Smoked Turkey Breast

Kick up the flavor of your Thanksgiving recipes by firing up the grill to make a smoked turkey breast. Juicy turkey breast is coated with a delicious herb and garlic compound butter and smoked low and slow to create a perfectly seasoned crust and tender interior.

Cuisine American

Keyword Christmas Dinner, Holiday Dinner, Smoked Meat, Smoked Recipes, Thanksgiving Dinner, Turkey Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 3

Resting Time 15

Total Time 3 25

Servings Servings

Calories 702kcal

Author Darcey Olson

Cost $20

Equipment

Smoker

Ingredients

5-6 Lb Turkey Breast *Note 1

COMPOUND BUTTER

5 tbsp Butter, Softened *Note 2
1 tsp Minced Garlic
1 tbsp Fresh Thyme
1 tbsp Fresh Parsley
1½ tsp Fresh Rosemary
1½ tsp Kosher Salt
½ tsp Black Pepper

Instructions

Prep The Turkey:

Remove the turkey from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to seasoning. Pat dry with paper towels. If you brined the bird, rinse off the turkey with cold water prior to patting dry.
Mix all of the compound butter ingredients together and use a spatula to evenly distribute over the turkey breast.

Prep The Smoker (Pellet or Electric):

Pre-heat the smoker to 225°F and set up for indirect heat. Load the smoker with the pellet of your choice.

Prep The Grill (Gas or Charcoal):

Pre-heat the grill to 225°F and set up for indirect heat. Aim to keep the temperature between 225 - 250°F.
Gas Grill- turn half the burners (on the same side of the grill) to medium-low while the other burners are off. Play around with the burner settings to get it as close to 225°F as possible. Use a smoker box to add chips/chunks of wood for smoking.
Charcoal - Pre-heat the coals until just ashed over. Dump them on the far side (either left or right) of your grill and open the vents to 25%. Play around with the vent opening to get it as close to 225°F as possible. Create smoke by placing wood chunks directly on the pre-heated coals.

Smoke The Turkey: Directly on The Grill/Smoker

Transfer the turkey to a pre-heated grill.
Cook for 35 minutes per pound at 225°F. Replenish the wood chips/pellets/charcoal, as needed, to maintain the temperature.
Smoke until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°F. Check the temperature on both sides and use the lower of the two temperature readings.
Remove the turkey to a large cutting board and let rest for 15-20 minutes. If not serving right away, cover with foil and wrap with towels to keep in the heat until you're ready to serve.

Notes

Note 1 - The turkey should be 100% defrosted.

Note 2 - When mixing the herb and garlic compound butter, the butter needs to be as soft as it can get. In fact, we throw it in the microwave for a few seconds. Not to melt it, but bring the temp down as low as it can go without melting. This way it won't harden from the chill of the turkey.

Make sure to completely dry with paper towels the skin before coating with butter. The butter won't stick if it's wet. Using a spatula to spread the compound butter is also highly recommended.

Nutrition