I quit eating lunch meat when I learned about nitrates, but when I learned how to cook paper-thin slices of turkey at home, homemade lunch meat was on! You will also save money! Make the best homemade white sandwich bread and a side salad and you have a tasty meal!
Turkey on whole wheat. No cheese, a little bit of lettuce, lots of pickles, lots of olives, just a few jalapenos. Mayonnaise and mustard.
Back in my college days, that was the turkey sandwich I ordered every time I went to Subway and I loved every bite.
Until I learned about nitrates. I immediately broke up with all lunch meats and never looked back. That is until my kids started going to a peanut-free school.
Not being able to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made me feel incapable of making lunches altogether. Like someone was holding my hands behind my back and telling me to make lunch with my feet.
I know it sounds strange, and it sounds strange to type it out.
OF COURSE, there are other things kids can take to school besides a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
I know this first hand because 4 of the 5 days of the week they’re NOT taking a sandwich. They love homemade Lunchables, Italian meatballs, or chocolate chip hummus in their lunches.
But it was a mental block. Not being able to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich made making lunch those other 4 days seem practically impossible.
DIY Lunch Meat
With PBJ out of the question, I went back to my favorite lunchmeat again – turkey. I’m still not okay with buying processed meats.
I don’t know about you, but my budget can NOT afford to pay $12 per pound for ultra thin slice turkey every week! I knew there had to be a better way.
My first attempt was to buy a whole turkey. I bought the smallest one I could for just over $1/lb, roasted it in the oven the same way I make oven roasted chickens, cut off the wings, and legs, and set the breasts aside to slice thin for meat sandwiches.
Although this sounds good in theory, it didn’t work how I had hoped.
- There are tendons in the dark meat that made it tough to get even slices for the kids’ sandwiches. Even if I did get a decent slice, the kids kept finding even more tendons in their sandwiches. (The Girl kept spitting them out, saying there were “bones” no matter how careful I was when I cut the turkey).
- The breasts were easy to slice through, but the natural grain of the meat made a single slice fall apart into smaller pieces. The kids would have to reassemble their sandwiches at school because the meat would fall out of the bread.
- Using a whole turkey would have been fine if my goal was to make turkey salads, dice turkey for dipping or salads, or even eat the pieces whole. But using a whole turkey to make lunch meat simply didn’t work.
Ingredients for Homemade Lunch Meat
- 1 whole turkey breast (approx 48 oz)
- homemade seasoning salt (or sea salt and black pepper)
- olive oil
How to Make Homemade Deli Meat
Next, I tried a whole boneless turkey breast. They come in a single package, ready to roast all by themselves. There are no bones to deal with and thanks to the salt, the slices won’t fall apart when you cut them.
Here are the instructions:
Step 1. Season the outside of the turkey breast with homemade seasoned salt.
Step 2. Roast it in the oven for 90 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165-170F.
The resulting oven roasted turkey breast was so moist and so flavorful, I knew the kids would love it in their lunches!
Except that the slices were too thick!
My goal in making homemade lunch meat was to re-create floppy thin sliced lunch meat like you would find at the deli counter. Fresh out of the oven, the turkey slices weren’t thin at all. They more resembled the slices you get when you carve the Thanksgiving bird – and you and I know that this wouldn’t pass as “lunch meat” for the kids.
So I threw a Hail Mary pass, stuck the breast in the fridge, and tried to slice it thin again after it had been thoroughly chilled.
And it worked!
With a completely chilled turkey breast and a very sharp serrated knife, I was able to cut thin sliced oven roasted turkey as thin as you’d expect to find in any deli meat package. They folded, flopped, and made delicious turkey sandwiches and wraps – without nitrates or preservatives!
FAQs for Homemade Lunch Meat
Is homemade lunch meat healthier?
Yes! According to this article, two chemicals that are linked to increasing the risk of bowel cancer are added to store-bought meat. When you make your own with good quality meat, you are not consuming these chemicals. Roasted turkey will have lower sodium than store-bought cold cuts as well. Whole foods for the win!
Is it cheaper to make your own deli meat?
The turkey breast I bought was 48 oz (or 3 lbs) and I got it for $8. Making my own lunch meat is the equivalent of paying $1.33 for an 8-ounce container of processed lunch meat. Compared to the store-bought all-natural variety, I’m saving 78% by making my own homemade lunch meat!
How long is lunch meat good for?
Lunch meat can be refrigerated for up to three to five days in an airtight container.
Can you freeze lunch meat?
Absolutely! Sliced or unsliced meat can be placed in the freezer. It can be kept there for up to one to two months.
Can I make lunch meat with season chicken breast?
Somewhat. Chicken breast is much smaller than turkey breast making it a little more challenging to get a good cut like sliced deli meat. Although I haven’t tried a thinly sliced rotisserie chicken, I bet you can get some great lunch meat from the chicken breast!
Can I make other homemade deli meats?
Yes! There are excellent recipes for homemade pastrami and roast beef and smoked turkey breast on the web. Experiment and let me know!
Recipe Notes
- I recommend slicing up the whole turkey breast at the same time. You might as well if you’ve already got the tools out!
- Use a kitchen scale to weigh the slices into 8 oz portions.
- Place each portion into a freezer-safe container and pull out one portion each week. This is how we made one turkey breast last a whole month.
Watch How to Make Homemade Lunch Meat
DIY Homemade Lunch Meat
I quit eating lunch meat when I learned about nitrates, but when I learned how to cook paper-thin slices of turkey at home, homemade lunch meat was on! Make the best homemade white sandwich bread and you have a tasty meal!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 3 lbs 1x
- Category: Main Meals
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Rinse the turkey breast and pat dry. If yours comes with a twine casing, leave that on.
- Rub the homemade seasoned salt – or another seasoning of choice – all over the turkey breast, massaging it as you cover the meat.
- Place the turkey breast in an 8×8 glass pan and drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil. Turn it over and drizzle with the remaining olive oil.
- Roast in the oven for 90 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165-170F.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Cut off the twine, if necessary, and refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, use a very sharp serrated knife (I have this one) to cut very thin slices of turkey breast, aiming for a slice that’s as wide as the knife blade.
- Store in the fridge, freezing any portions that won’t get eaten within a week.
Notes
- I recommend slicing up the whole turkey breast at the same time. You might as well if you’ve already got the tools out!
- Use a kitchen scale to weigh the slices into 8 oz portions.
- Place each portion into a freezer-safe container and pull out one portion each week. This is how we made one turkey breast last a whole month.
Nutrition
- Calories: 250
Hello,
Thank you for the great recipe! It is in the oven as we speak. I bought a 2kg turkey breast for 41 Euros from a very good market – I think the price is good for high quality meat and it will last for a long time if I freeze it after slicing.
I am a bit surprised though that in one of your comments you said to reheat it after thawing. It’s meant to be sandwich meat, to be eaten cold. Why would we reheat it?
Thanks in advance! 🙂
Hi Corinna,
Reheating the homemade lunch meat can help eliminate any potential bacteria that may have developed on the meat while refrigerated.
Do you just eat the cooked meat after defrosting it or do you reheat it? Also could you try using a mandolin to slice it?
Hi Kathleen,
It is always best to reheat it before eating. Yes, you may use a mandolin to slice meat.
Hey Tiffany!
I’m one of those girlies who absolutely loooooooooooooooooooooooooooves lunchmeat! But I’m also one of those girlies who loooooooooooooooves to cook! I’m wondering, what would it be like to make bologna lunchmeat with no preservatives? Would I use pork loin?
Can’t wait to try this. Though if I could afford a hundred dollar knife, I think I’d invest in a meat cutter instead.
What brand of whole turkey breast did you use for this recipe? Thanks!
Hello Melissa,
Tiffany says: I’m not brand loyal, but go by ingredients. I look for one that doesn’t have any additives or preservatives added. Hope this helps!
Just curious, if you do this with cheese as well? I love buying pre sliced deli cheeses or pre shredded cheese, but for the amount you are getting in those little bags, you get an option of better made cheeses from local places with good ingredients and more cheese when you buy by the block. Any suggestions and good tips for slicing and/or pre-shredding different cheeses as well as storing them in the fridge and/or freezer without them clumping together or going bad? Thanks so much!
I buy a brick of my favorite cheese brand weekly and have them slice it super thin for me at the deli. You pay the price of the brick, but get the pre-sliced benefits! Including that it goes a lot further. Just take the brick to the deli counter and ask them to cut it. If I stack them and put them in containers once I get home they separate well. If you leave If the original stacks, they tend to stick. Not exactly sure why, but I need it in containers anyway. This is at winco. Not sure if all deli counters will do it.
I’m excited to try this! How long can you freeze it for?
Hi Kimberly!
I would say it would be best frozen up to 1-2 months. Hope this helps! 🙂
You are AWESOME! With the price of deli turkey breast @ $8.99 a pound. I bought a 3 lb turkey breast and smoked it and followed her directions to the letter and I could not be more pleased!!!
I cannot seem to find Turkey breast anywhere. Can I use Turkey breast tenderloins?
I cook the breasts in my smoker for a much richer flavor.
It takes longer to cook them at 250-275 degrees f but they are more flavorful and the lower temperature keeps it moist.
Hello Glenn!
What a great idea! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Grew up in the food business. For slicing meat thinly I would use a meat slicer. Home models are available for less than $100 dollars. I’d pay a little more for a slicer that would last a few years. Blades are very sharp and you can destroy your fingers. So be careful….
Thank you for sharing, Carlton. 🙂