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Smoked Turkey Breast

November 18, 2024 by Lyuba Leave a Comment

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Smoked turkey breast is not just for holidays! You can enjoy a juicy, tender turkey breast with dinner anytime. These turkey breasts well seasoned with a crispy seasoned skin and done in about 2 hours.

thinly sliced turkey breasts stacked on the black platter.

Turkey is not just for holidays! While we all enjoy and nice turkey dinner for Thanksgiving and sometimes Christmas, it’s okay to have it more than twice a year.

Smoked turkey has long earned it’s name for one of the best meats to make on the BBQ and smoked. You’ll be happy to know that you don’t have to make the whole turkey, but easily make just the turkey breast (or even just turkey legs).

This juicy turkey breast is infused with the element of smoke, rubbed with seasoned butter right on the meat, and coated in a select blend of seasonings all around. The combination is a treat that will enhance any BBQ or outside event.

How to Make Smoked Turkey Breast

collage of four images of preparing the turkey breast by rubbing butter under skin and coated in seasoning.

Preparing the turkey breast:

Remove your turkey breasts from the packaging and drain all of the juices. Allow the breasts to rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Since smoking meat at 225° has a tendency to dry things out, you want to make sure that you have an element that adds moisture to your meat. With turkey, a nice butter rub does the trick.

For compound butter: combine half of all of your seasonings with the softened butter and pressed garlic and mix until smooth (2).

Gently separate the skin from the meat with your hand and rub the meat with seasoned butter (3). This may get messy, but it’s worth it, this I promise you.

Be sure to cover as much as the meat as possible and lay the skin back down over the meat. While it won’t create a perfect seal, this will give you a nice pocket to allow the seasoned butter to be absorbed into the meat while smoking.

Gently rub oil to the entire exterior of the breast and then pat the seasoning onto the breasts. Be sure to pat the seasoning on rather than smearing it on.

Directions:

Prepare your smoker as needed and preheat it to maintain a temperature between 225° and 240°. Turkey pairs well with a variety of wood. Maple, hickory and cherry all do very well with smoked turkey. For our cook we used cherry wood.

Insert an internal meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast (5). Be sure to avoid the bones when inserting the probe, bones can give you a misleading readout on your temperature.

PRO TIP: If the turkey has a popper, leave it in. If you take out the popper, there will be a hole in your breast.

collage of three images of adding thermometer to the turkey and cooked and tented.

Smoked turkey breast takes about 35 minutes per pound to cook up to the required internal temperature of 165°.

Cook time will vary depending on your temperature and the size of the breasts so it’s a good idea to allow yourself ample time as you keep an eye on your thermometer.

When the breasts reaches 165° internal temperature, remove it from the smoker, place it on a clean cooking tray. Tent the entire breast with foil and allow it to rest for about 15 minutes.

Tenting the breast will allow the juices in the turkey to redistribute throughout the breast before you slice it. (DON’T skip this step!)

slicing smoked turkey breast with a knife and two prong fork.

Ingredient Tips and Substitutions

Turkey Breast – Look for a turkey breast no smaller than 3 pounds. You want to get two breasts on the bone. Make sure to get meat on the bone and not boneless for smoking.

Dried herbs – rosemary, sage, and thyme all compliment turkey very well.

Seasoning – onion powder, paprika, salt and black pepper.

Garlic – fresh garlic cloves is you best choice for superior flavor and aroma.

Frequently Asked Questions

What wood is best for smoking turkey?

Turkey is a very versatile meat. This means that it lends itself to a wide variety of wood flavors. We’ve found that the best matches are maple, hickory or cherry wood.

Should I brine the turkey breast before smoking?

Luckily, it isn’t necessary to brine turkey breast before smoking. The process of cooking low and slow in the smoker actually draws moisture into your bird as opposed to drying it out or evaporating the moisture.

How long does it take to smoke a turkey breast?

While maintaining a temperature of 225° in your smoker, your turkey breast will take approximately 35 minutes per pound.

thinly sliced one turkey breast on a black plate with herbs.

How to Serve

Smoked Turkey Breast is so versatile that you can pair it up with a wide variety of side dishes. Try some Watermelon Feta Salad or Grilled Corn Salad to add some color to your table. For hot sides you can always go with a companion turkey knows well, the sweet potato. Choose from a Smoked Sweet Potato Casserole and Smoked Sweet Potatoes to fill this need!

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thinly sliced turkey breasts stacked on the black platter.

Smoked Turkey Breast Recipe

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Enjoy a juicy, tender turkey breast with dinner anytime. These turkey breasts well seasoned with a crispy seasoned skin and done in about 2 hours.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
CourseMain Course
CuisineAmerican
Prep Time25 minutes minutes
Cook Time1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Resting time:15 minutes minutes
Total Time2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
Servings3
Calories694kcal
AuthorLyuba

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs Turkey Breast on bone
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1 – 1.5 tbsp salt to taste
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp black pepper to taste
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 3 tbsp avocado or olive oil
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Remove your turkey breasts from the packaging and drain all of the juices. Allow the breasts to rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
  • Mix the seasonings and divide in two portions. Combine half of all of your seasonings with the softened butter and pressed garlic and mix until smooth.
  • While gently separating the skin from the meat with your hand, rub the meat of the bird with the compound butter.
  • Prepare your smoker as needed and preheat it to maintain a temperature between 225° and 240°. (For this turkey recipe, I used cherry wood).
  • Apply oil to the entire exterior of the breast then pat the remaining seasoning onto the breasts.
  • Insert a probe of the digital thermometer through the top into the thickest part of the breast, diagonally, along the bone but not touching the bone. If you touch the bone, move it over just a little bit.
  • Smoke it for 35 minutes per pound (at 225℉). When the breasts reaches 165° internal temperature, remove it from the smoker, place it on a clean cooking tray.
  • Tent the entire breast loosely with foil and allow it to rest for about 15 minutes.
  • Once your turkey breast has rested, remove the foil and slice against the grain. Plate, serve and enjoy!

Notes

Smoking wood: Turkey is a very versatile meat. This means that it lends itself to a wide variety of wood flavors. We’ve found that the best matches are maple, hickory or cherry wood.
How long to smoke it: While maintaining a temperature of 225° in your smoker, your turkey breast will take approximately 35 minutes per pound.
How Much Turkey Per Person? Estimate 1/2 pound per person (or about 1/2 breast) if served with sides. With turkey breast, it’s easier to estimate because you can easily tell how but the turkey breast is. 

Nutrition

Calories: 694kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 114g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 304mg | Sodium: 6086mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 1418IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 2mg

Originally published on Grilling Smoking Living in October, 2022.

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Let's get grilling!

Welcome, everyone! I’m Lyuba Brooke, come in, grab a beer, and head to the backyard. Here, I love to grill, barbecue, and share everything I make. You will find a ton of recipes for grilling, smoking, and the sauces to dip it in.

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