Already Cooked Turkey Breast, Smoking?

Hi Mike-

My opinion would be to just heat the bird up in the oven, (or in the smoker if you feel you must), and forget the attempt to smoke it.

Smoking an already cooked bird probably wont add much if any flavor to the meat and might make the outside bitter?

Like Bobby Que says.

How come? We smoke bologna, and it's certainly cooked, processed, beat to death, sealed to the world. I'm really asking, not being a smart a**.

I went ahead and did it anyway, used about 4 oz hickory, 225 for 2 hours, it turned out great.

Cooked breast meat is pretty tight fibered,although you can lay a little smoke on the outside.

You can smoke about anything,and most of us did with our new cookers.

It is probably the easiest product to overcook,so that is something to pay attention to.

It tends to have a very low fat content to start with,and less when it is cooked.

Although poultry breast can be slow smoked,it lends itself to hot cooking.

Now bologna can be mostly fat,water,and gelatinous products,so here in the South it lends itself to frying,grilling,and smoking.

Just a couple of thoughts.

Thanks for your insight, Tom. And I see your point about not being able to penetrate the already cooked poultry with the smoke. Other sources have indicated that smoke penetration is really only effective during the first portion of a raw meat smoke, too. So, it makes sense. I, as well as others, appreciate all your experience and thoughts in these matters. Thanks!

I guess I have to disagree with a general blanket 'don't smoke cooked meat." One of our favorite meals here is to take a cooked ham (spiral sliced is best for smoke penetration) and smoke it to an internal temp of about 140. Even if they call it a 'smoked ham' when you buy it, it picks up a lot of smoke in the CS and the taste is excellent!

If it works for you,that is what is important.

A spiral cut city ham may have 18%-30% liquid and may handle resmoking better than cooked poultry breast.

It is quite common to buy city hams on sale and smoke overnight,to reduce the water and add a little smoke flavor.