Traeger Smoked Turkey Breast Food

SMOKED TURKEY BREAST

Steps:

• Soak wood chips in water 12 hours.
• Combine salt and the next 3 ingredients; rub mixture over turkey breast.
• Prepare smoker by following manufacturer's directions, bringing internal temperature to 225° to 250°; maintain temperature for 15-20 minutes.
• Drain wood chunks, and place on coals.
• Place turkey on upper cooking grate; cover with smoker lid.
• Smoke turkey, maintaining temperature inside smoker between 225° and 250°, for 5 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion is 170°; let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

SMOKED TURKEY

Steps:

• Combine all brine ingredients in a large stockpot (if it's large enough to fit your turkey) or turkey brine bag. Place the turkey in the pot or bag and make sure it's completely covered.
• If using a stockpot, place the lid on the pot. If using the bag, seal up (by knotting the bag or clipping with a locking clip) and set it in a roasting pan to prevent any accidental leaks. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
• The morning of, remove the turkey from the brine (over the sink to minimize any mess) and rinse it off completely, including inside the cavity. Pat it dry (a wet turkey is a soggy cooked turkey).
• Very gently separate the breast skin from the meat, being careful not to rip it. If you're wearing rings, take them off so they don't rip the skin either. Stuff the softened 1/2 cup of butter under the skin and press it over the entire breast (pressing from the outside of the skin is the easiest method).
• Salt and pepper the inside of the cavity and place the onions, rosemary, sage, and 3 Tbsp cubed butter/ghee.
• Wrap the prepare turkey in plastic wrap and place in the roasting pan in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to allow the butter to firm up. Remove from fridge and discard the plastic wrap and coat the turkey in more salt and pepper, patting dry again beforehand in case condensation has collected under the plastic wrap.
• Turn the smoker on and allow the fire to get started. Turn the heat up to 180°F and place the turkey (still in the roasting pan) directly on the smoker grates for 2 hours. Turn up the heat to 225°F for another hour. Finally, increase the heat to 325°F for approximately 1 more hour, or until a quick-read thermometer reads 160°F in the breast and 180°F in the thigh (test in the thickest parts).
• Remove from the smoker and let rest for 30 minutes before carving.
• Once you've gotten all the meat off the turkey, make a broth out of the carcass (get the recipe here).

SMOKED TURKEY RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat Traeger grill to 250 degrees.
• Rinse turkey inside and out in cool water, pat dry.
• Place turkey on a rack in a roasting pan.
• Melt 1 stick of butter in a bowl, then add in all of the spices/seasonings, whisk together.
• Rub the turkey all over with the butter mix, inside and out, and get it under the skin, too.
• Place the turkey in the roaster, UNCOVERED on the grill and close the lid. Set a timer for 2 hours. Do NOT open the lid during this time.
• When the timer goes off, add the second stick of butter to the bottom of the roaster, and cover the turkey.
• Turn the temperature up to 325 degrees, and roast for another 90 minutes. Check the internal temperature in the thickest part of the breast, it will reach 165 degrees when it's done. If it hasn't reached that after 90 minutes, cover and continue roasting, checking every 20-30 minutes until it does.

SMOKED TURKEY BREAST RECIPE | SIP BITE GO

Steps:

• Preheat the Traeger grill or whatever smoked you're using to 225 degrees F. Make sure there are enough pellet wood chips in the smoker to last a few hours and you have a drip pan in place. In this demo, the Traeger wood pellet blend was used, but Maple, Hickory, and Cherry pellet wood chunks are good options, too.
• Make the smoked turkey breast poultry seasoning. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the poultry seasoning (onion powder, garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, sage, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper). Set aside.
• Place turkey breast on a work surface and pat turkey breast dry with paper towels. Coat all over with melted butter by using your hands to massage the butter into the turkey breast.
• Season the turkey with the poultry seasoning (use as much as desired - in this Traeger demo, all of the seasoning was used). Use your hands to massage the seasonings into the turkey breast.
• Place your turkey breast on the smoker grill grate and cook for 40 - 45 minutes per pound, until the internal temp reaches 160°F. You may find that some recipes say 30 minutes a pound will work, but I have found that is not enough time at 225°F.
• The exact smoked turkey breast time will vary based on how large of a turkey you're smoking. Use an instant read thermometer to verify when your turkey does reach an internal temperature of 160-165°F (note: 165°F is the official safe temperature, removing it at 160°F in theory allows time for the turkey to keep cooking up to temperature). Remove from heat.
• Wait at least 20-30 minutes before slicing so the juices can settle. You can cover the turkey breast with tin foil to keep it warm and leave it out at room temperature.