Juicy and delicious, this smoked turkey breast is low maintenance and a huge crowd pleaser. Brined is a citrus based liquid and then covered in a savory rub and rosemary butter, this turkey is moist, tender, and full of flavor! A perfect choice for your Thanksgiving dinner!
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One of the easiest meats to smoke is poultry. It's not finicky, there's no stall, and it doesn't take any effort at all once it's on the smoker. My Applewood Smoked Chicken is a great beginner smoker recipe and so is this Smoked Turkey Breast. As long as you cover your meat with a flavorful rub and smoke it to an internal temperature of 165°F, it will taste amazing and it won't be dry at all.
With this smoked turkey, I've taken things to the next level. It's a really easy recipe to prepare and smoke and the flavors in the turkey butter rub are a game changer. If you like savory flavors that include fresh rosemary and garlic, then not only are you going to love this recipe but there is a good chance it will become a staple recipe in your home!
Brining A Turkey For Smoking
When making a smoked turkey breast, brining is a necessary step for several reasons. Brining helps distribute moisture throughout the meat during the smoking process. White meat tends to be dry and the brining process helps raise the moisture level. Brining also helps regulate the cooking temperature so it cooks more evenly. It is a lot easier to maintain the temperature of meat while smoking if you brine the meat first. A good brine will also add additional flavors to the meat.
Ingredients You'll Need
We'll start with the brine recipe I use. In this recipe, you'll taste hints of citrus, garlic, and a subtle herb flavor because I use a combination of orange, lemon, chopped garlic, rosemary, bay leaves, and peppercorns. The base of the brine consists of water, white wine, salt, and brown sugar. I tend to use a Sauvignon Blanc in the brine because the hint of grapefruit flavor pairs exceptionally well with the orange and lemon.
Once brined, I apply a simple smoked turkey rub that consists of garlic salt and onion powder. From there, I baste on a fresh rosemary butter rub to the entire breast.
Making your own flavored butter is a fast and simple process. There are so many variations of compound butter you can make but with this turkey recipe, I use fresh rosemary, unsalted butter, coarse salt, and pepper. Any type of unsalted butter works well, but I like using an extra creamy butter because it tends to be more rich in flavor.
Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Brining Process
The first step in this recipe is to brine the turkey breast. In a large bowl, combine all the brine ingredients. Make sure you squeeze the juice from the lemon and orange into the bowl and then add in the rinds. That will add even more flavor. I also add 2 cups of ice to the brine to ensure the temperature of the meat can get to 40°F as fast as possible. This helps ensure no bacteria will grow. Bacteria can start growing above 40ºF and below 140ºF. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and place it in the refrigerator to brine for 24 hours.
Preparing The Smoker
After the 24 hour brine process, remove the turkey from the liquid and place on a large dish. Discard the brine mixture. Before preparing the turkey with the rub, you'll need to prepare the smoker. Regardless of what type of smoker you plan to use, you'll need to preheat it until it reaches an internal temperature of 225°F. You'll want to use a mild flavored wood such as apple, cherry, or pecan. Ensure there is a water pan in the smoker. This helps regulate the internal temperature and provides moisture to the meat while smoking.
Turkey Rub
While the smoker is heating, combine the ingredients to make the dry rub and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the ingredients to make the rosemary butter and then mix until well combined, about 20 seconds. Set aside.
Using paper towels, gently pat the turkey dry until dry. Generously cover the meat with the turkey dry rub. Using a spatula or a basting brush, apply all of the rosemary butter to the breast, ensuring you cover each crevice on all sides.
Once the smoker is preheated to 225°F, place the turkey directly on the smoker rack. If your turkey has a bone, ensure you place it bone side down. To help keep as much smoke in as possible, insert a digital meat thermometer into the side of the breast at an angle. Make sure the temperature probe is not touching the bone. Close the lid of the smoker and let it smoke low an slow.
During the first 2 hours of the smoke, the internal temperature of the meat will start to increase at a consistent rate. This is normal. At hour 3, it will start to slow down considerably.
I usually smoke a 4-5 pound turkey and that typically takes about 4 hours to smoke. Once the digital meat thermometer reaches 165°F, it's done. Expert Tip: Best practices teach against taking the probe out to check a different part of the meat because you'll lose some of the juice. When you smoke meat low and slow, the moisture level tends to be higher so you can afford one additional temperature check in a different part of the meat.
Remove the turkey from the smoker and put it on a plate. Cover with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.
How To Carve A Turkey Breast
When carving a bone in turkey, you can either slice the meat while the breast is still attached to the bone or you can remove the meat from the bone and then slice. If you choose to remove the meat and then slice, make sure you cut the meat against the bone.
Smoked turkey breast is not only easy to make, it's also a crowd pleaser. Serving sliced turkey breast is perfect for a smaller Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Not only is it easy to smoke, but the savory flavor in each bite will wow everyone who tastes it! Plus, it's great for leftovers!
Expert Tips
- You can buy turkey breast at your local grocery store. If you can't find one at your local grocery, check with a local butcher shop. They tend to freeze whole turkeys and thaw and cut them as needed throughout the year.
- For this recipe, I recommend using an all natural, unbrined turkey breast (not Butterball). Butterball turkeys contain a solution that help keep them moist and juicy.
- You can use either a fresh or frozen turkey breast with this recipe. If it's frozen, make sure it's fully thawed before you start the brine process. Always thaw a frozen turkey in the refrigerator and never at room temperature.
- Turkey breast smoking times will differ depending on the size and weight. It will take about 35-45 minutes per pound when smoked consistently at 225°F.
- Smoking multiple turkey breasts at the same time works well and should not change the overall smoke time.
Leftover Recipe Ideas
There is so much you can do with leftover turkey! Smoked turkey slices are amazingly delicious on sandwiches the next day. Or you can add them to a soup like I do in this Leftover Turkey and Rice Soup. It's also fabulous when added to this Spaghetti Squash with Goat Cheese and Arugula or you can even substitute it out for chicken in a casserole!
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Smoked Turkey Breast Recipe
Equipment
- Smoker
Ingredients
- 4-5 lb Turkey Breast, either boneless or bone-in
For The Turkey Brine
- 12 cups cold water
- ½ cup salt
- ½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 8 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 10 whole peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 lemon
- 1 orange
- 1 cup white wine, Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay
- 2 cups ice
For The Turkey Rub
- ½ Tablespoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
For The Flavored Butter
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons coarse ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt, kosher, sea, or Himalayan salt
Instructions
Brining Process
- In a large bowl, combine the water, salt, brown sugar, garlic, rosemary, peppercorns, bay leaves, lemon, orange, and white wine. Ensure you squeeze the juice from the lemon and orange into the bowl and then add in the rinds.
- Add 2 cups of ice to the brine and then cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Preparing The Smoker
- After the 24 hour brine process, remove the turkey from the liquid and place on a large dish. Discard the brine mixture.
- Preheat the smoker until it reaches an internal temperature of 225°F. Use a mild flavored wood such as apple, cherry, or pecan. Fill a water pan with 8-10 cups of water and place it in the smoker.
Preparing The Turkey
- While the smoker is heating, combine the garlic powder and onion powder in a small bowl and then set aside.
- In a separate bowl, use a handheld mixer on low speed to mix the room temperature butter, salt, pepper, and finely chopped rosemary until well combined, about 20 seconds. Set aside.
- Using paper towels, gently pat the turkey until dry. Using your hands, generously cover the meat with the dry rub.
- Apply all of the rosemary compound butter to the turkey using a spatula or basting brush, ensuring you cover each crevice on all sides.
- Once the smoker has preheated to 225°F, place the turkey directly on the smoker rack. If your turkey has a bone, ensure you place it bone side down.
- To help keep as much smoke in as possible, insert a digital meat thermometer into the side of the breast at an angle, ensuring it does not touch the bone. Close the lid to the smoker.
- Smoke for 3-4 hours until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165°F.
- Remove the turkey from the smoker and put it on a plate. Cover with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.
Notes
- You can buy a turkey breast at your local grocery store. If you can't find one at your local grocer, check with a local butcher shop. They tend to freeze whole turkeys and thaw and cut them as needed throughout the year.
- For this recipe, I recommend using an all natural, unbrined turkey breast (not Butterball). Butterball turkeys contain a solution that help keep them moist and juicy, which defeats the purpose of my brine process and recipe.
- You can use either a fresh or frozen turkey breast with this recipe. If it's frozen, make sure it's fully thawed before you start the brine process. Always thaw a frozen turkey in the refrigerator and never at room temperature.
- Don't skip the brining process. Brining helps distribute moisture throughout the meat during the smoking process. It also regulates the cooking temperature so it cooks more evenly.
- Adding ice to the brine helps ensure the temperature of the meat can get to 40°F as fast as possible so there is no bacteria growth.
- Ensure there is a water pan in the smoker to help regulate the internal temperature. Doing this also provides moisture to the meat while smoking. Even if your smoker doesn't come with a water pan, you can place a disposable aluminum pan on the rack of any type of smoker.
- During the first 2 hours of the smoke, the internal temperature of the meat will start to increase at a consistent rate. This is normal. At hour 3, it will start to slow down considerably.
- Best practices teach against removing the temperature probe from the meat to check other areas because some of the juice will run from an extra pierce. While this is true, when you smoke meat the moisture level tends to be higher so you can afford one additional temperature check in a different part of the meat.
- Turkey breast smoking times will differ depending on size. It takes about 35-45 minutes per pound when smoked consistently at 225°F.
- Smoking multiple turkey breasts at the same time works well and should not change the overall smoke time.
Claire
The brine on the turkey made such a difference!! My turkey wasn't dry and it was probably the best turkey I have ever made!
We had it with salads, bread and potatoes as an outside dinner, but I think it would be such a hands free way to cook turkey on Thanksgiving!
Amanda Mason
I'm so glad to hear it turned out so well for you all! Yes, it's a great recipe that is simple and basic...no mess!