Have you always wanted to make your own Smoked Turkey? This “How to Smoke a Turkey” tutorial will show you how easy it is to make the best turkey you’ve ever had!
Not only will this be the best smoked turkey you’ve ever had, it’ll be the best Thanksgiving Turkey you’ve ever tasted. Get ready for a Thanksgiving dinner that will wow!
Smoked Turkeys have something of a mystique surrounding them. We have a store nearby where people flock eight weeks before Thanksgiving to order smoked turkeys for their Thanksgiving feast.
Everyone in these parts agrees that smoked turkeys are where it’s at flavour and texture-wise. I’m not sure why very few people take on the process of smoking it themselves because it’s such an easy and forgiving cooking method.
The truth is that you’re far, FAR more likely to render a turkey inedibly dry when roasting it. Think of Clark Griswold’s sister-in-law on ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’. Remember how that thing was turkey jerky?
Smoking a juicy and flavorful turkey breast requires getting a few key steps right, including how you position the meat in your smoker. So do you place the turkey breast up or down during smoking? While there’s debate, the consensus among smoking experts is turkey breast up.
Here’s a detailed guide on how to smoke a perfect turkey breast every time, including whether to position it up or down and why that matters.
Why Smoke a Turkey Breast?
Before jumping into prep and positioning, let’s look at why you may want to smoke a whole turkey breast in the first place:
- Convenient size – Breasts are smaller and faster cooking than a whole bird. Perfect for smaller gatherings
- Easier to smoke – With no cavity to deal with, breasts are simpler to prep and smoke evenly.
- Moist, tender meat – Smoking helps keep turkey breast meat juicy, which it tends to dry out.
- Incredible flavor – Smoking infuses turkey with delicious smoky taste hard to achieve otherwise
- Lower cost – Buying a whole turkey breast is cheaper than purchasing an entire bird.
- Boneless options – Boneless turkey breasts simplify prep and carving.
Smoked turkey breast makes amazing sandwiches, salads, apps and entrees once rested and sliced. So let’s get into how to smoke one right.
Choosing and Preparing a Turkey Breast
First, pick up a high quality bone-in or boneless turkey breast at your local butcher or grocery store. Go for a smaller 3 to 5-pound breast, as larger ones won’t smoke evenly.
Remove the breast from packaging and pat dry thoroughly inside and out with paper towels. Apply a light coating of olive oil, then rub the outside liberally with your favorite dry seasoning or poultry rub.
If using a bone-in breast, carefully loosen the skin and apply more olive oil and seasonings directly onto the meat beneath. Refrigerate until ready to smoke.
Setting Up Your Smoker
While you prep the breast, heat your smoker or pellet grill to 225°F using indirect heat. Use a mild wood like apple, cherry or pecan to complement the delicate turkey flavor.
Add a drip pan filled with water, apple juice or beer to the smoker to help maintain humidity. This stops the delicate breast meat from drying out.
Once your smoker stabilizes at 225°F, it’s go time.
To Smoke Turkey Breast Up or Down?
Here’s where things get interesting. Do you place the turkey breast:
A) Meaty side up
B) Bone side down
The right way is bone side down if using a bone-in breast. For a boneless breast, go meaty side up.
Here’s why:
- Bone side down allows heat and smoke to circulate completely around the meat.
- Meaty side up risks uneven cooking with the underside not getting properly smoked.
- Bone side down enables fat drippings to baste the breast for added moisture and flavor.
- Skin will crisp up nicely when facing down towards heat source.
So for the best results, go bone side down or meat side up if boneless.
Monitoring Internal Temperature
Regardless of positioning, you’ll need to monitor internal temp, not just smoke time, to ensure the breast is fully cooked but not overdone.
Use an instant read thermometer, inserting the probe into the thickest part of the breast without touching any bone. Whole turkey is safe at 165°F but smoking lets you pull it off a bit earlier.
For juicy, tender turkey breast, remove it from the smoker when it hits 155 to 160°F internally. Carryover cooking will bring it up another 5 degrees as it rests.
Expect a 3 to 5-pound breast to take 2 to 3 hours at 225°F to reach the target internal temperature. Time can vary based on smoker temp, breast size and bone vs. boneless.
Resting, Slicing and Serving
Once your turkey breast is smoked to the proper internal temp, remove it from the smoker and tent it loosely with foil. Let it rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing to allow juices to reabsorb.
Use a sharp carving knife to slice the smoked turkey breast across the grain as thinly as possible. Arrange slices on a platter and serve immediately with your favorite side dishes.
Boneless breasts are even easier to slice neatly for sandwiches, wraps or salads after being smoked juicy and delicious.
Full Recipe and Tips for Moist Smoked Turkey Breast
Follow this complete recipe and tips for foolproof smoked turkey breast every time:
Ingredients:
- 3 to 5-pound bone-in or boneless turkey breast
- Olive oil
- Dry poultry seasoning or rub
- Apple, cherry or pecan wood chips
Instructions:
- Remove breast from packaging; pat dry thoroughly.
- Coat with olive oil, then apply seasoning or rub liberally.
- If bone-in, carefully loosen skin and put oil and seasoning under skin.
- Refrigerate breast until ready to smoke.
- Prepare smoker or pellet grill for indirect cooking at 225°F.
- Add wood chips and fill water pan with liquid.
- Once smoker reaches target temp, place breast bone side down.
- Insert probe thermometer into thickest section, avoiding bone.
- Smoke until breast hits 155 to 160°F internally.
- Remove breast and tent loosely with foil to rest 15 minutes.
- Slice across the grain and serve immediately.
Pro Smoking Tips:
- Choose a smaller 3 to 5-pound breast for even smoking.
- Trim any excess skin and fat before rubbing with oil and seasoning.
- Use a mild fruit wood like apple or cherry to complement turkey flavor.
- Keep smoker temp steady at 225 to 250°F for best results.
- Use an instant read thermometer; don’t rely on time alone.
- Resting before slicing allows juices to redistribute and absorb.
- Slice smoked breast thinly across the grain for tenderness.
So now you know that bone side down is the way to go when smoking a whole turkey breast for incredibly moist, delicious results. Follow these expert tips and full recipe for smokehouse-quality turkey breast off your own smoker or pellet grill.
What Temp to Smoke a Turkey
This is a great time to share a list of the equipment you’ll need to smoke a turkey because the smoker is going to determine how easily you maintain your temperature. And I’m happy to say you have options!
- A smoker with a thermostat that allows you to set a temperature and maintain it.
- A Roaster pan or drip pan for your smoker.
- Wood pellets, wood chips, or wood briquettes, depending on the type of smoker you use.
Obviously, a proper smoker is going to make this job FAR easier, but it can most certainly be done in a grill with a very low indirect heat. You’re going for 225°F to 250°F. If you have a real deal smoker with an adjustable thermostat, please set it at 250°F for the duration.
We need to address what kind of wood smoke we’re applying right? I swear by apple or alder wood for my turkeys.
I think it’s mild but flavourful and easy to come by (at least in this neck of the proverbial and literal woods.) If you wanted a good second choice, I think hickory would be excellent, too. I’d be less likely to go for mesquite, but it wouldn’t be bad.
I used to use a dedicated smoker, but these days, I use my handy-dandy, trusty Traeger pellet grill for the job. It’s insulated, it maintains temperature as easily as an oven, and it has a hopper I can fill with convenient wood pellets.
It takes all of the work out of smoking any number of proteins. Bonus: I can order my Traeger pellets to be shipped monthly from Amazon via the subscribe and save feature.
If you use a smoker that requires wood chips, you can use the same varieties of wood with good results. Just follow the smoker manufacturer’s instructions to maintain approximately 250ºF.
You can either smoke your turkey directly on the grates of your smoker with a drip tray below it or in a roasting pan on a rack. I prefer to use the roasting pan because I like to collect the turkey drippings to use in gravy or roasted potatoes.
If you cook the turkey directly on the grates, please check your drip pan to make sure it isn’t over-flowing. Turkeys give off a lot of liquid as they cook!
How to Smoke a Turkey Breast
Is a whole bird too much for your crew? If you want smoked turkey but don’t want an entire turkey, you have options!
You can also use a bone-in turkey breast o make smoked turkey breast. You still have the cavity to stuff with all the goodies, so feel free to go that route if you really prefer just the white meat.
How to Smoke Turkey Breast: Only FOUR INGREDIENTS (Texas Style Recipe)
FAQ
Do you cook a turkey breast side up or down?
What position do you smoke a turkey?
Is it better to smoke a turkey breast at 225 or 250?
Do you smoke a whole chicken breast up or down?