Blue Plate Open-Faced Turkey Sandwich

July 2023. Memphis summer, 64 years old, and the heat wraps around Orange Mound like a wet blanket that nobody asked for but everybody wears because that is the deal you make when you live in the South. The smoker calls louder in summer — something about the heat amplifying the smoke, the way humidity amplifies everything in Memphis — and I answer, because answering is what pitmasters do.

Tyrone came over for dominoes, bringing his competitive spirit and his inability to play without cheating, and the evening was full of the brotherly banter that is our love language.

I smoked a pork shoulder this week — the king, the classic, fourteen hours over hickory. The bark was dark and the smoke ring deep and the meat fell apart in my hands with the familiar magic of something that has been loved patiently. I served it on white bread with coleslaw and vinegar sauce, the way Uncle Clyde taught me, the way I teach everyone who stands next to my smoker, because the serving is the tradition and the tradition is the point.

The week ended on the porch with Rosetta, the evening settling over Orange Mound, the smoker cooling in the backyard. The fire was banked but not out — it's never out, just resting between cooks, holding the heat the way I hold the tradition: carefully, permanently, with the understanding that what Uncle Clyde gave me is not mine to keep but mine to pass, and the passing is the purpose.

Now, I smoked a pork shoulder this particular week — fourteen hours of hickory smoke and patience — but the dish I keep coming back to when I want to honor that same spirit of serving something honestly and without fuss is this Blue Plate Open-Faced Turkey Sandwich. It’s the same tradition that Uncle Clyde put in me: meat on white bread, a good gravy poured over the top, nothing hidden and nothing wasted. When Tyrone comes over and the evening goes long and the porch gets quiet, this is the kind of plate that holds its own — humble on the outside, deep where it counts.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs roasted or smoked turkey breast, sliced thick
4 slices sturdy white sandwich bread
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken or turkey broth
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Make the gravy base. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter until foamy. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes until the mixture turns a pale golden color and smells nutty.
Build the gravy. Slowly pour in the broth while whisking continuously to prevent lumps. Add the milk, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring often, for 8–10 minutes until the gravy thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Warm the turkey. Add the sliced turkey to the gravy and reduce heat to low. Let the slices warm through gently in the gravy for 5–7 minutes, turning once so every slice is coated. Do not let it boil or the turkey will tighten up.
Toast the bread. While the turkey warms, toast the white bread slices until just golden — sturdy enough to hold the weight of the turkey and gravy without turning to mush, but not so stiff it loses its softness underneath.
Plate and pour. Lay one slice of toasted white bread open-faced on each plate. Arrange a generous portion of turkey slices over the bread. Ladle a heavy pour of gravy directly over the top so it soaks into the bread and pools around the edges.
Finish and serve. Scatter chopped parsley over the top if using. Serve immediately, while the gravy is still steaming. This is a plate meant to be eaten right where it’s put down.

Nutrition (per serving)

Blue Plate Open-Faced Turkey Sandwich — The White Bread Way, the Way That Matters