Smoked Turkey Breast on a Traeger

Looking for a delicious smoked turkey breast recipe?

Whether you’re cooking for a special occasion or a weeknight dinner, my recipe for smoked turkey breast on a Traeger is a crowd-pleasing dish that is easy to prepare and always leaves you with juicy and tender meat.

My guide below will cover everything you need to know to prepare and smoke a perfect turkey breast. Including preparation, seasoning, smoking techniques, and tips for serving and storing leftovers. So let’s fire up the Traeger and get started!

Why You’ll Love This Smoked Turkey Breast Recipe

Smoking turkey on a pellet grill will result in a delicious piece of meat!

This turkey will be moist with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. The rub will provide delicious flavors, too!

Since we brine and spatchcock this turkey, you can expect crispier skin than normal.

What Temperature To Smoke Turkey Breast On A Traeger

Smoke a turkey breast at 275°F. This low temperature will ensure that it doesn’t cook too quickly.

The longer cook time will also help the turkey to be savory and delectable.

One main reason we like to cook low and slow is the smoky flavor.

The aroma of the smoke will have more time to permeate the meat. This will result in smokey turkey breast!

How Long To Smoke Turkey Breast On A Traeger

Smoke the turkey breast for 20-25 minutes per pound at 275°F.

The cooking time will vary based on the size of the turkey breast . The cooking temperature will also determine the cooking time.

Don’t have a Traeger? I have also done a smoked boneless turkey breast on my Pit Boss which you can check out here.

Best Wood Chips For Smoked Turkey Breast

Consider the what you want. Do you want something sweet, mild, or hearty? I prefer hickory wood or cherrywood with turkey breast

What You’ll Need To Cook Smoked Turkey Breast

You’ll need a Traeger or a pellet grill of your choice. You’ll also need wood pellets to use as fuel.

You’ll also need some mixing bowls and mixing utensils. A smoker-proof baking dish or drip pan would also be helpful for this recipe.

This recipe uses a large bone-in turkey breast of 7-8 pounds. You can alter the recipe if you want to use a smaller piece of meat.

The wet ingredients include apple juice or cider, water, and Worcestershire sauce. The dry ingredients we need are salt, rub, garlic powder, and onion powder.

We recommend using kosher salt because it isn’t quite as salty as table salt.

How Much Turkey Breast Do You Need Per Person?

You need to allow  1¼ lbs of raw turkey per person if your using bone-in turkey breast and chosen boneless meat, then the general rule of thumb includes allocating around ¾ pound per person.

Its important to calculate this before you shop, you want to ensure you have enough food for everyone and some for leftovers.

Ingredients For Smoked Turkey Breast On A Traeger

• 7-pound bone-in turkey breast
• 5 cups apple juice or cider
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup salt
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons barbecue rub
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder

Recipe For Smoked Turkey Breast On A Traeger

Step 1: Create the Brine

In a large bowl, whisk together 4 cups of apple juice, Worcestershire sauce, and water. Dissolve the salt and brown sugar into the wet mixture.

Step 2: Brine the Turkey

Submerge the bird into the brine breast side down. Cover and refrigerate for approximately 12 hours. Drain the brine and pat the breast dry with paper towels.The brine helps to add flavor and ensure it doesn’t dry out in the smoker.

Step 3: Spatchcock the Turkey

Snip out the backbone and crack the chest bone. Now that the cavity is open, flatten the turkey. Place the turkey breast side up and flatten some more.

Step 4: Season the Turkey

Pat the turkey breast dry again. Apply the barbecue rub, onion powder, and garlic powder.

Step 5: Smoke the Turkey

Please the turkey breasts on the grill breast skin up. Smoke the turkey at 275°F for about 4 hours. Spritz with apple juice every 30 minutes.

Spritz with the remaining cup of apple juice every 30 min.

Step 6: Finish the Turkey

When the internal temperature reaches 165°F, the turkey is ready. Check the internal temperature at the thickest portion of the bird. Be careful to avoid touching the bone.

Remove the turkey and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Carve, serve and enjoy.

Tips For Smoked Turkey On Traeger

You can place the turkey directly on the grill grates. However, it is beneficial to use a baking pan or drip tray.

This will make cleaning up easy. You can also use the drippings to make gravy!

Save the bones and innards to make turkey stock or gravy in the future.

You can adjust the cooking temperature to cook the turkey faster.

We don’t recommend changing the temperature much. The best temperature for smoking turkey is 275°F.

Leave the meat thermometer in the turkey to monitor the internal temperature constantly. This will prevent you from overcooking it.

Since the turkey breast doesn’t have any dark meat, you don’t want to cook it past 165°F. White meat dries out very quickly when it gets too hot.

You can buy frozen turkey breast for this recipe. Just make sure it’s completely thawed out before smoking.

What To Serve With Smoked Turkey Breast

This juicy turkey breast pairs well with many traditional side dishes!

Here are some of my favorite sides for smoked turkey breast;

Mac and Cheese

Smoked Asparagus

Baked Potato on Pit Boss

What to Do With Your Leftover Turkey Breast?

If you have any leftover turkey, use the turkey leftovers for a salad or sandwich. You can chop up the leftover turkey breast and put it in pasta or rice, as well.

Smoke On!

Charlie

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