side, but don't break the connective tissue that runs down the center from neck to butt end - leaving that in place helps keep the butter in place.  

Put half the butter mixture into each side.  From the OUTSIDE, using your hands, rub and distribute the butter mixture all over the turkey breast on both sides.  (It's easier to do this from the outside!)  Do this the morning you're going to roast the turkey breast or even the night before!  Refrigerate.
 

Put a roast rack (I like the V-shape type) into a roasting pan, settle the turkey breast into the rack skin side up.  Pepper the outside of the turkey breast well and cover the skin with bacon slices.

Overlap bacon slices across the outside and secure with a couple of toothpicks, if necessary.

Preheat oven to 400 and roast until the turkey skin is browned and golden under the bacon and the turkey registers 165 degrees.  Remove from the oven & let rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing.

Golden and delicious turkey INDOORS!