A perfectly cooked Smoked Turkey Breast is tender, juicy, and packed with rich, smoky flavor. This recipe is simple enough for weeknight dinners yet impressive enough for holiday gatherings.
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Why This Recipe Works:
Tender: Slow smoking locks in moisture for juicy meat.
Flavorful: A delicious rub enhances the natural turkey taste.
Versatile: Perfect for sandwiches ( like this Turkey Cranberry Sandwich), tacos (Leftover Turkey Tacos), Enchiladas (Leftover Turkey Enchiladas), salads, or a main course.
Easy: When I think of turkey, it's usually associated with Thanksgiving recipes or Christmas recipes, and it usually seems like such a huge deal to make. By cooking just a turkey breast, this tasty meat becomes more accessible for meals year-round.
For this recipe, I used a similar rub and method to my herb butter turkey, utilizing garlic herb butter; however, you can use whatever rub you want. It goes well with sour cream mashed potatoes, jalapeno deviled eggs, and green bean casserole, but is also perfect in a open-faced hot turkey sandwich!
What This Recipe Needs:
Turkey Breast- I used a bone-in turkey breast, but a boneless breast works too. Try finding a turkey breast that hasn't been injected with a saline solution. If you can't, then go a little lighter on the salt.
Coarse Salt- for dry brining.
Unsalted Butter- dry brining provides enough salt, so no need for it in the butter.
Seasoning- Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Pepper - I used fresh chopped herbs, but you can use dried. If you use dried, I recommend using half the amount the recipe calls for.
Equipment Used: Camp Chef Pellet Smoker, Thermoworks Smoke thermometer for continuous temperature checks, Thermapen One thermometer for spot checks, Camp Chef Competition Blend wood pellets.
How to Make Smoked Turkey Breast?
- Step 1: Pat your turkey dry, then sprinkle it with salt and dry brine overnight in the refrigerator. Remove turkey ½ hour before smoking.
- Step 2: Mix softened butter with herbs and pepper.
- Step 3: Spread all over the turkey breast, even between the muscle and skin.
- Step 4: Smoke turkey breast until it reaches 160°F, then remove from smoker and let rest for 30 minutes- it will continue to rise to 165°F.
Food Safety
- Pull the turkey at 160°F and let it rest and rise to 165°F
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
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Check out my fun turkey cheese ball for a great-tasting centerpiece.
Expert Turkey Tips
- Remove the turkey neck and giblets from inside the cavity and the pop-up thermometer. Often, relying on this thermometer will result in overbaking and drying out your turkey.
- Smoking Temperatures:
- 225°F- This temperature provides a smokier flavor and takes longer. Plan for the turkey breast to cook for 30-45 minutes per pound.
- 300°F- This temperature provides a crisper skin and cooks faster. Plan for the turkey breast to cook for 15-30 minutes per pound.
- Color: Smoked turkey will be pink even when cooked to 165°F. It has to do with a chemical reaction during cooking.
- Slicing a Turkey Breast: Using a sharp knife, carefully cut along the spine. Then work your way around the breast, and it should come off in a nice big piece. Slice the breast into slices and remove any extra eat from the bones.
- Reheating Leftovers:
- Microwave: Heat turkey in 30-second increments. It's best if you can add gravy or some stock over the turkey and cover with a microwave-safe lid.
- Oven: Preheat oven to 325°F, place turkey in a shallow dish with a bit of gravy, water, or stock, cover with foil, and heat for 10-30 minutes- time depends on how much turkey you are heating.
What to Serve With Smoked Turkey Breast?
I recommend sweet potato rolls, sour cream mashed potatoes, turkey gravy without drippings, jalapeno deviled eggs, and cranberry sauce!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Also known as salting, dry brining means to rub the turkey with salt and then letting it rest in the refrigerator for 12-72 hours.
The salt causes the turkey to release the water and then reabsorb it, while making the meat extra tender and moist.
Turkey breast is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Pull the turkey at 160°F and let rest for 20-30 minutes, temperature will rise to 165°F.
Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
It's best to cut only as much turkey as you need, and then let the remaining turkey cool down in large chunks. This will allow the turkey retain even more moisture when reheated or eaten cold.
Yes. Freeze cooked turkey in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
A combinations of dry brining, cooking at a low temp for a longer time, and removing the turkey when it reaches the right temperature will prevent it from drying out.
More Related Recipes
If you like this recipe, be sure to check out all my easy entree recipes, including my spatchcock turkey, tri-tip rub, Thanksgiving Chicken, Chicken Parm Sliders, and Shake and Bake Chicken.
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Smoked Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 4 lb turkey* thawed
- 2-4 tbs coarse salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ tbs garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon rosemary chopped
- 1 teaspoon thyme chopped
- ½ teaspoon sage chopped
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Remove the turkey neck and giblets from the turkey breast cavity. Also, remove any popping thermometers (relying on these tends to lead to an overcooked turkey).
- Pat the turkey with a paper towel to remove any excess water. Sprinkle turkey breast with salt. Ensure that you cover all sides and the inside of the cavity.4 lb turkey*, 2-4 tbs coarse salt
- Place on a cooling rack, on a making sheet, and refrigerate overnight or up to 72 hours.
- Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before smoking.
- Combine butter, garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, sage, and pepper in a small bowl.¾ cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon rosemary, 1 teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon sage, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 ½ tbs garlic powder
- Rub butter all over the turkey breast. Gently separate the skin and place butter between the skin and meat.
- Place your thermometer probe in the breast horizontally, near the neck cavity, parallel to the spine, and not touching any bone. It should be ½-1 inch from the internal cavity.
- Preheat your smoker to 225°F or 300°F. 225°F will take longer but be more smoky, 300°F will have crispier skin and less smoky flavor but will cook faster. If you are using a pellet smoker, set your smoke to high.
- Smoke the turkey breast until it reaches 160°F, then remove it from the smoker and let it rest for 20-30 minutes. During this time, the temperature will rise to 165°F, and the meat will be fully cooked.
- Once the turkey breast has rested, slice and enjoy!
Notes
- *Try finding a turkey breast that isn't injected with salt/saline; otherwise, use just enough salt to cover the turkey lightly. Saline-injected breasts can easily become too salty with dry brining, so I prefer to use less salt if that's what I am cooking.
- I like to use a bone-in breast, but you can use a boneless breast as well.
- If you only have dried herbs, use ½ teaspoon of each for the herb butter.
- *The rule of thumb is 30-45 minutes of cooking per pound of meat at 225°F, so a 6lb turkey breast should take about 3-4.5 hrs. At 300°F, it's between 15-30 minutes, so 1.5-3 hours. If you want the turkey breast to cook even faster, I recommend spatchcocking it.
- *You can start the turkey out at 225°F, and smoke for a few hours, then crank the temperature up to 300°F for a crisper skin and a little faster cook time.
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