The Best Smoked Turkey Breast
On October 31, 2022 (Updated November 05, 2024)
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This smoked turkey breast is not only flavorful, but juicy to boost. Cider-brined turkey breast combined with a sweet and savory sweet rub makes for a turkey breast that is just as good for a weekday dinner as it is served on a special occasion.
Smoked Turkey Breast
This recipe is for (no bias here) the best smoked turkey breast you’ll ever have. We begin with a delicious apple cider brine, season with my KILLER turkey rub, and finish up with a few hours in the smoker. These three elements combine to bring you a tender, juicy turkey breast that is like no other. Don’t take my word for it, try it yourself!
Smoking a turkey breast also infuses the turkey with amazing smoky flavor. Between the brine, seasoning, and the smoke, you can guarantee that this turkey will taste completely incredible. It’s also a great option if you’re wanting a delicious holiday meal but you’re only cooking for a few people.
This recipe calls for a boneless turkey breast, but you could also cook it with bone in turkey breast. It might be easier to find one over the other, but if you can find a boneless turkey breast over a bone in turkey breast, go with the boneless.
Smoked Turkey Breast Brine
Let’s take a moment to talk about the turkey breast brine in this recipe. This isn’t your mama’s turkey brine. No, no. It’s packed with so many amazing ingredients with the main goal of adding flavor, moisture, and tenderness to your turkey breast.
Make sure you have the following on hand prior to making this brine.
- 3 cups apple cider
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup salt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Sweet Rub
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon onion powder
Smoked Turkey Breast Rub
When seasoning this turkey breast, there are two great rub options to try:
1. Sweet Rub
I find that a good sweet rub is best to compliment the apple cider brine and smoke flavor.
If you like that sweet heat BBQ flavor, you can go with my homemade sweet rub. It combines 8 ingredients (including brown sugar and smoked paprika) that never overpowers the flavor of the meat. You can make your own Sweet Rub at home by following my recipe on this site.
For those of you who have been long-time Hey Grill Hey followers, you likely know how often I use this sweet rub. It’s my go-to, and one that I’m happy to share with my friends. If you want to stock up on this great rub, you can purchase my Signature Sweet Rub from Patio Provisions. We also sell 2-pound refill bags so you never have to worry about running out!
2. Turkey Rub
If you want to combine BBQ and traditional turkey flavors, I highly recommend my new Smoked Turkey Rub Recipe. It’s got BBQ zing with a great addition of traditional turkey herbs and spices. I think it’s pretty bomb!
How to Smoke a Turkey Breast
Guys, smoking turkey breast only requires 4 steps; it’s so easy! This is one that you can’t mess up. It’s a good one to try when you’re ready to branch out from simple turkey, and you want to try something that takes a little more time and effort. Here’s how to smoke a turkey breast:
- Brine the turkey. Whisk all ingredients for the brine in a bowl. Submerge the turkey breast in the brine, and refrigerate for 8-12 hours.
- Add some flavor! Remove the turkey from the brine, and pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle the turkey breast with my Best Sweet Rub Recipe or my Smoked Turkey Rub. You can also purchase my Signature Sweet Rub pre-made and delivered straight to your door from Patio Provisions.
- Put that turkey in some smoke. Get your smoker going at 275 degrees F. You can use whatever wood you have on hand, but apple wood goes great with this turkey breast (it compliments the cider brine perfectly!). Smoke for 3 hours, or until the internal temp of the turkey breast reaches 165 degrees F with an internal thermometer.
- Rest and enjoy. Remove the turkey breast from the smoker, cover it with foil, and rest for 5 minutes. Serve warm.
How Long to Smoke a Turkey Breast
It will take approximately 3 hours to fully smoke a turkey breast when your smoker is consistently running at 275 degrees F. Keep the ol’ meat thermometer on hand (I used my instant-read thermometer for this smoke) and pull the turkey breast off the smoker when the internal temperature of the thickest part of the turkey breast reaches 165 degrees F.
The FDA recommends turkey breast be cooked to a minimum temperature of 165 degrees F, and for this turkey breast, that’s the exact temperature you want to be watching for. The turkey will come off safely cooked and beautifully moist.
More Smoked Turkey Recipes
It’s turkey season, baby! Turkey for me, turkey for you! And yes, I would highly consider eating turkey in my big brown shoe. Not only is turkey the quintessential main course for Thanksgiving, but it’s great on Christmas, and for Sunday dinner.
And with Hey Grill Hey by your side, you can make a different turkey for each occasion, and each one will come out bursting with flavor and perfectly cooked. Check out more smoked turkey recipes below:
Smoked Turkey Breast Recipe
Smoking a turkey breast for your family should be easy, and Hey Grill Hey is here to help! Here at Hey Grill Hey, we’re in the business of helping 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 here on my website (browse the Homepage for inspiration) on Instagram, YouTube, or our Facebook Page.
This post was originally published in November 2019. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.
The Best Smoked Turkey Breast
Video
Ingredients
- 1 4-5 pounds boneless turkey breast fresh, not previously brined
- 1 Tablespoon Hey Grill Hey Sweet Rub or Turkey Rub (recipes in notes)
Cinder Brine
- 3 cups apple cider
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup salt
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Hey Grill Hey Sweet Rub
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon onion powder
Instructions
- Make the brine. Combine all ingredients for the brine in a large bowl and whisk until the sugar and salt dissolve.
- Brine the turkey breast. Submerge the turkey breast in the brine. Cover and refrigerate for 8-12 hours.
- Preheat. Preheat your smoker to 275 degrees F. Apple wood goes great with this meat to compliment the apple cider.
- Season. Remove the turkey breast from the brine and pat dry. Sprinkle the turkey breast on all sides with Sweet Rub or Turkey Rub.
- Smoke. Place the turkey breast on the smoker, close the lid, and smoke for approximately 3 hours or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees F.
- Rest and enjoy. Remove the turkey from the smoker. Cover lightly with foil, let rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Pre review question lolI have a quick question, everything I’ve looked up is not a clear answer. It’s only for one 3lb turkey breasts but I need answer for two. I’m smoking two 3lb turkey breasts. Cook time for 1 days 3 or so hours. Is the cooking time the same for 2?
Hey Stephanie! It will be the same cook time for two breasts.
Yes. The cook temperature and time doesn’t change for 2 turkeys if it’s in the same environment. Ideally they shots be the same size.
Is it ok to smoke in an aluminum pan to retain juices for gravy?
You technically can, but the flavor of the drippings from the cider brine will create a slightly sweet flavor in your gravy.
Have the breast is the brine now-will be about 20 hours in the brine. Turkey breast is a bit bigger than the recipe-about 7 pounds—what kind of cooking time??Thanks!! Excited to try it!
Plan on around 30 minutes per pound and then tack on an extra 30 or so to be safe and account for rest time. I’d bank 4 hours.
Do you have to bring this brine to a boil and let it cool, or do you use this brine without boiling?
You can make this brine without boiling.
A pre-review question: is it ok to brine the turkey breast for a longer time, like 48 hours? In my exuberance to get started, I put my turkey breast in his brine bath on Tuesday morning.
Probably, but you may run the risk of having an extra salty turkey.
Would this brine work on a full turkey or just a turkey breast?
It will work on a full turkey. You might need to make extra brine to fit a full bird though.
Any thoughts on doing this a few days beforehand: doing the brine, then rub-but then baking in oven, then into fridge. THEN smoking to add smoke flavor and reheat on day of? Curious on temp/ time on smoke/reheat stage. Thanks very much. I hope this idea doesn’t upset the Smoking Gods.
would it be ok to use some of the brine to spray on the turkey from time to time to cook?
Yes, as long as you kept it separate when you brined the bird so you’re not contaminating your turkey. I’d also be wary about how many times you spray the turkey. Using the brine that way could add a ton of salt.
The Cider Brine receipe, I am using a Butterball Turkey, 13lb which comes pre-brined, is it ok to still move forward with this Brine receipe above, but leave out the 1/4 cup salt? Do not want to have to salty of as turkey, but definitely want to kick up the flavor.
The best thing to do would be to soak your turkey overnight in water to remove the current brine, and then re-brine with the Cider Brine. It’s a little extra work, but it will produce the best results.
Random question, but making this for Thanksgiving and then have to drive about an hour to our destination. What’s the best way to cook/transport to have it still taste good.
Cook it per the recipe, put it in a foil roasting tray that will fit in a cooler and foil over the top, preheat that cooler with some boiling water if you can and dump it out. That will easily hold a turkey at temperature for an hour. Probably quite a bit longer!
After cook, wrap it in butcher paper or foil, wrap it in towels and put the towel wrapped turkey in a cooler for transport. I warm my cooler first with hot water and dry it out.