Learn how to smoke a tender and juicy turkey breast in this easy Traeger Smoked Turkey Breast recipe! Smoking a turkey breast can add a delicious smoky flavor and injecting it with a buttery marinade really locks in the juices. Serve with chipotle smoked mac and cheese or Jiffy cornbread with creamed corn on the side!
Traeger turkey recipes are all the rage, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas! However, when you don't want to prepare a whole smoked turkey or a smoked spatchcock turkey, smoking a turkey breast is the perfect solution!
Jump to:
- ๐ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- ๐ What Goes Into This Recipe
- ๐ Ingredients & Substitutions
- ๐ฆ Traeger Smoked Turkey Breast Instructions
- ๐ฝ Serving Suggestions
- ๐What to do with Turkey leftovers?
- ๐คท๐ปโโ๏ธ Recipe FAQs
- ๐ฉ๐ผโ๐ณ Pro Tips
- ๐ฝ More Smoker Recipes
- ๐ Related Recipes
- ๐ Recipe
- ๐ฌ Comments
๐ Why You'll Love This Recipe
This smoked turkey recipe is perfect when you feel like having turkey but you don't want to cook a whole turkey. You'll find that turkey breasts range in size, just like whole turkeys do. Depending on the size, (4-10 pounds) it can feed anywhere from three to eight individuals.
You can even prepare this Traeger smoked turkey breast for Thanksgiving. The smaller size makes turkey breasts the perfect solution for those dining alone, with a few friends, or with a small family.
You may miss the turkey leftovers and the turkey drippings to make gravy, however, sometimes it's nice not to have a fridge full of leftovers. If this is you, you'll love this scaled-down recipe! If you do end up with leftovers, you have to try my mini turkey pot pies, they're so good!
Another advantage to this recipe is that it frees up the oven for the Southern sweet potato pie and other side dishes!
Smoking a turkey breast retains the juices inside, especially when injected first and smoked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. This yields a juicy turkey that's neither overly cooked nor dried out.
Although this recipe specifies using a Traeger grill, you can also use any other pellet grill. To feed a larger crowd, try my Traeger smoked turkey without brine recipe. And if you have a small gathering, try my easy baked turkey legs recipe!
๐ What Goes Into This Recipe
๐ Ingredients & Substitutions
- Turkey โ This Traeger Smoked Turkey Breast recipe calls for a 7 lb bone-in turkey breast. If using a smaller or larger turkey breast, you'll need to adjust the other ingredients. Rinse the turkey and pat dry with paper towels before proceeding.
- Tajin Seasoning โ Tajin seasoning is salty, lemony, and slightly spicy. If you don't have Tajin, you can double the amount of creole seasoning.
- Creole Seasoning โ Creole Seasoning adds both spice and saltiness. If you wish, you can leave out the creole seasoning and double the amount of Tajin seasoning.
- Sage โ Sage can be purchased fresh, ground, or rubbed. For this recipe, we're using rubbed sage. Rosemary and thyme are also great options!
*Find the full ingredients and quantities at the bottom of the post.
๐ฆ Traeger Smoked Turkey Breast Instructions
Step 1 | Prepare Marinade/Inject Turkey
Whisk turkey marinade injection ingredients together until combined. Usea marinade injecting syringe to inject the marinade into the turkey breast.
Pro Tip: Inject the turkey breast all over. When injecting, pierce the turkey and slowly pull the syringe out as you inject the marinade into the turkey breast. This helps the marinade to get absorbed instead of leaking out entirely. However, some of the marinade will still leak out.
Step 2 | Season Turkey Breast
When there's approximately ยผ cup of marinade left, stir the turkey seasoning ingredients into the marinade to make a paste. Rub this paste all over the turkey breast, including the cavity. At this point, cover and refrigerate the turkey for one or more hours to let the flavors penetrate the meat.
Pro Tip: Don't forget to lift the skin and rub some of the paste into the skin. This will help the seasoning really soak in!
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Step 3 | Smoke The Turkey Breast
Bring the turkey to room temperature. Heat Traeger to 225ยฐF. When the smoker is ready, place turkey breast directly on the grill rack and stick the probe into the thickest part of the turkey breast. Set the probe temperature to 165ยฐF. Use super smoke if you have that option. Smoke until the probe reaches 165ยฐF.
Pro Tip: At 225ยฐF, it will take approximately 4 to 5 hours to smoke the turkey. It's hard to predict the exact time. It will depend on the outside temperature, the turkey's temperature, and how many times you lift the grill lid to sneak a peak.
Step 4 | Rest Turkey Breast
Loosely tent the turkey breast with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for approximately 10 minutes before slicing.
Pro Tip: The resting period will allow the juices to redistribute in the breast instead of seeping out when you slice into it.
๐ฝ Serving Suggestions
Smoked turkey breast is very versatile which means you can serve it with anything from mashed potatoes to string beans, or hot crusty bread. However, I recommend serving it with cranberry sauce, chipotle smoked mac and cheese, and turkey bacon wrapped asparagus.
These sides really compliment the smoked turkey and will definitely impress your guests! And for an extra treat, you have to make these adorable turkey pretzels. They'd make a great addition to your fall charcuterie board!
๐What to do with Turkey leftovers?
Smoked turkey leftovers can be enjoyed in so many ways! Need a little inspiration? Here are a few recipes that are sure to please!
๐คท๐ปโโ๏ธ Recipe FAQs
It will depend on the size of the turkey breast and the temperature outside. If the weather is cold, it will take longer to smoke the turkey breast. It could take 4 to 6 hours.
It depends on what temperature it is smoked at. Here are some approximate times based on temperatures.
225ยฐF โ 40 minutes per pound
250ยฐF โ 35 minutes per pound
275ยฐF โ 30 minutes per pound
300ยฐF โ 25 minutes per pound
325ยฐF โ 20 minutes per pound
350ยฐF โ 15 minutes per pound
When smoking a turkey, I like to stick with fruitwood. However, any of the following will give you great results.
โข Apple
โข Cherry
โข Pecan
โข Hickory
โข Oak
๐ฉ๐ผโ๐ณ Pro Tips
- If you buy a smaller turkey breast, you can reduce the amount of marinade and seasonings.
- Inject the turkey breast all over. Pierce the turkey as you slowly pull the syringe out, allowing the marinade to slowly get absorbed into the breast instead of leaking out.
- You may be tempted to skip the resting period, but don't! If you slice the turkey too soon, all the yummy juices will run out of the turkey, leaving the turkey breast dry.
- If you need the turkey to cook faster, start the turkey at 225ยฐF for one hour with super smoke, then turn up the temperature to 250ยฐF or higher for the remaining time. Another option is to smoke the turkey breast at an even higher temperature, say 350ยฐF, which will drastically reduce the cooking time.
- If you prefer a milder taste, you can leave out the creole seasoning. You may want to add a little extra salt since you'll be losing the salt in the creole seasoning.
๐ฝ More Smoker Recipes
- Perfectly Smoked Traeger Prime Rib
- Smoke A Traeger Brisket Like A Boss
- Habanero Pineapple Brisket Burnt Ends
- Traeger Smoked Tri-Tip
- Traeger Smoked Chicken Thighs
- Smoked Corn on the Cob
๐ Related Recipes
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-starย ๐๐๐๐๐rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
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๐ Recipe
Traeger Smoked Turkey Breast
Equipment
Ingredients
Turkey Injection Marinade
- ยผ cup unsalted butter (melted)
- ยผ cup avocado oil
- 2 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- ยฝ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or black pepper)
Other Ingredients
- 7 lbs turkey breast
- 1 tablespoon Tajin seasoning
- 2 teaspoon creole seasoning
- 1 tablespoon sage
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Whisk turkey marinade injection ingredients together until combined. Use aย marinade injecting syringe to inject the marinade into the turkey breast.
- When there's approximately ยผ cup of marinade left, stir the turkey seasoning ingredients into the marinade to make a paste.ย Rub this paste all over the turkey breast, including the cavity. At this point, cover and refrigerate the turkey for one hour or more to let the flavors penetrate the meat.
- Bring the turkey to room temperature. Heat Traeger toย 225ยฐF. When the smoker is ready, place the turkey directly on the grill and stick the probe into the thickest part of the turkey breast. Set the probe temperature toย 165ยฐF. Useย super smokeย if you have that option. Smoke until the probe reachesย 165ยฐF.
- Tent the turkey breast with foil and allow it to rest for approximately 10 minutes before slicing.ย
Notes
- Inject the turkey breast all over. Pierce the turkey as you slowly pull the syringe out, allowing the marinade to slowly get absorbed into the breast instead of leaking out.
- You may be tempted to skip the resting period, but don't! If you slice the turkey too soon, all the yummy juices will run out of the turkey, leaving the turkey breast dry.
- If you need the turkey to cook faster, start the turkey at 225ยฐF for one hour with super smoke, then turn up the temperature to 250ยฐF or higher for the remaining time. Another option is to smoke the turkey breast at an even higher temperature, say 350ยฐF, which will drastically reduce the cooking time.
- If you prefer a milder taste, you can leave out the creole seasoning. You may want to add a little extra salt since you'll be losing the salt in the creole seasoning.
Jen says
Hi, which wood chips should I use?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Jen,
Please refer to the FAQ section of the post, I mention my recommendations there. Thanks!
Marilyn says
Iโm planning on making this tomorrow. Can I do the injection and rub the night before and then smoke it tomorrow?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Marilyn,
Yes, you can! Good luck, and happy Easter!