Cajun Butter Smoked Turkey Breast
Having a smaller crowd for Thanksgiving dinner this year? Smoke a juicy turkey breast on the smoker! Made with a homemade dry rub and ready in about 2 hours!
Ingredients
- 20 ounces turkey breast, boneless
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the spice rub:
- 3-4 tablespoons Cajun seasoning, preferably low sodium
For the butter bath:
- 8 tablespoons butter, salted
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/8 cup fresh dill or fresh thyme, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or smashed
Equipment
- RFX Remote Thermometer This is the remote thermometer that we use. It's the most reliable we've found and is wildly easy to configure.
- Thermapen Probe Thermometer If you don't have a remote thermometer, you will need a quality probe thermometer. This is what I recommend. It has a 5-year warranty, is made in England, and from a family-owned company in Utah.
- Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker We are on our second Smokey Mountain. The first lasted us almost 15 years! Great quality charcoal smoker with a solid warranty.
Instructions
- Heat the smoker to 250 degrees, adding your wood chunks or pellets to give the turkey breast your preferred smoke flavor.
- In a small bowl, prepare the Cajun spice rub.
- Pat the turkey breast dry with a paper towel to remove any watery liquid. Then, gently brush the turkey breast with olive oil.
- Then, rub the spices all over the turkey breast, covering the entire surface.
- Prepare the butter bath. Place the butter, herbs and garlic in a heat-safe pan (cast-iron skillet, small aluminum pan). Place the pan on smoker grates to allow the butter to melt and take on some smoke flavor.
- Place turkey breast directly on smoker grates. Let the turkey smoke for 1.25 hours or until the turkey hits an internal temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
- At this point, transfer the turkey to a large aluminum foil boat or disposable aluminum pan. Pour the melted butter bath over the top of the turkey and cover/seal with aluminum foil to keep the moisture in.
- Continue to smoke for 20-25 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 160 degrees using an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the breast. Remove and rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.
- Slice and serve!
Notes
You can place a drip pan to collect the juices and use them for turkey gravy. I do not love the intense smoke flavor in my gravy, so I just use turkey broth!
I do recommend using a water pan to keep the turkey moist. To the water pan, you can add aromatics like fresh herbs or whole peppercorns. You can also add turkey broth or apple juice instead to put extra flavor into the rising steam.
Serving: 1, Calories: 158kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 54mg, Sodium: 209mg, Potassium: 365mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 2529IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 30mg, Iron: 2mg
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