How to Make Smoked Wild Turkey Breast: [STEP BY STEP GUIDE]

Whether it is a Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas, smoked wild turkey breast is a classic addition to every celebration. When cooked to perfection, smoked turkey has beautiful tanned skin on the outside and is filled with perfectly juicy and flavorful interiors. It is super lean meat and is great meat of choice to serve a huge crowd.

Wild turkey breast with bone-in and skin-on produces the best roasts. To prepare the turkey breast for smoking, first, brine it for 12 to 18 hours and then apply a tailor-made spice rub mix all over it. Next, transfer it to a roasting pan and cook at 250℉ for about 20 minutes per pound or until the internal temperature reads 160℉.

The tender white meat is not only easy to cook but it can also be transformed into many exceptional wild turkey breast recipes, which makes it easy for you to delight your guests with a new surprise every time. Continue reading and follow this step-by-step guide so that you get the best smoked wild turkey breast ever.

How To Smoke A Wild Turkey Breast

The most delicious turkey breast has a perfectly moist, flavorful, and juicy interior with a beautiful caramelized honey-colored glaze on the outside. It is an easy recipe and requires minimum time to prepare and roast a turkey breast. For smoked turkey breast, pick one with bone in and skin on the meat. With bone-in, you will get both sides of the breast, and the boneless ones will usually have only one side. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to smoke a turkey breast:

1. Thoroughly clean the turkey in a brine water solution (salt + water) for about 12-18 hours before cooking. Cover and refrigerate the meat while brining it.
2. Next, remove the turkey from the brine solution and rinse with cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel.
3. Prepare a rub of crushed garlic, paprika, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, and onion powder, and apply the mix all over the turkey breast. You may also add a dash of wine to the mix. Do not forget to loosen the skin with the help of your fingers and add some spice mixture underneath the skin.
4. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Place the turkey breast onto a greased 9 X 13-inch aluminum roasting pan and roast for approximately 20 minutes per pound or until the internal temperature reads 160 degrees Fahrenheit (insert the probe through the thickest part of the breast). Boneless turkey breasts cook faster than those with bone-in.

If you are using a smoker, use mild-flavored woods like Pecan, Cherry, Maple, or other fruit woods for the best results.

How Long To Smoke A Turkey

The general thumb rule is that you should smoke for ~20 minutes for each pound of turkey at 250 degrees Fahrenheit (or 120℃). So, a turkey weighing about 12 pounds would require a total smoking time of ~4 hours at 250℉.

At What Temperature Is Smoked Wild Turkey Breast Done

Smoked wild turkey breast is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit (or 73.9℃) once you pull it out from the oven or the smoker. Insert the instant-read thermometer through the thickest part of the thigh of the turkey without touching the bone and then check the internal temperature for more accurate results. The time required to smoke wild turkey breast at different temperatures is:

• At 225℉ – 30 minutes per pound.
• At 250℉ to 275℉ – 20 minutes per pound.
• At 300℉ – 15 minutes per pound.

The best cookouts are obtained when turkey breasts are roasted or smoked at a temperature of 250℉ or 121.1℃.

The Best Smoked Wild Turkey Breast Recipes

If you are too bored with the traditional style of wild turkey roast, here are some exciting recipes to try this season:

1. Bacon-Wrapped Smoked Wild Turkey Breast

Imagine a chunk of flavorful turkey breast wrapped in bacon and finished with a smoky sauce. Sounds mouth-watering, right? Not only does the dish taste delicious, but it looks incredibly beautiful on the table as well. The bacon-wrapped smoked wild turkey breast is one of the most unique dishes you can have on a BBQ platter.

Ingredients required: 1 turkey breast, 8 to 10 slices of thick-cut bacon, 2 tablespoons of choice of seasoning or a marinade of apple cider vinegar, pure manuka honey, and cayenne pepper to taste, black ground pepper, and extra virgin olive oil.

Directions:

• Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Take a small bowl and whisk all the marinade ingredients.
• Using a marinating syringe, inject the marinade into the turkey breast at 10ml per pound.
• Take the bacon strips and make a bacon weave. Next, place the marinated turkey breast on the center of the weave and close the ends of the bacon around the turkey. (watch how to wrap bacon over a turkey breast in this video). Drizzle some olive oil on top.
• Flip over the entire weave and place it in the middle of the rack of the preheated oven.
• Smoke for ~2 hours.
• Once smoking is complete, drizzle the glaze (using some freshly cracked pepper and pure manuka raw honey) all over the weave and then smoke for another hour or until the internal temperature reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit (or 75℃).
• Let it rest for at least ½ an hour before serving.

   2. Stuffed Wild Turkey Roll

White meat and mushrooms go great together. Give a twist to the traditional roasting method by adding some delightful stuffed mixture of mushrooms and leeks inside the turkey breast and then roll it up to surprise your guests.

Ingredients required: Turkey breast meat sliced into thin sheets, diced button mushrooms, chopped leeks, butter, herbs like dried sage, thyme, rosemary, black pepper, parsley, and ground nutmeg, 2 eggs, salt, and 2 cups of sourdough bread cubes.

Directions:

• Preparing the stuffing – Add some butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Next, add the mushrooms and leeks and saute until some moisture has evaporated. Add some parsley and rosemary and cook for 2-4 minutes. Remove from heat. Use a large mixing bowl to combine the sauteed mushroom mixture with sourdough bread cubes, beaten eggs, and chicken broth. Mix well.
• Preparing the Roll – Take a large piece of turkey breast slice and spread the stuffing mixture evenly on it. Starting from one edge, roll the breast to form a tight tube. To tie the roll and hold its shape, you may use a butcher’s twine.
• Sprinkle the remaining spices all over the turkey and drizzle some olive oil.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grill for about 45 to 60 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

   3. Bacon-Bourbon Rubbed Turkey Skewers

Ingredients required: 1⁄4 cup bourbon, a few pieces of turkey breast cut into thin strips (1 inch thick X 4 inches long), spicy brown mustard powder, apple cider vinegar, slices of uncooked bacon, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, kosher salt to taste. Some soaked bamboo skewers.

Directions:

• Brine the turkey strips in a mixture of salt, brown sugar, and water. After 2-3 hours, remove the turkey from the brine solution, wash it in cold water, and pat dry.
• In a grinder, add the remaining ingredients and process them into a coarse paste.
• Insert each turkey strip into the skewer and coat it with the ground spice & bacon paste.
• Preheat the grill to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Grill the skewers for 5 to 7 minutes on each side until they turn into a nice golden-brown color.

Serve the most perfect smoked wild turkey breast alongside some roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, cranberry sauce, and turkey gravy for the most satisfactory feeling.