Juicy, easy spice-rubbed Traeger smoked turkey breast that’s simple to prepare, delicious and perfect every time you make it. Using a boneless turkey breast removes the need for a brine. Basting with butter for the last hour of cook time adds flavor and moisture that locks in the flavor. It’s an easy recipe that can be made on any smoker in just a few hours for holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter or an amazing meal any time of year.
This is THE juicy turkey breast you need for Thanksgiving dinner or any dinner in or out of the holiday season! I liked making it in the summer grilling season to add to salads or sandwiches. It’s so simple to make and turkey has never tasted this good. With a flavorful spice rub and butter basting, it doesn’t get better than this.
It feeds 4-6 people making it perfect for a small family or get together. If you have a larger group, sometimes I’ll just make 2 separate turkey breasts since it’s easier than a whole bird.
And if you’re new to using a smoker, this is a great first recipe since it’s easy as can be! The prep takes no time at all and it cooks quickly giving it that characteristic smoke flavor you can’t get any other way. I used a Traeger pellet grill since that’s what I have but you can make a good smoked turkey breast on an electric smoker or whatever you have.
This recipe works for both holiday meals and just regular weeknight dinners since the dry rub has a well seasoned but flavor that pairs well with so many things. From my epic honey cranberry sauce to serving alongside other BBQ fare, the flavor is flexible.
If you’re looking for more smoker recipes, my Traeger hard smoked salmon recipe is well reviewed and delicious! I’ve made it over 100 times at this point and it always turns out perfect.
Ingredients and Substitutions
The ingredients used are simple but they’re really all you need for flavorful results. Most likely, all you’ll need to buy is a turkey breast and the rest you’ll already have on hand already. Here’s what you’ll need for the bird itself:
- Boneless turkey breast – I recommend using a half breast roast which are normally right around 3 pounds (1.4kg), give or take a pound. It’s small size allows you to skip the brine and makes it easy to cook. I’ve even done two of these in lieu of doing a larger turkey roast. You can certainly do a larger bone-in turkey breast with both breasts intact but if you do, I recommend using another recipe with a brine or injection since the longer cooking time will cause this lean meat to dry out.
- olive oil – or avocado oil works great.
- 2 Tablespoons butter – you can use dairy-free butter if needed.
The Dry Rub Spices
This simple blend of spices is easy to throw together and comes together so well. Here’s what you’ll need for the homemade dry rub:
- salt – I used fine grain Himalayan pink salt and any good salt will work here. Since its a rub not a brine, I don’t recommend kosher salt though.
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- paprika – or smoked paprika but it will already get a delicious smoky flavor from the smoker itself.
- brown sugar
- thyme
- black pepper
- poultry seasoning – if you don’t have this, you can substitute a little bit of rubbed sage and marjoram or rosemary.
How to Smoke a Turkey Breast
- Remove turkey breast from the refrigerator and let sit out while you preheat smoker and prepare the dry rub. Coming closer to room temperature helps it cook more evenly.
- Preheat your smoker to 225°. If using a Traeger smoker, use the smoke setting first and then set the temperature once it starts smoking.
- Mix your dry rub ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Pat the turkey breast dry with paper towels. This allows the seasoning to adhere better.
- Rub 1 Tablespoon olive oil onto the turkey breast, coating every inch of it.
- Rub with seasoning, making sure to coat all of it and inside the flaps. If you’re choosing to leave the netting on, lift it up and rub underneath. Careful because if you let that netting snap it will fling oil and seasoning at you! If you cut the netting off, rub each piece well with oil and seasoning.
- Place the seasoned breast on the preheated smoker grill grates, skin side up. If you removed the netting and there are more pieces, you can either tuck the skinny pieces underneath or space them out and smoke them separate from the main roast. Smoke for 1.5 hours at 225° F.
- Melt the butter and use a grill brush to baste they turkey with it. I usually just do this in the microwave but you can do it stovetop if you prefer or even just place the butter container in the smoker for 10 minutes before basting. Try to do the butter baste quickly so the smoker doesn’t drop temperature too much while the door is open.
- Increase the heat to 350° and continue cooking until the internal temperature on the thickest part of the breast reaches 165° F using a meat thermometer (1- 2 hours).
- Remove the turkey from the grill and allow it to rest skin side up for 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving. This locks in the moisture to keep it juicy! You can use this time to heat up or make gravy.
- Slice the smoked turkey breast against the grain and serve with gravy, cranberry sauce, on a salad, sandwich or however you prefer it.
Bone-in or Boneless Turkey Breast
When you shop for a turkey breast roast you’ll notice that there are essentially two types. Both are usually located in the freezer section of the grocery store, especially outside the holiday season. I’ve tested it many times and for this recipe (or any no-brine turkey breast recipe), I strongly recommend using a boneless breast. Let me explain.
A boneless roast is essentially one side of the turkey breast roast or one breast. Most boneless turkey breasts you’ll find are pre-brined but even if they aren’t their small size prevents them from drying out while smoking.
Sometimes in carving it off the bone, pieces come off so a netting is used to tie it all together. You can leave this on for uniform cooking or take it off so the spices and oil don’t get absorbed into the netting. The trade-off is your choice.
A bone-in turkey breast roast has both breasts intact with a breast bone in the middle. This larger roast can be absolutely delicious but it is very lean cut of white meat and the lack of dark meat and fat will cause it to dry out in the smoker without a liquid brine, marinade or butter/ brine injection. There isn’t any way around this and no one wants a dry turkey.
Tips for Juicy Turkey Breast Without Using Brine or Injection
- Use a boneless turkey breast roast to ensure it stays moist and tender.
- Don’t skip the butter basting! It contributes to the overall flavor, exterior texture and interior juiciness.
- Make sure to cover the entire breast with oil and spices. Leave no part unseasoned!
- Pre-brined or plain boneless turkey breast is fine here. Either works but a pre-brined breast will be a little bit saltier.
Juicy Traeger Smoked Turkey Breast (Easy, No Brine)
Equipment
- 1 Traeger grill or any smoker, Traeger or pellet grill specifically isn't necessary
- 1 Smoker pellets or wood chips (pretty much any wood type works from mesquite, cherry, hickory, etc.)
- 1 Small bowl
- Paper towels
Ingredients
- 3 lb. Boneless turkey breast see notes for bone-in
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons butter
Dry Rub
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
Instructions
- Remove turkey breast from the refrigerator and let sit out while you preheat smoker.
- Preheat your smoker to 225°. If using a Traeger, use the smoke setting first and then set the temperature once it starts smoking.
- Mix your dry rub ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Pat the turkey breast dry with paper towels.
- Rub 1 Tablespoon olive oil onto the turkey breast, coating every inch of it.
- Rub with seasoning, making sure to coat all of it and inside the flaps. If your turkey breast roast has netting, see notes on this.
- Place the seasoned breast on the preheated smoker grill, skin side up. Smoke for 1.5 hours at 225° F.
- Melt the butter and use a grill brush to baste they turkey with it. Try to do this quickly so the smoker doesn’t drop temperature too much while the door is open.
- Increase the heat to 350° and continue cooking until the internal temperature on the thickest part of the turkey breast reaches 165° F using a meat thermometer (1- 2 hours).
- Remove the turkey from the grill and allow it to rest skin side up for 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving to keep it juicy. You can use this time to heat up or make gravy.
- Slice the turkey against the grain and serve with gravy, cranberry sauce or however you prefer it.
Notes
- Using a bone-in turkey breast: I don’t recommend using a no-brine recipe like this for a bone-in turkey breast. They are larger and I’ve tested it several times and it will be dry without either a brine or injections.
- Netting: If your turkey breast has netting on it, you can choose to leave it on or remove it with scissors. Sometimes the turkey breast will be cut into multiple pieces and if this is the case, rub each piece with oil and spices and leave room between them on the smoker. Alternatively to keep the breast roast intact, you can leave the netting on and remove after cooking. If you opt to do this, please know that it will soak up the oil and spices so you will need to lift the netting up and rub underneath the net as much as possible.
Nutrition
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