Marinated Smoked Turkey Breast
On March 19, 2020 (Updated April 16, 2022)
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Marinated Smoked Turkey Breast is all the goodness of a whole bird scaled down to a non-holiday portion. Perfect for a weeknight cookout or a perfect weekday dinner option. This is a delicious, tender and juicy recipe that you will cook again and again.
Smoked Turkey Breast Marinade
This marinated smoked turkey breast recipe has been on my mind for quite some time. I’ve done whole turkeys, turkey breasts, turkey legs, you name it, but I wanted to perfect a smoked turkey breast. This recipe took a few test runs to get just right, but it was worth it! This marinated turkey breast is tender and juicy with the perfect amount of smoke from the BBQ.
The secret to this particular smoked turkey breast is in the marinade. I got this recipe from my best friend’s mom back in college. This particular marinade is used on turkey breasts and is named after a tiny town in Utah called Manti. It is a Utah staple (watch the video to get a little bit more about the history of this recipe) and everybody has their own version of the marinade.
Since turkey breasts are very lean, the marinade provides a boost of flavor and moisture. The marinade combines some pretty unique ingredients that give the turkey a flavor profile that perfectly balances sweet, savory, and tangy. It almost feels like a slight version of a teriyaki sauce.
BONUS- this marinade works great on chicken breasts also!
How to Smoke a Turkey Breast
I started to cook with indirect heat for the smoking period at 225 degrees F for about 2 hours, until the internal temperature of the turkey read 150 degrees F. Now the fun part, crank the heat up and sear the exterior of the turkey at the end to caramelize the outside. This method is called reverse searing. It allows you to smoke slowly for flavor and to retain moisture and also get that nice crispy sear on the outside of the meat.
What Wood to Use for Smoked Turkey Breast
For this batch of turkey breasts, I used a mixture of pecan and apple. Pecan provides a nice smoky flavor base and apple gives a light kiss of sweet smoke. For other ideas on woods to use with turkey, check out my post on the Best Woods for Smoking.
How Long to Smoke a Turkey Breast
I plan 2 hours of smoking and about 6 minutes of searing for larger 5 pound boneless, skinless turkey breasts. If your turkey breasts are smaller (or you are using chicken breasts) you will reduce the time significantly. My best advice is to use a good internal thermometer to track the temperatures of your poultry. Cooking to a safe internal temperature is crucial for poultry, but not overcooking it also means that it will remain juicy and delicious.
More Turkey Breast Recipes
Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast Roulade
Cider Brined Smoked Turkey Breast
Smoked Turkey
Marinated Smoked Turkey Breast Recipe
Follow the recipe, and I’ll teach you the simple steps to making your own smoked turkey breasts at home. Hey Grill Hey is dedicated to help you make better BBQ, feed the people you love, and become a backyard BBQ hero. You can find more of my smoking and grilling recipes and videos on YouTube, Instagram, or our Facebook Page.
Marinated Smoked Turkey Breast
Video
Ingredients
- 1 5-pound boneless skinless turkey breast
- 2 cups lemon lime soda
- 1 cup soy sauce
- ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 Tablespoon creamy horseradish sauce
- 1 Tablespoon garlic minced
Instructions
- Marinate the turkey. Combine all ingredients for the marinade in a gallon zip top bag. Place the turkey breasts in the marinade and toss gently to coat. Refrigerate the marinating turkey for at least 8 hours, and no more than 24 hours.
- Preheat your smoker. Prepare your smoker for indirect cooking at 225 degrees F.
- Smoke the turkey. Remove the turkey breast from the marinade and place it directly on the grill grates. Close the lid and smoke at 225 degrees F for about 2 hours, or until the internal temperature reads 150 degrees F (whichever happens first.)
- Finish cooking. Increase the temperature of your smoker to around 500 degrees F. Continue to cook the turkey for 5-8 minutes per side or until the exterior is nice and caramelized and the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.
- Rest, slice, and serve. Remove the turkey to a plate and cover with foil. The carry-over heat will continue to cook the turkey for a few minutes while it rests. Thinly slice the turkey breasts and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
**This post was originally published April 2018. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.
Would this recipe pair with the cranberry BBQ sauce?
Absolutely!
I smoked my first boneless turkey breast using your recipe and it turned out amazing! My breast was only 3 pounds and I followed the marinade recipe exactly and then smoked at 250 (skipping the sear) until it hit 163 degrees, which took just over 3 hours. The turkey was super flavorful and juicy. I’ll definitely make this again!
Will any store bought frozen bone in turkey
breast work? Then let thaw and cut breast off bone
before putting in marinade?
That should work fine!
I made this last night. This is the best turkey breast I have ever made and I have made some pretty good turkeys. The marinade is unbelievable and gives the turkey such a great flavor. So easy to do. I have a feeling this is going to show up again at Thanksgiving, and probably a few times before then.
Is Olive oil a good substitute or should I stick to vegetable? It’s healthier but will it take away from it?
Olive oil will work fine!
At what temp would you recommend moving the breast from the 225 smoker to the sear? If the goal is 160, maybe 145?
Used this marinade and recommended temperatures on a bone in / skin on turkey breast, smoked with apple wood. Excellent. On my Big Green Egg, when the air ways were opened to get the 500 degrees, the temperature came up fast and the effect was like doing a chicken thigh in an air fryer: crisp tasty skin and wonderfully moist and tasty meat. Will do this one again.
Couldn’t find a boneless, skinless turkey breast at the store, but did find some turkey breast tenderloins (1.5 lbs each). Is there much difference besides size/cook time? If so, what modifications would tot suggest? Thanks!
Nope! Just the cook time!
This was amazing! I did a full boneless breast this way for Thanksgiving with friends. My family is already asking me to do another one the same way. I’m sure it was the best turkey breast I’ve ever had, by a long way.
Mine was 8 pounds, bone in, before trimming and took about 3 hours at 250 degrees.
Things to watch: with a full bone-in breast, one side cooked faster than the other so you may want to turn it half way through. Also, Susie has at least 2 smoked breast recipes on the website. One says two hours at 225, and the other says two hours at 275. One of those must be wrong. I split the difference on temperature, knowing it would still take longer than two hours with an 8-pound bone-in breast.
Thanks Bob! The bone in vs boneless will change the cook time for sure. Bone in does take longer. Glad you found the right time for you!
First time using this brine on a 6 pound Turkey breast. Marinated overnight. Was very impressed with how it turned out and how MOIST it was!! Will definitely use this brine again!! Wish I could post the picture of the breast!