Pit Boss Smoked Turkey Breast Recipe uses my favorite Turkey Brine!! Turkey is excellent any time of year, but this was my first time doing a turkey breast, and it will be a recipe to make again.
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During the holidays, we always pick up extra turkeys. Well, this year, we picked some turkey breasts to try out. I have to say this was a great way to smoke turkey and get a lot of leftover meat! Let’s face it, one of the best parts about smoking turkey is the Smoked Turkey Leftover Recipes.
Pit Boss Pellet Grills
Traeger Pellet GrillsZ Grills Pellet Grills
Smoked Turkey Breast Brine Recipe Ingredients:
How To Make The Best Smoked Turkey Brine:
First, thaw your turkey breast fully to food safety standards.
Next, find a large container that can be sealed and kept with ice or in the fridge. (The old lady has these 2.5-gallon large Rubbermaid containers that are perfect for this, similar ones are -> here on amazon or a large stockpot.)
Add all your brine ingredients to the container, and then add in your water.
Mix the water in the cooler or container with a whisk, then set in the turkey breast.
Rinse your turkey breast with cold water; you could skip this step. I did it to ensure I had washed off any remaining turkey blood.
Add more water until the turkey breast is submerged in as much brine as possible.
How Long To cook A Turkey For
Now this will vary some smoker to smoker. The most common practice is to smoke for a couple of hours at 225 and then turn the temperature up to 350 to decrease the remaining cooking time. When turning the temperature up, you can cover the turkey with foil if you like.
- You can start smoking on a smoke setting for an hour or two before increasing the temperature.
- 225 degrees Fahrenheit for ~30 minutes per pound of meat.
- 250 degrees Fahrenheit for ~25 minutes per pound of meat.
- 325 degrees Fahrenheit for ~12 minutes per pound of meat.
For Example, a 15-pound turkey at 225 pounds would be about 450 minutes. Divide that by 30 to get 7.5 hours of cook time.
The most important part is not to smoke for time but for temperature. You will want to use a meat thermometer to ensure your bird reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees before serving.
How To Thaw A Turkey
How long your turkey takes to thaw will vary based on the site. The graphic below is a general guide to thawing a turkey based on size. Be sure to always keep your turkey in food safety guidelines.
how to smoke a turkey breast on a pit boss pellet grill
I smoked this turkey breast in the Pit Boss Pro Series from Lowes. If you don’t have Lowes, Walmart and Amazon carry other Pit Boss options or the Pit Boss website themselves. I had been eyeballing a Traeger grill, but this was more suited for my pocketbook.
The day you are ready to smoke your turkey breast pull it out of the brine and allow it to reach room temp before smoking it.
Now, this is where it pays to know how your smoker cooks and how you like to smoke. I like to do a low, slow smoke using the smoke setting on my Pitboss. Start up your smoker to get the smoke rolling! I set my Pit Boss Pro 1100 to a smoke setting of P4 for the smoke setting. This time around, I used Mesquite Pit Boss Pellets to smoke my roast. (Yes, Walmart is my go-to for pellets I order enough for free shipping, so they are delivered!)
Money and time-saving tips from the old lady. If you order pellets online from Walmart and spend $35, they will drop them off at your door for free!! Their everyday price on pit boss pellets is amazing, plus the expert grill brand has a great price. (see them ->here)
Place your turkey breast on pit boss racks in the smoker when he is rolling smoke.
My turkey breast was 8 pounds. I smoked it on the smoke setting for three hours, then turned it up to 200 for another 5 hours! You do have wiggle room in cook times. You can turn the temperature up to cook it faster, but I had a chill Sunday, so low and slow is how it went!
Use a meat thermometer to ensure your turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165 before removing it to serve!
Slice and serve!
How To Store Leftover Turkey
Once the leftover turkey is cooled, store it in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the fridge for up to five days. You can freeze leftover turkey for up to three months in an airtight container to freezer bag.
Storing leftovers properly requires the right tools! My preferred storage method is if the leftovers can be sealed in a food saver. If not, then an air-tight container or Ziploc bag for the fridge is the way I go. The air-tight container and a freezer Ziploc bag are the next best bet for freezing the leftovers. I also use a food scale to measure portions into serving sizes.
Freezable storage ContainersFood SealerFreezer BagsFood Scale
What To Serve With Smoked Turkey:
Any of the classic turkey dishes will go with smoked turkey. I love to smoke versions of classics as well. You can see my full list of side dishes for smoked turkey -> here that go with smoked turkey.
Bread: Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread, Garlic Parmesan Biscuit Pull Part Bread, English Muffin Garlic Cheese Bread, Easy Cheesy Monkey Bread, Honey Wheat Dinner Rolls, Honey Rolls
Smoked Appetizers: Smoked Cream Cheese, Easy Smoked Queso Dip, Easy Smoked Refried Bean Dip
Smoked Side Dishes: Smoked Baked Potatoes, Smoked Green Bean Casserole, Smoked Sweet Potato Casserole, Smoked Baked Potatoes, Smoked Loaded Cheesy Potatoes, Smoked Deviled Eggs, Smoked Loaded Baked Beans, Creamy Smoked Macaroni And Cheese, Smoked Loaded Cheesy Potatoes
Grilled Side Dishes: Cheesy Grilled Asparagus, Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms, Grilled Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes, Grilled Corn On The Cob,
Desserts: How To Smoke A Pie, Coca-Cola Chocolate Cake, Crescent Roll Peach Dumplings, Pumpkin Bars
The Best Leftover Smoked Turkey Recipes:
I love to use leftover smoked turkey in other recipes! From Pot Pies to soup to a casserole, there are no limits. I even use my Pit Boss Grills and Blackstone griddle to make leftover dishes too!! Check out all my tried and true leftover turkey recipes ->HERE.
Smoked Turkey Recipes:
A dry rub works amazingly well on turkey, but doing a brine with the dry rub adds more flavor. There is no wrong way to smoke a turkey. Now, I buy extras during the holidays, so I have extra turkeys to smoke later in the year!
- Smoked Coca-Cola Turkey Brine Recipe
- Smoked Turkey With A Dry Rub
- Apple Cider Brine Smoked Turkey
- Smoked Turkey Breast With Brine Recipe
- Jack Daniels Smoked Turkey Brine
- Smoked Turkey With Brine, Butter Injection, and Dry Rub
Pit Boss Smoked Turkey Breast Recipe with Brine Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Turkey Breast
- Water
- 1/2 Cup Salt
- 1/2 Cup Garlic Salt
- ¼ Cup Montreal Steak Seasoning
- ¼ Cup Worcestershire sauce
- 4 Tablespoon Black Pepper
Instructions
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST SMOKED TURKEY BRINE
- Thaw your turkey breast fully to food safety standards.
- Find a large container that can be sealed and kept with ice in it or in the fridge.
- Add all of your dry ingredients to the container and then add in your water.
- Mix up the water in the cooler or container with a whisk then set in the turkey breast.
- Rinse your turkey breast off with cold water, you could skip this step but I did it to make sure I had washed off any remaining turkey blood.
- I added more water until the turkey breast was covered as much as it could be.
HOW TO MAKE PIT BOSS SMOKED TURKEY BREAST:
- I smoked this turkey breast in the Pit Boss Pro Series 1100.
- The day you are ready to smoke your turkey breast pull it out of the brine and allow it to reach room temp before smoking it.
- Now, this is where it pays to know how your smoker cooks and how you like to smoke. I like to do a low, slow smoke using the smoke setting on my Pitboss. Startup your smoker to get the smoke rolling! I set my Pit Boss Pro 1100 to a smoke setting of P4 for the smoke setting.
- My turkey breast was 8 lbs I smoked the breast on the smoke setting for three hours then turned it up to 200 for another 5 hours! You do have wiggle room in cook times. You can turn the temperature up to cook it faster but I had a chill Sunday so low and slow is how it went!
- Use a meat thermometer to make sure your turkey reaches an internal temp of 165 before removing it to serve!
- Slice and serve!
Nutrition
Hi! Thanks for this recipe, with the brine! I love your combination for seasoning, this recipe just made me want to add more flavorful herbs and spices. I smoked an apprx 8 -10lb turkey breast, with bones and skin at 250° for 4 hrs, then, 225° for 2 more hours. I am floored by the moistness of this turkey breast!! 🤗 Thank you! Lisa.
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This is one of my favorite dishes this time of year, especially when accompanied by a nice serving of mashed potatoes and gravy!