Moist, juicy, and full of flavor! This whole, bone-in smoked turkey breast is the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving dinner, or an easy Sunday supper throughout the year.
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Looking for more turkey recipes? Try our maple glazed roasted turkey breast, a garlic and herb turkey breast, and a Crock Pot turkey tenderloin, too!
What to Know Before You Get Started
- We always smoke a bone-in, whole turkey breast, which the grocery store sells year-round in the frozen case. These weigh about 7 pounds each, but you can use this recipe with larger or smaller turkey breasts as well — just adjust the total smoking time based on the weight of the bird (see my notes below for per-pound time recommendations).
- Allow plenty of time for the turkey to thaw in the refrigerator before cooking. We try to allot about 1 week (or at least 3-4 days) for proper thawing.
- Brining is helpful when cooking a whole turkey, because the brine helps to prevent the white meat from drying out while you finish cooking the rest of the bird. Since you’re only smoking the breast here, you can skip the brine. You don’t need to wrap the turkey breast, either.
- Let the turkey breast come to room temperature before smoking.
- The total smoking time will depend on a variety of factors, such as the temperature of your individual smoker, the temperature of the turkey breast when it goes into the smoker, and the size and shape of your turkey breast. A good rule of thumb is about 35 minutes per pound when smoking a bone in turkey breast at 225°F. So in this case, a 7-pound turkey breast needs about 4 hours in the smoker.
How to Smoke a Turkey Breast
This simple recipe yields a tender and juicy turkey breast with tons of smoky flavor! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Pat the bone-in turkey breast dry.
- Season the inside cavity.
- Brush or rub the skin with olive oil or melted butter. This helps it get nice and brown and crispy while it cooks.
- Season with all-purpose seasoning or just a combination of kosher salt and ground black pepper.
- Prepare the smoker. Try to keep your smoker at about 225°F. It’s also fine to smoke the turkey breast at a higher temperature (such as 275-300°F or higher), but it will obviously cook much faster as the temperature rises.
- Smoke the turkey over indirect very low heat, with the lid closed, until the skin is dark brown and the meat is cooked through. Add two additional wood chunks and extra charcoal to the smoker every hour in order to maintain the proper temperature. Always use an instant-read thermometer to know when your turkey is perfectly done. The meat thermometer should register an internal temperature of 160-165°F when inserted into the thickest part of the breast (not touching a bone). The temperature of the meat will continue to rise slightly as it rests.
- Allow the turkey to rest for at least 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving. This gives the juices time to redistribute so that the meat retains its moisture.
What to Serve with this No-Brine Smoked Turkey Breast
Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, or just a regular family dinner, this smoked turkey breast goes well with just about any of your favorite side dishes. Pair it with Bisquick sausage balls as an appetizer, stuffing, cornbread dressing, creamy baked mac and cheese, vegetable casserole, roasted root vegetables, green bean casserole, broccoli casserole, Southern-style green beans, squash casserole, winter salad with orange vinaigrette, sweet potato casserole, mashed sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stick of butter rice, cranberry salad, cranberry relish, cherry fluff salad, corn casserole, pink salad, cinnamon pecan cookie bars, pecan pie bars, an easy apple pie, or a chocolate pudding pie for a delicious harvest feast!
Storage Tips
Smoked turkey will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can’t beat a leftover turkey sandwich the day after Thanksgiving! Wrapped tightly, the turkey will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Recipe Variations
- Change the seasonings that you use. Instead of our homemade all-purpose seasoning, try a bbq rub, a simple combination of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, or other herbs and spices like sage, rosemary, thyme, or oregano.
- Try different types of wood for smoking. Hickory smoked turkey breast is a classic, but apple wood, oak, pecan, maple, or cherry wood are all good options as well.
- Stuff the cavity. We sometimes like to add aromatics to the inside cavity of the turkey breast before smoking to give the meat a little bit more holiday flavor. For instance, use chunks of celery, onion, and lemon, along with sprigs of fresh thyme, fresh sage, and fresh rosemary. You can also try bay leaves.
- Room temperature. The meat is delicious warm, but it’s also great at room temperature. If you’re hosting a busy holiday gathering and you’d like to get the turkey breast done a little bit early, no problem. Tent it loosely with aluminum foil and let it rest for up to 2 hours at room temperature before slicing with a sharp knife and serving. After about 2 hours the turkey should be refrigerated.
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Smoked Turkey Breast
Ingredients
- 1 whole turkey breast with bone and skin, about 7 lbs.
- Olive oil or melted butter
- All-purpose seasoning or kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 small wood chunks (such as hickory, apple wood, maple, or oak)
Instructions
- Pat turkey breast dry with paper towels. Liberally salt and pepper the inside cavity.
- Brush the turkey breast with olive oil (or melted butter).
- Season liberally on all sides with all-purpose seasoning or with kosher salt and ground black pepper.
- Prepare the smoker for indirect cooking with very low heat (200°F – 250°F). When the temperature reaches 225°F, add two wood chunks to the charcoal. Brush the cooking grate clean. Smoke the turkey over indirect very low heat, with the lid closed, until the skin is dark brown, the meat is tender at the bone, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast (not touching the bone) reaches 160°F – 165°F. Add two wood chunks to the smoker at the 1-hour, 2-hour, and 3-hour marks, along with additional charcoal, as necessary, to maintain a steady temperature.
- A good rule of thumb is about 35 minutes per pound when smoking a turkey breast at 225°F. It might be a bit faster if your heat gets slightly higher, or it might take a bit longer if the heat dips. For a 7-lb. turkey breast, it will likely take about 4 hours. The instant-read thermometer is always the best way to know when it’s cooked perfectly, though!
- Remove the turkey from the smoker and place on a large cutting board. Tent the turkey with foil and allow it to rest for about 15-20 minutes before carving.
Notes
- Allow plenty of time for the turkey to thaw in the refrigerator before cooking. We try to allot about 1 week (or at least 3-4 days) for proper thawing.
- Let the turkey breast come to room temperature before smoking.
- The meat is delicious warm, but it’s also great at room temperature. If you’re hosting a busy holiday gathering and you’d like to get the turkey breast done a little bit early, no problem. Tent it loosely with aluminum foil and let it rest for up to 2 hours at room temperature before slicing with a sharp knife and serving. After about 2 hours the turkey should be refrigerated.
Nutrition
Recipes Using Smoked Turkey Breast
Leftover Turkey Soup with Wild Rice
1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Leftover Turkey Rice Casserole
35 minutes mins
Leftover Turkey Chili
1 hour hr 35 minutes mins
This recipe was originally published in November, 2021. It was updated in October, 2024.
Do you remove the backbone portion or leave it on? Will that effect the cooking time? I have found that removing it allows the breast to sit upright on the smoker and use the back bone to make gravy.
Hi, Debbie! I have never removed the backbone, but you can certainly do so if that’s easier for you when it comes to smoking. I imagine it might lessen the total cooking time, so you’ll just need to keep an eye on the temperature as it cooks. Let us know if you give it a try!
We plan to smoke a whole turkey for Thanksgiving this year……..12-14lbs.
Would the above recipe work for a whole turkey? Please let us know asap……thank you!!
Hi Dottie,
We haven’t tested it, but it should work! You’ll likely just need more wood/charcoal and to allow for a longer cooking time. Hope this helps!