The Perfect Smoked Turkey Breast Recipe for the Holidays

10 min read

BBQ Pitmaster Matt Pittman at Meat Church shows you how to smoke the perfect smoked turkey breast that will wow your family members this holiday season. This is a festive, two-part recipe. Let’s get started!

Step 1: Prepare the Ingredients

For this simple recipe, you’ll need the right ingredients to really bring out the flavor for that warm, smoked flavor.

Main Ingredients

1, 3-6 lb Turkey breast
2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
Meat Church Holy Cow BBQ Rub
4 Tablespoons European butter, melted for basting

Expert Tip:

With just a few hours and five simple steps, you’ll end up with delicious smoked turkey breast that dazzles you and your guests!

Brine

For the brine, we used a few key ingredients to really bring out that nice holiday taste you and your loved ones will remember! Here’s what you need:

1 Gallon water
1 ½ Cup kosher salt
½ Cup Meat Church Honey Hog BBQ Rub
½ Cup sugar
3 Tablespoons of whole black peppercorns

Step 2: Prepare Our Smoker

Prepare your smoker at 275°F degrees. We recommend a lighter smoking wood such as pecan for this cook. Pecan wood smokes a light, sweet, and fruity flavor that works great with pork, poultry, and small game birds.

Step 3: Prepare the Brine

Thoroughly mix the salt, Honey Hog BBQ Rub, sugar, and black peppercorns.
Add the dry ingredients to the water and mix it up well.
Add in the orange slices and bay leaves if desired.
When you’ve topped off your brine with a mix of peppercorn, bay leaves, and some citrus, place that turkey breast in a food safe container.
Let it soak for about four hours to impart some serious moisture in it.

Academy holiday smoked turkey breast shot from the side

Step 4: Prepare the Turkey

Remove the turkey from the brine, rinse it thoroughly, then pat it dry.
Slather the turkey breast with a generous coat of mayonnaise.
This helps act as a moisture barrier and keeps the turkey as juicy as possible.
Season the outside of the turkey with Meat Church Holy Cow BBQ Rub

Expert Tip:

You can always visit your local Academy Sports + Outdoors for all of your turkey cooking needs.

Step 5: Smoke the Turkey

Smoke the turkey at 275°F, basting periodically with melted butter.
When the turkey’s internal temperature reaches at least 160°F in the thickest part of the breast, it’s done! It will overcook a few more degrees to get it to 165°F.
Let the turkey sit for 15 minutes, carve and serve!

Happy Eating!

Now that you know the secrets behind smoking a turkey breast the simple way, it’s time to eat!