Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast Roulade
On November 05, 2019 (Updated April 17, 2022)
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This Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast is a tasty way to make turkey the star of your holiday table. First, the turkey breast is stuffed with a hearty sausage filling spiked with sweet cherries, then wrapped in bacon. It’s like Thanksgiving dinner in one convenient package!
Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast
Today’s recipe is a twist on the traditional Thanksgiving turkey, and I think it is a pretty delicious adaptation. Tender turkey breast is stuffed with a savory sausage stuffing that gets a little touch of sweetness from dried cherries.
It’s all wrapped in bacon because bacon just makes everything better (including this!). We even get fancy pants with a gorgeous bacon weave (I recommend using my homemade smoked bacon) and then slow roast it with apple wood for a gorgeous presentation that tastes even better than it looks. Bada bing! You’ve got the ultimate turkey entree.
Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast with Stuffing
Turkey and stuffing go together like peanut butter and jelly, and this recipe brings the two together in the perfect mix of your Thanksgiving favorites. Oh, and it even has a nice punch from dried cherries. What more could you want in an entree?
The secret ingredient to this recipe? The sage sausage. Believe me, the sage flavored sausage makes ALL the difference. It’s comforting, and blends perfectly with the turkey, bacon, and smoke.
Smoked Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast
You know how much I love encouraging people to step outside and test the boundaries on what is “typically” grilled or smoked and hopefully inspire you guys to try something new. Since this is a pretty lean turkey breast, I wanted to prevent it from drying out while still providing enough even heat to crisp up that bacon on the outside. Indirect heat is the way to go with this cook!
I kept my smoker at about 275 degrees F during the cook and used apple wood to smoke. The end result was a mildly smoky, juicy, succulent turkey breast with tender and savory stuffing and a crispy bacon exterior. It’s absolutely delicious and star of our dinner table for sure. I hope you guys give this one a try!
How to Cook Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast
Unlike many of my other recipes, this one is going to take a little extra love and effort to get it right. You’re gonna need your smoker set to 275 degrees F, but while it preheats, you can being putting this tasty feast together. Here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Make the stuffing. Brown the sage sausage in a skillet over medium heat. Add in the celery and onions and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add in the garlic, and cook until fragrant. Next, add the cherries, bread cubes, stock, and seasoning. Set the stuffing aside while you prepare the turkey breast and bacon weave.
- Prep the turkey breast. Butterfly open the turkey breast (cut the breast in half almost all the way through then open up). Place the turkey between two pieces of parchment paper and pound with a meat mallet until it is an even thickness.
- Make the bacon weave. Create a 5×5 bacon weave on a cutting board (here’s a nice step-by-step on Making a Bacon Weave), and place the turkey in the center of the bacon.
- Season the turkey. Sprinkle the turkey breast with salt and pepper and 1 teaspoon of poultry seasoning (you can find poultry seasoning in the spice aisle in your local grocery store).
- Make the turkey breast roulade. Spoon the stuffing into the middle of the turkey breast. Start at one ends and carefully roll the bacon weave and turkey around the stuffing. Make sure to overlap the bacon on the bottom of the turkey and on the ends. Season the bacon weave with a small amount of poultry seasoning.
- Smoke the bacon wrapped turkey breast roulade. Place the turkey breast directly on the grill grates. Close the lid and smoke for 1 1/2 hours (or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees F measured by a meat thermometer).
- Rest, slice, and serve. When the turkey has reached the target doneness, remove it from the grill and allow it to rest for 10-15 minutes. Slice into 1-inch rounds and serve hot.
What to Serve with Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast?
Whether you’re making this for a Thanksgiving dinner for 2 (a splendid idea, if I do say so myself!), or you’re just craving turkey, these sides will help complete your meal:
Grilled Vegetables
Candied Sweet Potato Stacks
Garlic Parmesan Green Beans
Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast Recipe
Bacon Wrapped Turkey Roulade
Video
Ingredients
- 1 2-3 pound boneless skinless turkey breast
- 1 pound bacon
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
Sausage Cherry Stuffing
- 1/2 pound sage pork sausage
- 1/4 cup yellow onion diced
- 1/4 cup celery sliced
- 1 1/2 cups dried bread cubes or unseasoned stuffing
- 1 cup chicken or turkey stock
- 1/4 cup dried cherries
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
Instructions
- Prepare your smoker for indirect cooking at 275 degrees F.
- While your smoker preheats, prepare your turkey roulade. In a medium skillet, brown the pork sausage for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the onions and celery and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Pour in the cherries, bread cubes, stock, season with a pinch of salt and pepper and toss gently. Set aside.
- Place the turkey breast on a large cutting board and butterfly open by cutting in half almost all the way through. Set the turkey in between two pieces of parchment paper and pound the turkey breast to an even thickness with a meat mallet.
- On the cutting board, create a 5x5 bacon weave and set the flattened butterfly turkey breast centered on the bacon weave. Season the turkey breast with salt and pepper 1 teaspoon of the poultry seasoning. Spoon the stuffing mixture into the middle of the turkey breast.
- Start at one side and carefully roll up the bacon weave and turkey breast around the stuffing. Overlap the bacon underneath the turkey and on the ends. Season the outside of the bacon with a little more poultry seasoning
- Open the lid and put the turkey breast on the grill grates. Close the lid and smoke at 275 degrees for about an hour and a half, or until the internal temperature of the turkey roulade reads 165 degrees F.
- Remove the turkey roulade from the grill and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing into 1 inch rounds and serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How much garlic do you normally add to the stuffing?
Live it, love it, love it! Tried it 3 years ago and it’s been requested by family and on our menu ever since. Delicious and a new tradition!
So amazing to hear! Thank you!!
Susie, I made this for my Wife and Parents today and it was absolutely delicious. Most tender Turkey I’ve ever had off of a grill. (Smoker) Probably the best dish I’ve made from your website yet. Thank you. Thank you thank you.
Can this be oven baked? What temp and how long would you recommend?
Yes. Same time and temperature as this recipe.
I made this for Thanksgiving last year in addition to the turkey I always bake and one I fry. This disappeared in a flash last year. It was the star of the dinner. Easy to prepare and just plain delicious. Great recipe, you’ve got to give it a try!