We all love the flavor of smoked turkey breasts if done correctly. Let’s take a look at some things you can do to have the savory, flavorful turkey breasts your family is sure to enjoy. You will find many recipes and methods on how to smoke a turkey breast. As always, smoking a turkey breast or turkey always comes down to the basics.
Finding the right way to smoke a turkey breast is often a time-consuming task. The more knowledge you have, the better your grilling experience will be.
Some Frequently Asked Questions
What should you season your turkey with?
Salt and pepper are some of the preferred seasonings to use on a turkey. Using different aromatics such as rosemary, thyme, and sage will enhance the flavor of your turkey helping you achieve that flavorful masterpiece.
How do you keep turkey breast moist?
One of my favorite ways to keep turkey breast moist while smoking is to use a rack designed to put a turkey in. I put this rack in a shallow aluminum pan and add apple juice, and white wine, or use my creation of butter, garlic, apple juice, along with aromatic herbs. The steam that rises from the pan helps keep the turkey breast moist while infusing more flavor into the meat.
Why do you season the inside of the turkey(breast)?
Seasoning the inside of the turkey(breast with bone-in) allows your seasoning to have a deeper penetration into the meat of the turkey. Applying the seasonings on the outside and under the skin of the turkey does indeed give you a flavorful bird, you add to that when seasoning the inside as well.
Back To The Basics
When choosing a turkey breast for smoking or grilling, you must know how many people you will be serving. This will help you determine the size of turkey or turkey breast to select.
You don’t want to select a turkey breast that large enough to feed 10 when you will be serving 4. None of us like to waste food or money. Choosing the right size breast also affects how long to smoke it.
As a rule, I have found that when smoking a turkey breast that is still on the bone, it takes about 45 minutes per pound at 250F. Different recipes may call for a different time and a different temperature, we will be focusing on a basic recipe.
To Brine Or Marinade For Best Smoked Turkey Breasts
Choosing to brine or marinade can make a difference in the flavor you achieve. Either way, it is best not to do either for more than 6 hours. The most important reason for this is how quickly fowl (turkey, chicken, goose, and other forms of fowl) connective tissue begins to break down.
The meat from fowl is not as dense as other forms of protein, such as beef, pork, elk, sheep, and goat as examples. Since turkey breasts are denser than the rest of the bird, it is dealt with differently. With this in mind, let’s take a look at how we can achieve success when smoking our turkey breast.
If you choose to brine your turkey breast, you will need to make a basic brine for the task. Before we look at creating our brine, a word of caution, most turkey breasts or turkeys already have up to a 30% solution in them. Adding the normal amount of salt to your brine will cause you to run the risk of your bird being too salty. Your basic brine is as follows:
- 1-gallon water
- 1 cup sea salt
The above recipe for a brine is all you need to get started. You will be adding your seasonings in the form of a dry rub after the brining process. Let’s discuss what common seasonings are used as a dry rub on a turkey breast. The seasonings listed below will also work with the results of your brining process.
Simple Marinade For Flavorful Turkey Breasts
To make a simple marinade, you can use apple juice with aromatics to create the flavors you desire most. Finding that marinade that calls to your taste buds is crucial in the spices and herbs you use.
A Simple Marinade For Smoked Turkey Breasts
- 1/2 gallon apple juice
- 2 Teaspoons Sage
- 1 Tablespoon Basil
- 1 Teaspoon Turmeric
- 2 Teaspoons Onion Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Thyme
- 1 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/4 cup Salt if desired.
Using an immersion blender or fork to mix your dry ingredients for your marinade to help reduce clumps and an unbalanced distribution of your spices. Once you have them mixed add them to your apple juice. Place your bone-in turkey breast in a container and cover it with your marinade solution. Note: Be sure your turkey breast is fully covered, if not completely covered add more apple juice or water to finish the process.
Cover your turkey breast with marinade and place it in the refrigerator for no more than 6 hours. Your turkey breast will begin absorbing your marinade adding flavor to your turkey breast when smoked.
After you have marinated your turkey breast, remove it from the marinade and pat it dry with paper towels. You will want to allow as much of the solution to drain off before you begin to dry it. After drying your turkey breast off, you can either put it on the grill or add a dry rub.
To add even more flavor when I add my dry rub I also add 2 ounces of butter to my dry rub turning it into a paste. Put as much paste as possible under the skin of the turkey breast before adding it to the skin.
What Temperature Do You Prefer For Smoked Turkey Breasts
I normally use a 250F setting for smoking my turkey breast. The normal cooking time I use is based on the best cook time for a turkey breast which is 45 minutes per pound. Some people use the 30-minute rule, I have found when using this rule my turkey breast is not thoroughly smoked.
As my turkey breast is being smoked, I cheat a little bit. I will spritz my turkey breast about every 30 minutes to help keep the moisture in my turkey. I do this quickly so I do not lose very much heat. You could do this once per hour and still have a great-looking turkey breast.
Smoked Turkey Breasts Are Better When Smoked Low And Slow
When smoking your turkey breast at 45 minutes per pound on the 250F setting, you will be adding great smoke to your turkey. You are also allowing your turkey(breast) to cook slowly retaining all the moisture and savory flavors. You find your guests talking about how well your efforts to have a succulent, flavorful turkey have paid off. Their praise for your efforts will be shared among their friends and family.
Smoking For Flavor
Smoked Turkey Breast Injected For Flavor
We each have our ways of achieving that perfect smoke. Some of us will use injectors to add flavor, while others may choose a more traditional way of adding flavor.
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