Smoked Turkey Breast

Smoked turkey breast with herb butter is incredibly easy to make and perfect for smaller holiday celebrations. The combination of a simple dry brine, my flavorful herb butter , and a low, slow cook in the smoker produces a juicy turkey breast with so much flavor. Pair this with all your favorite Thanksgiving side dishes for a feast.

Smoked Turkey Breast on a serving platter with a knife on the side and sprigs of sage, rosemary, and thyme around it. - 2

If you’re looking for a simple turkey recipe for smaller holidays, this one is for you! Smoking turkey adds so much flavor, and it pairs really well with both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner side dishes.

Watch How To Make Smoked Turkey Breast

Plus, I have a few tricks up my sleeve for the ultimate flavor! There has been a lot of smoked turkey in our house over the past year. And I’ve found a simple dry brine, herb butter, and my steam method make for a pretty epic smoked turkey breast.

Half a smoked turkey breast on a serving plate with sprigs of rosemary, sage, and thyme around it. - 3

Ingredients & Substitutions

A raw turkey breast on a tray, herb butter in a pottery bowl, and kosher salt in a small dish on a wood cutting board. - 4

Turkey breast – I use a boneless turkey breast, but you can use a bone-in as well, it will just take longer to cook. I like to use a fresh turkey breast, not brined, for the best flavor. The turkey that comes brined in the store has added flavors that never taste as good as fresh. If your turkey breast comes already brined, skip the brining step!
Herb butter – a combination of rosemary, sage, and thyme creates a wonderful flavor that complements the flavors of classic Thanksgiving sides. I add a touch of lemon zest to mine to add a touch of brightness.
Kosher salt – I use Ballantine kosher sea salt, and it’s really important that you do NOT use table salt, which is much saltier and will ruin your turkey breas t!

How to make this recipe step by step

Dry brining the turkey breast with kosher salt on a tray. - 5

Step 1: Start by loosening the skin over the turkey breast, then rub the kosher salt evenly over the surface of the meat. Refrigerate overnight.

If you’re tight on time, rub in the salt and move on to the herb butter step.

Spreading herb butter under the skin of the brined turkey breast in a glass dish. - 6

Step 2: Preheat your smoker grill, then rub the herb butter evenly over the surface of the meat, pulling the skin over the butter.

Step 3 : Rub the surface of the turkey skin with a little oil to help it crisp.

The skin is never super crisp with a smoked turkey breast. For ultra-crisp turkey skin, try my Spatchcock Turkey recipe .

Herbed turkey breast on a smoker grill with a meat thermometer in it. - 8

Step 4: Place the turkey on the smoker, skin side up, and use a probe or Meater thermometer to monitor the temperature as the turkey smokes. Add a baking dish of hot water on the side of the smoker several inches away from the turkey breast.

When the turkey is just over halfway, I like to turn it over and let the skin crisp up a little. Turn it back over skin side up to finish cooking to temperature (165ºF, about 3-4 hours). Add more water to the dish if needed.

Cover and rest before slicing your smoked turkey breast, then serve immediately with your choice of sides.

Finished smoked turkey breast on a serving plate with lemon slices, sage, rosemary, and thyme sprigs around it. - 9

Ways to serve this

Start with my Antipasto Platter and Cranberry Kombucha Mocktails for snacking before dinner.
Serve this turkey with all the classic Thanksgiving sides. My Best Mashed Potatoes , Gluten-Free Gravy , Butternut Squash Stuffing , Cranberry Orange Sauce , Green Beans with Bacon and Mushrooms , and Honey Glazed Carrots .
Finish your Thanksgiving meal with my Gluten-Free Apple Crisp, Pumpkin Crisp , and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream . These crisp recipes are also good with my Maple Ice Cream or Honey Ice Cream .
Serve it for Christmas dinner with my Cheesy Mashed Potatoes , Gluten Free Gravy , Mashed Butternut Squash , and Maple Sage Carrots .
For a full list of Thanksgiving recipes, head over to my Gluten Free Thanksgiving , where you’ll find 2 menus as well.

It’s really important to cook turkey until just done, at a temperature of 165ºF. If turkey or any poultry is overcooked, it will for sure be dry without any way to fix it. I also have a simple trick I learned to add a dish of water to the smoker, which does make a noticeable difference.

It takes about 3-4 hours to smoke a turkey breast at 225ºF, but it will depend on how many pounds of meat you have.

Storing leftovers

To store – Store any leftover smoked turkey breast in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Make ahead – You can make herb butter ahead of time. Bring it up to room temperature before using it in this recipe.
Reheating – Place any leftover sliced smoked turkey into a small skillet with some water, cover, and heat over medium until hot. Don’t let the skillet run out of water. Water helps to keep the turkey meat moist as you’re reheating it.
To freeze – Place any leftover smoked turkey into an airtight container and freeze for up to three months. If it’s already sliced, it’s best to use it up within one month. Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating as directed above.

Full smoked turkey breast on a white serving plate surrounded by lemon slices, sage, rosemary, and thyme sprigs around it. - 10

Tips & Tricks

Don’t skip the dry brining if you can; it’s super easy and adds so much incredible flavor to the turkey. Also, you want to use kosher salt; table salt will not work for a dry brine. I use the Ballantine kosher sea salt.
Turkey dries out when it’s overcooked, so using a meat probe or a thermometer that can be left in, like the one you see in the pictures, will really help ensure your turkey stays juicy.
I use a Meater thermometer, which can be left in the turkey while it cooks. It connects to my phone and sends alerts when the turkey is close to being done. This makes the timing of a holiday meal so much easier!
I learned a great trick from a local meat shop to add a pan of water to the smoker while you smoke your turkey breast. In their commercial meat shop, their smoker has steam injectors, and adding a pan of water to your smoker is the at-home’ DIY version. It does make a noticeable difference in the finished turkey’s moisture.
Don’t be alarmed by the pink ring around the outside of your turkey meat; this is the smoke flavor! The pink is only on the outer layer, and as long as your internal temperature is 165ºF, your turkey is fully cooked and ready!

Dietary Options & Substitutions

Dairy-free – Rather than using dairy-free butter, I like to use olive oil and half the amount instead. Mix the olive oil with the chopped herbs, garlic, sea salt, and pepper, then rub it evenly over the turkey breast for a dairy-free option.
Paleo – Use the olive oil variation described above or ghee.

Sliced smoked turkey breast on a plate with mashed potatoes, green beans, and cranberry sauce with a drizzle of gravy over the top. - 11

More Turkey Recipe Inspiration

Spatchcock Turkey
Turkey Breakfast Sausage
Baked Turkey Meatballs
Turkey Taco Salad
Turkey Lettuce Wraps

INGREDIENTS1x2x3x

6.5 pound boneless turkey breast - fresh, not brined
2 tbsp kosher salt - I use Ballantine kosher sea salt
2 tsp avocado oil - or olive oil

Herb Butter

4 tbsp salted butter
1.5 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1.5 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1.5 tsp chopped fresh sage
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning - ground
1.5 tsp lemon zest - microplane grated
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 small clove garlic - minced

INSTRUCTIONS

Rub the turkey breast evenly with the kosher salt, loosening the skin to rub the salt directly on the meat. Place the turkey breast in a dish to catch any juices and refrigerate overnight up to 18 hours, uncovered.
Mix everything together for the herb butter and store covered in the fridge overnight.
When the dry brining is done, remove the herb butter from the fridge and allow it to come up to temperature.
Preheat a smoker pellet grill to 225ºF. While the grill preheats, smooth the herb butter evenly over the turkey meat under the skin. Rub the oil over the surface of the skin.
Place the turkey breast directly on the preheated smoker grill. Use a meat probe or heat safe thermometer if you have one.
Add a 8"x8" baking dish with 2" of hot water to the smoker on the side of the turkey breast.
Smoke the turkey breast until it reaches 155ºF, 3-4 hours. I like to turn the turkey breast skin side down halfway through the cooking time to crisp up the skin a bit.
If the water runs low during the cooking time, add more water to the pan. When the turkey has reached 155º-160ºF remove it from the heat, cover, and allow the meat to rest while it comes up to a temperature of 165ºF.
Slice the turkey breast and serve with your favorite Thanksgiving sides.

NOTES

nutrition facts