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Slices of smoked wild turkey breast on a plate with caprese skewers and balsamic glaze drizzle. Orange butter sauce drizzled over the sliced turkey.
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4.76 from 29 votes

Smoked Wild Turkey Breast

Smoked Wild Turkey Breast is brined overnight to keep it super moist, then smoked with sage, rosemary, and black peppercorn aromatics for standout flavor. The key is to avoid overcooking the turkey breast so it stays tender and juicy. Make it extra and drizzle some orange butter sauce over the top.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Brine Time2 hours
Total Time4 hours 10 minutes
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: smoked turkey breast, wild turkey
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Joshua Boquist

Equipment

Ingredients

Turkey

Wet brine

  • ¼ cup kosher salt or 3 tablespoons table salt
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 cups hot water
  • 2 cups ice

Optional aromatics for the brine

  • 1 tbsp peppercorns
  • lemons sliced; or oranges, onions, or 2 to 3 minced garlic cloves
  • fresh rosemary or bay leaves or sage; a few sprigs of each

Instructions

Brine the turkey

  • Get a container that is large enough to hold the wild turkey breast and enough water to cover the turkey. Mix the salt, sugar, and hot water until dissolved. Add cold water or ice to cool the brine down.
  • Place the turkey in the container and add the brining liquid. If you want to add additional aromatics like peppercorns, sliced onions, lemons, and bay leaves, add them as well.
  • Top the container with cold water. Make sure the turkey breast is completely submerged. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Prepare the pellet grill

  • Preheat the pellet grill smoker to 225°F and close the lid. Let the pellet grill preheat for 15 minutes.

Smoke the turkey

  • Remove the turkey breast from the brine. Pat the turkey breast dry with a towel.
  • Season with the Cajun dry rub or your favorite rub seasoning.
  • When the pellet grill is hot, place the turkey breast on the grill and stick a leave-in thermometer into the thickest part of the breast. Close the lid.
  • Smoke the turkey breast until it reaches an internal temperature of 150°F (see notes below)
  • Remove the turkey breast from the smoker and cover with aluminum foil or butcher paper and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
  • Slice and serve with a drizzle of the orange lemon butter sauce.

Video

Notes

Use A Meat Thermometer

Use a reliable meat thermometer so you can monitor the cook and avoid overcooking the turkey breast. A leave-in thermometer or instant-read thermometer both work well.

Dissolving The Brine

The hot water does not need to be boiling. It only needs to be hot enough to help the salt and brown sugar dissolve before you add the cold water or ice.

Make More Brine If Needed

If you need more liquid to cover the turkey, make extra brine using the same ratio: ¼ cup kosher salt, or 3 tablespoons table salt, for every 1 quart of water.

Food Safety

Wash your sink and any surfaces well after rinsing brined turkey to avoid cross-contamination.

Turkey Temperature

The FDA recommends cooking turkey to an internal temperature of 165°F. I remove the turkey when it reaches 150°F to 160°F because carry-over cooking can sustain the temperature long enough to kill salmonella. Follow FDA guidelines and use your own judgment.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 283kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 5227mg | Potassium: 604mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 629IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 2mg