Brined & Smoked Bone-In Turkey Breast

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A bone-in turkey breast spends a night in a salt-and-brown-sugar brine, gets a peppery Southern barbecue rub, then smokes low until the thickest part hits 160°F — not until the clock says so. That single change is why it slices glossy and juicy instead of dry, whether you're plating it with slaw and pickles or piling it on soft white bread with mustard. No smoker? A 325°F oven with a foil-wrapped smoking packet gets you 90 percent of the way there.

Ingredients

• 3 quart cold water, divided
• 3/4 cup kosher salt (Diamond Crystal; use 1/2 cup if using Morton)
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp black peppercorns, cracked
• 6 clove garlic, smashed
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard seed
• 1 lemon, halved
• 4 cup ice cubes

• 1 bone-in, skin-on turkey breast (6–7 lb whole double breast, or two 3-lb halves)
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tbsp neutral oil

• 1 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 3 cup wood chunks or chips (hickory, pecan, or apple)
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

• soft white sandwich bread or slider buns
• yellow mustard and dill pickle chips

Instructions

1. Make the brine: In a large pot, combine 1 quart of the water with the kosher salt, brown sugar, cracked peppercorns, garlic, bay leaves, and mustard seed. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring just until the salt and sugar dissolve, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, squeeze in the lemon halves and drop them in, then add the remaining 2 quarts cold water and the ice. Stir until the brine is no warmer than 40°F.
2. Brine the turkey: Pat the turkey breast dry and remove any giblets or loose flaps. Submerge it in the cold brine in a nonreactive container or a brining bag set in a bowl or cooler. Refrigerate 12 to 16 hours — no longer, or the meat turns spongy and ham-like.
3. Dry the skin: Lift the turkey out, discard the brine, and rinse the breast briefly under cold water. Pat it very dry inside and out. Set it skin side up on a rack over a sheet pan and refrigerate uncovered 2 to 4 hours (or up to overnight). This dry skin is the difference between crisp and rubbery.
4. Season: Whisk all the rub ingredients together. Gently slide your fingers under the skin to loosen it and spread the softened butter directly on the meat. Rub the oil over the outside of the skin, then dust the entire breast evenly with the rub. Let it sit at room temperature 45 minutes while you fire up the smoker.
5. Set up the smoker: Bring a charcoal, pellet, or electric smoker to a steady 275°F with the vent open, adding wood chunks or a foil packet of soaked chips for smoke. Fill a water pan if your smoker has one. Set the turkey breast bone side down directly on the grate over indirect heat.
6. Smoke to temperature, not time: Cook at 275°F, adding wood for the first 90 minutes only. Combine the chicken broth, cider vinegar, and melted butter and mop the breast every 45 minutes. Start probing at 90 minutes: a 6–7 lb double breast typically takes 2½ to 3½ hours, a 3-lb half about 1¾ to 2¼ hours. Pull it when an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the breast, not touching bone, reads 160°F.
7. If the skin is pale or the breast is browning unevenly, raise the smoker to 325°F for the last 20 minutes. If the skin darkens too fast, tent it loosely with foil and keep going — internal temperature is the only finish line.
8. Oven method (no smoker): Heat the oven to 325°F. Wrap 1 cup wood chips in a double layer of foil, poke 6 holes in the top, and set the packet on the oven floor or on a burner-heated sheet pan on the lowest rack for a light smoke note. Roast the seasoned breast on a rack in a shallow pan, mopping every 30 minutes, until it registers 160°F — about 1¾ to 2¼ hours for a 6–7 lb breast. Broil 2 minutes at the end if the skin needs color.
9. Rest: Transfer the breast to a cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and rest 25 to 30 minutes. Carryover heat will carry it to about 165°F and the juices will settle back into the meat. Do not skip or shorten this.
10. Carve: Run a knife down each side of the breastbone to lift off the two lobes, then slice each lobe crosswise against the grain, about 1/4 inch thick for plates and paper-thin for sandwiches. Pour any board juices and remaining mop liquid over the sliced meat before serving with mustard, pickles, and soft bread.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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