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PICS--Smoked Turkey Breast

P pagsMember
We smoked an 8.5 lb turkey breast for dinner tonight following Turkey 101, and it came out great. I forgot I had it in the outside fridge for 5 days, so I didn't brine it and went straight to cooking procedures. I rubbed the bird under and over the skin with Oakridge Secret Rub (for pork and chicken) and used toothpicks to firmly tie the skin back. I covered the turkey breast with butter soaked cheesecloth and threw it into a 275* preheated smoker with a 2.5 oz piece of wild cherry. About an hr before the breast was finished, I removed the cheesecloth and also dumped moisture a couple times along the way. When the breast hit 163* internal, I pulled it from the smoker and loosely tented it with aluminum foil for 45 minutes.

I didn't take any pictures until after dinner when I thought about it. So I pulled the remaining half breast from the refrigerator where it had been sitting for 4 hrs. Sorry I didn't get a picture of the slices before we ate it. They looked great. Here it is...still looking pretty good. Big Grin



It was absolutely delicious...moist and smokey. Nice flavor. The smoked turkey breast that comes out of this smoker tastes better than any smoked turkey I've gotten from the best deli's or any I've tried at restaurants. Tomorrow's smoked turkey sandwiches will be the best. Can't wait.

For those who haven't tried smoking a turkey yet. Give it a go. You'll love it. Also, brine it for even more moisture and flavor.
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P pagsMember
An 8 lb breast took roughly 3 hrs. I don't know if the ratios stay the same with a smaller breast...ie. 1.5 hrs for a 4 lb breast. Mine had skin.

Also, I believe skinless poultry takes on smoke better than one with skin. Go lightly on the wood. You can always add more next time if you prefer more smoke. But you can overpower the turkey meat if you're not careful.

You shoot those 2 birds?
S solemanMember
Thanks for the reply. Yes, but I only shot one bird (two breasts). Hopefully get #2 bird soon. (2 bird limit here). Wild turkey is by far my favorite meat. Haven't smoked it before so looking forward to trying your method. Might try one brined and one non-brined to see how it works out. Its such good meat, I would hate to mess it up!
C chaplainbillMember
I just threw a five pound boneless breast in. It was in a netted bag. I washed it off good, and rubbed it down with EVOO andnFE All Purpose seasoning. I lawered four homemade strips of bacon over top of them and secured them with toothpicks. It was in the FEC for 1.5 hrs at 170 and then boosted to 275. It's at 108 internal now, climbing slowly. We'll see how long it takes.
S solemanMember
So here is what I did. Cut my wild turkey breast in half. Brined one half for 4 hours using Smokins recipe and directions, and didn't brine the other half. Rubbed one with Wild Willys rub and the other with a store bought chipotle/rasperry rub. Put both in CS at 275 with cherry wood, they went around 1 hour, then I buttersoakedcheeseclothed them on top and they went another hour. Pulled them both at 163 internal. Both were very good on flavor, but the brined breast was definitely more moist. For next time, I will pull at 160 or a little sooner. In the photo, the bottom meat is non-brined/rasperry chipotle. The top meat is brined/Wild Willys. Lesson for next time: brined was better. Loved the cherry wood. Thanks, Pags, for the inspiration. I learned enough to do a better job next time.

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P pagsMember
The cheesecloth is soaked in butter which helps with the moisture and skin texture. While foil may help keep it moist, it wouldn't add moisture or help with skin texture. The cheesecloth also lets smoke permeate where the foil would not. I put the cheesecloth on first then remove for the last hour of cooking per Smokin's 101. I personally would avoid foil since I think it would soften the skin.
idahomikeidahomikeMember
I did the cheese cloth thing for the first time last Thanksgiving. I put the turkey in a pan, and then put the butter soaked cheese cloth over the turkey. This was the best turkey I have ever cooked. I think the cheese cloth actually worked as a wick and wicked the juices in the pan up and over the bird. Sort of a constant basting type action.
S solemanMember
my wild turkey breasts are skinless. Certainly, the last one I did with the cheesecloth was good. On the last trial, I smoked first, then finished with the cheesecloth at the end. As they are skinless, I may try one breast finishing with foil and one with cheesecloth and see how they turn out. After I try it, I will post results.
idahomikeidahomikeMember
Camper Bob: I inject my whole turkeys, and breasts. I use the Cajon Injection stuff. Creole Butter, Lemon herb butter, or if I can find it Turkey Gold, or Turkey supreme. Good results with all of them. I prep the birds the night before they go on the smoker. Any more than this and the meat tends to get a little mushy. Inject a little, and move the needle. You may end up with streaks of spices anyway.
C camperbobMember
Actually, just smoked a 13 lb turkey last week and injected same the night before smoking. Have an 025 and all very moist. I was thinking about doing the same for New Years, but then read about turkey breasts. Much easier to deal with and I don't have to carve it up like a whole turkey. I did inject the whole turkey with Italian dressing. Came out fine. I wonder if because of the small size of the 025 if much of the moisture is retained inside. Have not had any dry ribs or chicken, but I have an injector and using Italian dressing seems to work just fine. I did smoke at 280 degrees and the skin was crisp and still had a smokey flavor from the apple chunks I used. I haven't posted pics as the process is too much for my limited ability. All has tasted fine in my 025.

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