Juiciest Smoked Turkey Breast With Apple Cider Brine

This extra juicy smoked turkey breast uses a simple apple cider brine is a clever recipe that delivers impressive results without breaking a sweat!

I planned on smoking on the grill and prepared a few recipes for the day.  This is a fantastic recipe for a festive dinner table to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other holiday or occasion.

Fresh apple cider was at the farmer’s market, and that was my cue to prepare this recipe, as I love cider brines. They are slightly acidic, which is perfect for tenderizing lean meat like turkey breast and ensuring it doesn’t dry out during cooking.

Of course, smoked turkey breast will be done much faster compared to a smoked whole turkey. You do need to plan the brine as the turkey needs to sit for 8-10 hours.

I either do this very early in the morning for an afternoon grill or in the evening to have it ready for tomorrow. The next morning, I wash and season the breast, then let it sit in the fridge until I’m ready to smoke it.

🍗 Ingredients

Turkey Breast – I chose to smoke a bone-in turkey breast, mostly because it is the most common option at grocery stores. Turkey breasts are notorious for drying out.  That is one of my chief complaints when you grill the whole bird. It is much easier to control that when you cook it separately, and when you use a brine. Of course, you can use a boneless turkey breast if that’s what’s available.

Brine – I used a fairly traditional brine. Kosher salt is the agent that penetrates the skin and the meat. The brown sugar tempers the salt, and the other ingredients provide some fantastic flavors.  In this case, fresh apples, apple cider, cinnamon, and citrus fruits provide a fresh autumn flavor throughout the meat.

You can use this brine for the smoked spatchcock turkey as well.

Dry Rub – Both the turkey and the brine provide a fairly mild taste that you want to highlight.  So, a strongly flavored rub might overpower the other flavors.  I used this simple homemade all purpose dry rub. However, you can use any mild rub you please.

Apple Wood Smoking Chips – Smoke is the final flavor that binds this all together.  A strongly flavored wood like Hickory or Mesquite risks overpowering the dish.  I stayed on the mild smoke flavor end of the spectrum by using a mild fruit wood like apple. If you aren’t sure which intensity of smoke you want, reference the Best Wood for Smoking Turkey and Smoking Wood Cheat Sheet.

🍽️ Instructions

This recipe requires a little bit of prep work, but the results are well worth it. 

⏲️ Preparing the Brine

Step One: Cut the apples and your citrus fruits into sections and place them in a bowl. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon, brown sugar, and kosher salt.

Step Two: Add the apple cider and water in a 1:1 ratio.  I used two cups of each, which was enough to cover the breast.  Stir the mixture well to dissolve the salt and the brown sugar.

Step Three: Add the turkey breast and make sure that it is fully submerged to allow the brine to do its job.

Step Four: Cover the bowl with Saran Wrap and refrigerate for 8-10 hours.  

Note: I prepared the brine before I went to bed and it was ready to go the next morning.  Just make sure you plan accordingly.

🥣 Prepare the Dry Rub

This is extremely easy, and you probably already have these seasonings in your house. I used my all-purpose dry rub.

Step One: Combine all of the ingredients into a small glass bowl.  If you make any substitutions, now is the time to make them.

Step Two: Mix well with a fork.  

That’s it!  You can’t get much easier!

🍗 Prepare the Turkey Breast

Step One: Remove the breast from the brine and place it in a fresh bowl of water for 15 minutes. I agitated the water to loosen any salts that might have stuck to the skin.  This step is critical.  I skipped it once and found the skin was much saltier than I liked.

Step Two: Remove it from the fresh water and pat it dry with a paper towel. Lightly brush the breasts with some olive oil or melted butter. This will help the seasoning stick better to the breast and crisp up the skin.

Step Three: Coat the turkey with the dry rub. Make sure you get all the cracks and crevices.  

🍎 Smoke the Turkey

Step One: Set your grill to indirect heat. For Kamado grills, like the Big Green Egg, install the plate setter. For gas grills, turn off the burners in the middle.

Step Two: Bring the smoker temperature to 275 degrees.

Step Three: Add the wood chips to the grill (or wood chunks if using a regular smoker, or pellets, if you’re using a pellet grill). For Kamado grills, place them on the lump charcoal.  For gas grills, add them to a smoking box.

Note: I say this in all my smoking recipes – a little goes a long way!  A small trickle of smoke is much better than a huge billowing cloud of smoke.  It is too easy to ruin a recipe with too much smoke.  Your food might turn out tasting like ash instead of having that complex hint of smoke.

Step Four: Place directly on the grill grates (a roasting pan is not needed). Smoke until the turkey breasts internal temp reaches 165 degrees. That typically takes about 30 minutes per pound cooking time. Because this is brined, it is a little more forgiving with the temperature, but definitely monitor it with a wireless meat thermometer.  

Alternatively, you can smoke a spatchcocked turkey and it will be ready faster. Flattening the bird will help it cook more evenly and in less time.

How Long to Smoke Turkey Breast ?

Smoke the breast for 30 minutes per pound at 275 degrees f. Always cook to temperature, not time. The internal temperature needs to be 165 degrees in the thickest part of the breast, per the USDA.

🍴 Substitutions

The brine is easily customizable.  Have fun with substituting the ingredients for what your taste buds like, and with ingredients you already have in the house.

Try these other classic autumn flavors

• Allspice Berries
• Cloves
• Cracked Peppercorns 
• Star Anise
• Fresh Herbs

Feel free to experiment with the dry rub as well. Try one of our go-to recipes like this simple all-purpose dry rub, or the Yucatan dry rub, a blend specifically made for poultry.

When you want to create your own, keep these ingredients in mind. They’re staples for dry rubs!

• Salt & black pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Brown sugar
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Thyme
• Oregano
• Chili powder or flakes
• Paprika

💡 Expert Tips

Never start with a frozen turkey breast. Let the meat fully thaw before smoking.

If your grill starts producing too much smoke, move the wood chips to the side.  I used my ash tool to get under the plate setter, and it worked great.

The brine adds a lot of juicy flavor to the breast.  That gives a bit of leeway when smoking. Typically, an overcooked turkey breast will be too dry, but the brine minimizes that risk. Still, you should monitor the temperature, but know that you have a little bit of a buffer here.

After you remove it from the grill, let it rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.  Allowing it to rest will keep the juices inside the bird, just like you want!

You can loosely tent the breasts with aluminum foil but keep in mind if they had skin on, it will likely become less crispy.

No need to worry if the breasts are done a little early. They can rest at room temperature for up to 1 hour before slicing. I wouldn’t keep them out longer for safety reasons.

If you’re not serving them any time soon, it’s better to refrigerate the turkey breasts and reheat them when needed.

🥘Serving Suggestions

As if the exceptional flavor wasn’t enough, smoked turkey breast goes well with so many side dishes!

Make it a satisfying meal with this amazing smoked potato salad, or keep it light with grilled corn and black bean salsa.

Grilled mac and cheese is another one of my favorite BBQ sides that makes almost any grilled or smoked protein better!

The classics are worth mentioning too and it’s okay if you jazz them up a little: roasted green beans, smoked cranberry sauce, bacon Brussels sprouts kebabs, mashed potatoes, and turkey gravy.

🍱Meal Prep & Storage

Refrigerated in an airtight container, smoked turkey breast lasts 3-4 days. In the freezer, it will stay safe indefinitely but will retain the best texture and flavor for 2-3 months.

If freezing, I like to split the meat into 1-cup portions. This way, if a recipe calls for x cups of meat, I can thaw exactly what I need without having to measure it again.

Also, I wrap the leftover turkey in plastic wrap before placing it in a freezer bag. This way, it’s better protected against freezer burn.

🍲Ways To Use Leftover Smoked Turkey Breast

I always smoke at least one extra turkey breast. This amazing smoky meat can be used for an endless number of dishes. Try it in a grilled cheese sandwich, or in a beer queso dip and you won’t regret it!

You can also shred the meat like you would when making pulled smoked chicken. It makes some fantastic sliders the whole family will enjoy. Of course, the smoky meat will also elevate any soup or casserole.

Tip: Turkey breast and all cooked poultry meat is easier to shred when it’s warm. For slicing, cold meat is the best option.

🦃More Smoked Turkey Recipes

Be it white or dark meat, smoked turkey is always a treat and budget-friendly too. A whole smoked turkey is not the fastest recipe but totally worth making.

The breast may be a quick recipe for the smoker, but the turkey has other parts that are ready in just a few hours. Try some smoked turkey legs, smoked turkey thighs, or smoked turkey wings next time you want some excellent BBQ food!

Looking to perfect your smoking skills? Read our top turkey smoking tips so all your smoked turkey recipes turn out perfect!

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