Smoked Bone-in Turkey Breast
Bone-in turkey breast brined overnight, coated with oil and rub, smoked and rested wrapped before slicing.
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
Turkey Breast
- 1 bone-in turkey breast about 5–7 lb, fully thawed
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 4 tablespoons Jeff's original rub plus more to taste
Option 1: Basic Brine
- 1 gallon water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- ¾ cup brown sugar optional; white sugar may be substituted
Option 2: Seasoned Brine (Separate 2-Gallon Recipe)
- 2 gallons water
- 2 cups kosher salt
- 3 cups sugar
- ¼ cup liquid crab boil optional
- 4 tablespoons black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- ¼ cup molasses
- ¼ cup white wine not cooking wine
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Choose either the basic brine or the separate seasoned brine; do not combine both recipes. Dissolve the salt and sugar in the water, then mix in the other ingredients if using the seasoned version.
- Cover the thawed turkey breast completely with cold brine and refrigerate 8–12 hours, keeping it at 33–39°F. Make enough of the chosen brine to cover the meat.
- Discard the brine, drain and pat the turkey dry. Coat with canola oil and rub in a bag or by hand, adding more rub to taste.
- Prepare the smoker for 225–240°F. Place the turkey breast side up directly on the grate. The source recommends about 3 hours cherry smoke followed by 1 hour pecan.
- Monitor the internal temperature. The source removes the breast at 161–163°F and immediately wraps it tightly in heavy-duty foil.
- Hold the wrapped breast in an insulated cooler or towels for about 30–45 minutes, or up to 1 hour. Verify a final 165°F temperature before serving; return to heat if carryover has not reached it.
- Slice the breast meat from the bone and serve.
Notes
Estimated yield: 6 servings from a 5–7 lb bone-in breast, allowing for bone and cooking loss. The article gives no fixed total smoking time; use temperature to determine doneness. The one-gallon basic and two-gallon seasoned brines have different sugar quantities and are presented as separate alternatives exactly for that reason. The early pull is the author's stated method; the card distinguishes the pull temperature from the final poultry endpoint.