Smoked Turkey Breast Brine Recipe

This easy smoked turkey breast brine recipe is great for Thanksgiving dinner or other holidays. It’s also great for turkey sandwiches any time of the year. Just use my simple brine for turkey breast and then smoke it for a few hours to get that delicious smoked turkey flavor. It’s a great low carb food to have on hand.

You might also like how to cook a turkey breast in the air fryer!

My husband has really loved having a smoker over these years and has actually have a few different kinds. We eat him smoked salmon at least once a month as he and my son love it.

A few years ago we made a smoked a turkey breast and it was delicious to have on hand for sandwiches and even a turkey dinner. We used this easy smoked turkey breast brine recipe to prepare it overnight and then cooked it for a Sunday dinner with all the Thanksgiving fixings.

It was delicious but best of all we had leftovers and I have lots of leftover turkey recipes to use them with. I’ve shared a few of my favorite recipes below. You can make sandwiches, soup and salads! The smoky flavor of the white meat is especially great with sandwiches.

Why brine a turkey and how to do it.

A brine is simple a water and salt solution that you soak a turkey before you cook it. The purpose of brining is to create juicy, tender and flavorful meat. You can add other ingredients to enhance the flavor such as herbs, spices or sweetness.

This is a wet brine recipe and not a dry brine recipe. A wet brining involves using a water bath whereas a dry brining uses more of a dry rub. Learn more about the difference here.

So you simply mix together your brine solution, add the turkey breast to a large stock pot or even a bucket and cover it with the solution. Brine over night and the next day cook the roast. It really adds flavor and moisture to the bird.

A simple brine recipe for smoked turkey breast.

The turkey brine recipe ingredients we use are cold water, salt, brown sugar, bay leaves, onions, celery, fennel seed and garlic. Below I give the proportions of how much to use and that will dependent on how big your turkey breast is.

NOTE: If you don’t have all of these ingredients on hand, I find that the most important ingredients for a basic brine are the water, salt, brown sugar and fresh garlic. 

You can also add other ingredients like fresh herbs (fresh rosemary, thyme, sage, etc.) orange peel, lemon peel, or spices (black pepper corns, mustard seeds, coriander seeds) for extra flavor but these are 4 ingredients are the basis of a good brine.

Just mix these ingredients together and pour it over the breast and refrigerate over night. There is no need to heat up the brine before pouring. You have to find a container big enough to brine a turkey breast so make sure to use your largest pot or even a bucket. We use a big canning pot we have.

You can use brown sugar sweetener if you want to cut out the sugar or carbs. Also some people prefer kosher salt but I rarely have that on hand so I use regular table salt.

Then next day take the turkey out of the brine and pat dry.

How to smoke a brined juicy turkey breast.

1. Brine your raw turkey breast the night before. Note it should not be a frozen turkey breast. You would have to thaw it first. The next day, take it out of the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the excess brine.
2. Mix olive oil and poultry seasoning and brush over turkey breast skin. You can also use melted butter if you wish though use unsalted butter because of the salt in the brine. The poultry seasoning is usually a combination of thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, black pepper, and nutmeg.
3. Place in the smoker and set temperature to 200 – 225°F.
4. Turkey should be finished between 3-5 hours though cooking times may vary. Start checking the internal temperature at 3 hours with a meat thermometer. (I highly recommend this wireless temperature probe). Once the crispy skin is nice and brown and the temperature reaches 165°F it is done.
5. Take it out and let it rest for 10-15 minutes to retain the juices and keep the meat moist before carving. You can take a piece of aluminum foil and tent the roast while it’s resting.

Store leftovers in an airtight container. (Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card. )

How long to smoke a brined turkey breast.

If you smoke a bone-in turkey breast at a temperature between 200 – 225° F it can take between 3-5 hours to cook.  

It’s hard to give an absolute minutes per pounds number because there are lots of variables. The last time we made this recipe it was a hot day so it only took 3 hours but colder weather it took 5 hours.

It also depends on the smoker you have. When you use a wireless temperature probe they often give you an estimated time right when you start.

All you need to do is start checking the internal temperature with a meat thermometer and when it hits 165°F take it out.

Today it took us 5 hours to reach 165°F internally while in the summer it only took us 3 hours so you have to keep checking it.

When you take the bird out of the smoker the skin should like nice and browned like the picture below. Let it set for 10 – 15 minutes before carving.

Below you can see what it looks like after we carved it. This was when we had the full pre-Thanksgiving dinner. It went so fast we had very little leftovers.

Two more ways to cook a turkey breast.

If you love turkey as much as we do, here are two more delicious ways to cook a turkey breast. You can cook a turkey breast in the air fryer. Or try reading this post on how to cook a turkey breast in the Instant Pot.

Recipes using leftover turkey.

Here are few more delicious recipes that you can use with your leftover white meat.You can also use it as a substitute for chicken in many dishes.

• Thanksgiving leftover cristo sandwich or apricot cheddar turkey sandwich
• Low carb creamy turkey soup
• Thanksgiving leftover waffles or burritos
• Lemon and herb chicken salad (sub with turkey)
• Low carb buffalo chicken casserole or creamy chicken and broccoli casserole (sub with turkey)

Smoked turkey breast FAQs.

Do you have to brine a turkey breast before smoking?
Yes you should because brining makes turkeys juicier. Turkey breast can be a dry meat and the smoking process will dry it out even more. So the brining process will add moisture as well as flavor and I definitely recommend doing it.  Learn about the science of brining here.

How long does it take to smoke a turkey breast?
If you set your smoker to 200°F – 225°F it should take anywhere between 3-5 hours. The important point is to reach an internal temperature of 165°F using a meat thermometer.

How long should you brine a turkey breast?
It’s best to brine a turkey in the refrigerator overnight. Brine time should be least 8 hours. 

What type of wood chips should I use to smoke a turkey?
Fruit woods such as apple and cherry wood are milder types of wood and will give a subtle sweetness to foods like poultry or fish. Middle of the road woods like hickory, maple and pecan are good for pork, beef and game meats. The strongest is mesquite which can overpower the meat so use it in moderation. Learn more here.

This is a great smoked turkey brine recipe for creating flavorful turkey and is perfect holiday gatherings. I hope you like it as much as we do. And don’t forget about all those delicious leftovers. Enjoy!