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Smoked Turkey Breast Recipe

How to smoke a turkey breast with a delicious herb butter and the right temperature.
Prep Time 8 hours
Cook Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 12 hours 30 minutes
Serving Size 6

Equipment

  • smoker

Ingredients

  • 7 lb turkey breast you can give whatever size you need and adjust the cook time

Brine

  • 12 cups water
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ⅓ cup kosher salt
  • 1 orange cut into slices
  • 5 sprigs of thyme
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 cups ice

Herb Butter

  • 1 stick butter softened
  • 2 tsp thyme chopped
  • 2 tsp rosemary chopped
  • 2 tsp sage chopped
  • 2 tsp garlic minced
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp pepper

Instructions

Brining Turkey

  • Pour water into a large pot. Turn on to high heat.
  • Add the sugar, salt, minced garlic, and sprigs of thyme.
  • Squeeze the oranges over the water before places the slices into the water.
  • Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool about 30 minutes before adding ice. Make sure liquid is room temperature before putting the turkey breast into the brining liquid.
  • Put the lid on the pot and place in the refrigerator at least 8 hours or overnight.
  • Remove turkey an hour before you need to put it on the smoker. Rinse the turkey off well, pat dry with paper towels, and let it sit at room temperature.

Herb Butter

  • In a small combined the softened butter, chopped herbs, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
  • Spread half the herb butter under the turkey's skin. You may need to grab to loosen the skin. I like to use toothpicks to hold the skin in place so that it doesn't shrink back while cooking.
  • Spread the other half of the herb butter on top of the turkey.

Smoking Turkey

  • Start preheating your smoker about 30 minutes before you need to use it. Preheat to 225°F.
  • If you have a meat thermometer that can be used in the smoker insert the probe into the thickest part of the turkey breast.
  • Once the smoker is preheated place the turkey onto a middle rack. Follow your smokers direction as what liquid to place in drip pan and when to add wood chips, etc.
  • I use water in my drip pan and add the first handful of wood chips after 30 minutes of cooking. I add a second handful of wood chips after 60 minutes of cooking.
  • When the internal temperature of the turkey breast gets to 165°F remove from the smoker, cover loosely with foil and let it rest for 20-30 minutes before cutting.