How to Cook a Turkey Breast on a Pellet Grill

Learn how to smoke and cook a turkey breast using a pellet grill, and why it is one of the easiest and tastiest ways to smoke a turkey breast!

Whether you’ve got a Traeger, Pit Boss, Camp Chef, Yoder, or any other type of pellet grill, we’ve got you covered!

If you’ve ever smoked a whole turkey on a pellet grill, you know that it’s an amazing way to prepare what can otherwise be a pretty lackluster meat.

But sometimes, you want to cook some turkey without making the whole bird, and that’s why cooking a turkey breast is such a convenient option, especially on a pellet grill.

We spent some time recently comparing propane and electric smokers, but unfortunately, neither of these options work too great for turkey.

That’s because with propane, you have to babysit your bird for hours on end, making sure the temperatures never get too high or your wood chips get too low.

And while electric smokers do offer “set it and forget it” convenience, they can be a little limited on space and available temperature range.

Many typical Masterbuilt electric smokers only go up to about 275°F.  Great for low and slow BBQ, but not as good for crisping upi the skin on a turkey breast like you can a pellet grill.

So let’s jump in and look at the best ways to cook a turkey breast on a pellet grill!

 

How to Choose a Turkey Breast to Smoke on a Pellet Grill Smoking

Your first task is choosing the turkey breast that you are going to smoke on your pellet grill.

When it comes to choosing a turkey breast to smoke, bigger isn’t always better.

You see poultry is incredibly lean and does not have nearly the amount of fat that you would find in other large cuts of meat like say a brisket or a pork butt.

So the larger the turkey breast you choose, the MORE done the outside of the breast will be by the time the inside is finished cooking.

This is fine on large fatty cuts of meat because the extra fat keeps the meat tender and moist.  On a turkey breast, the higher the meat temperature gets, the more it dries out.

Don;t worry, there are some fun things we can do to keep the smoked turkey breast from drying out too much which we will discuss below.

But it starts by not selecting the biggest breast in the case to begin with.

 

Cooking Bone-in vs. Boneless Turkey Breasts on a Pellet Grill

If you DO want to cook a large turkey breast, we suggest finding one that is “bone-in”, or even a double turkey breast where the breast bone is still running down the center.

Bone-in meat tends to retain more of its juices naturally and not dry out as much since the bone acts as kind of a heat sink inside the meat.

Just keep in mind any bone-in version of ANY meat will take longer to fully cook than its boneless counterparts.

If you are looking for a simple and easy boneless turkey breast recipe check out either our Pit Boss Smoked Boneless Turkey Breast Recipe or our Traeger Smoked Boneless Turkey Breast Recipe.

 

Buy a Turkey Breast that has NOT Already Been Injected

This is a tough one because so many mass market turkey producers these days pre-inject their birds with a sodium solution so that the meat retains SOME of its moisture when an average joe cooks it into oblivion.

We would much prefer to brine or inject our raw turkey breast ourselves so that we have control over the ingredients we are putting on the bird, and into our bodies!

You can tell if your turkey breast is already brined because the label will say either just says “Pre-Brined”, or something like “Moisture enhanced with up to X% solution of turkey broth, salt, sugar” what have you.

So if you can, look for a turkey breast that is raw, natural, and has NOT been previously injected with anything.

You may need to go to a good meat market or butcher to find one of these vs. your local chain grocery store case.

 

Preparing a Smoked Turkey Breast for the Pellet Grill

Clean and Trim the Turkey BreastTake some time to clean, rinse and dry your turkey breast after removing it from the package.

Flip it over and remove any excess fat or skin hanging off near the corners and edges.

There should not be too much trimming to do but it doesn’t hurt to clean it up a bit before you start brining, injecting, or seasoning.

 

Wet Brining

A turkey breast prep method you’ll read about a lot is brining.

At its most basic, this is just soaking the turkey breast overnight in a solution that includes salt, water and some aromatics.

But, what does it do?  Well, the salt naturally penetrates  overnight and helps to not only flavor the meat but help it retain moisture throughout the cooking process.

Do you need to brine your turkey breast before you smoke it?

The answer is, it depends.

As we discussed above, if you have a supermarket turkey breast that’s been injected with a brine solution, don’t bother brining at home. It won’t do anything.

If, on the other hand, you have a natural turkey breast without additives, you could take the time to brine it.

You can use one of the many brining recipes online (Alton Brown’s is a classic) or save a bit of effort with a premade turkey brining solution.

This Brine Kit from San Francisco Salt Co. is an easy-all in-one solution.  It also pairs well with apple wood smoke.

Brining for a good 24 hours before you smoke it will yield a more flavorful, juicier bird, so the time in the brine can be worth it.

 

Dry Brining

However, a much easier way to achieve similar results is by dry brining your turkey breast instead.

Simply coat the inside and outside of the rinsed and dried breast with kosher salt and pepper and store it on a drying rack set on top of a baking sheet in the refrigerator overnight.

Wipe off the excess salt left on the outside with a wet paper towel before you cook, and then season with all your non-salt herbs and seasonings.

Don’t worry, the turkey breast is plenty well salted at this point from the salt penetrating overnight.

With dry brining, you get all the benefits of salt penetration and moisture retention without having to deal with a giant bucket of salty raw turkey water when you’re done!

One other benefit, the salt dries out the skin overnight, causing it to brown and crisp up much better while cooking on the pellet grill than it otherwise would have.

 

Injecting your Smoked Turkey Breast

A final, more surgical option for adding salt and moisture retaining qualities to your turkey breast is to inject it with a slaty, flavorful solution.

Just PLEASE be careful not to do this to a bird that’s already been injected as described above or your turkey breast will become overly salty.

You can use a mixture of turkey stock, melted butter, cajun spices or your favorite BBQ rub; and any other herbs and spices you want to flavor your turkey breast with.

We are big fans of the Ofargo Stainless Steel Meat Injector.

You get a variety of tip and injector sizes so you can inject larger things like herbs and minced garlic right into the turkey breast!

If you choose to inject your bird, you don’t need to dry brine it overnight.  A simple BBQ or light salt and pepper seasoning on the exterior and some injecting on the interior will help season your turkey breast and hep it retain its flavor.

Keep in mind that injecting the turkey breast adds WEIGHT to it, so it WILL take longer to cook on the pellet grill all else being equal.

But if you are OK with that, then inject away.  Make sure to put the turkey breast in an aluminum pan to catch the runoff and inject every 2-3 inches across and around the surface of the meat at varying depth levels.

You can let the injection diffuse throughout the turkey breast in the refrigerator for about 1-2 hours before putting it on the pellet grill.

 

Seasoning the Exterior

If you already dry brined,, go easy on adding any additional the salt on the exterior but you can add some herbs or a law salt BBQ rub if you wish.

If you only injected then you can use a saltier rub on the skin at this point, or even a cajun or spicy seasoning if you want some bolder flavors for your turkey breast.

You can add a little bit of cooking oil if you wish to help the rub stick better, but don;t use too much or the skin will have a harder time crisping up.

For the crispiest skin possible, dry brine the turkey overnight and then don’t add ANY oil to the skin before putting it on the pellet grill.

 

Choosing the Best Wood Pellets for Smoking a Turkey Breast on a Pellet Grill

You have a lot of freedom when it comes to choosing the right wood pellets to cook your turkey breast on a pellet grill.

Mesquite and hickory will give a very aggressive smoke flavor. This is perfect for turkey you plan to use on sandwiches or eat in smaller portions with a lot of sides.

Alternatively, you can also go for a milder smoke flavor by choosing oak or fruitwood pellets. Pecan, apple, beech, alder, and cherry all give great results.

For fun, you can choose your woods seasonally, using beech and cherry in spring and summer and pecan and apple into the fall and winter.

Also no reason you can’t mix a few different kinds together on a pellet grill.

Make sure you purchase pellets that are sized correctly to work in the hopper of your particular pellet grill.

 

How to Smoke Your Turkey Breast on a Pellet Grill

With a pellet grill, this is the easy part!

Just add your chosen pellets to the hopper, plug in and start the pellet grill.

Let the pellet grill go through its start up process and once it has come up to temperature and stopped producing the thick white “start- up” smoke, put the turkey breast on the grill.

 

What Temperature do you Cook a Turkey Breast on a Pellet Grill?

Set the temperature to 325°F, and let the pellet grill come up to temperature.

While you technically CAN cook your turkey “low and slow” at 225-250°F like traditional pork and brisket barbecue, you will never get crispy skin because the fat underneath it will not render at those low temperatures before the meat is finished cooking.

Also avoid using BBQ rubs with lots and lots of sugar if you are going to cook any higher than 300-325°F because the sugar can burn and carbonize.

If you want to be extra cautious with a sugary BBQ rub, drop the cooking temperature on the pellet grill to 300°F.

 

How Long do you Cook a Turkey Breast on a Pellet Grill?

Set your turkey breast in the cooking chamber with the breast side down and let the pellet grill do its thing!

You can place the turkey breast on a V shaped roasting rack to make it easier to manage inside the grill.

We like this one from Norpro because its rectangular bottom rests easily on the grill grates without falling between them.

Alternatively, if you want to collect the drippings from your smoked turkey breast to make a pan sauce or gravy, elevate the turkey breast on a grilling rack inside of an aluminum foil roasting tray.

This will allow for air and smoke circulation around the turkey and help the skin crisp up while still retaining the drippings.

Make sure to use good insulated grill gloves when rotating or flipping the turkey breast or moving the roasting rack.

Rotate and flip hourly for even cooking.

A turkey breast will take approximately 15 minutes per pound to fully cook according to Loaves and Dishes.

As we mentioned, anticipate more time if the turkey breast is bone in and add more time if you injected the turkey breast as well.

If you want the crispiest skin possible, avoid basting the turkey breast with anything while it is cooking on the pellet grill.

 

How do you Know When a Turkey Breast is Done on a Pellet Grill?

You’ll want to check the internal temperature of the turkey breast periodically for doneness.

Your turkey breast is ready to eat when you hit an internal temperature of 165°F on your instant read thermometer.

If you don’t yet own an instant read thermometer, it’s going to be hard to really know exactly when that turkey breast is done cooking on the pellet grill.

One of our go-to and very affordable favorites is this waterproof model made by Kuluner.

Another great option if you would rather use a leave in thermometer you can just monitor from your phone is the MEATER leave in thermometer.

It is extremely accurate and has an incredible 165 foot bluetooth range and works right with your smartphone so you don’t need to carry a separate controller around with you like many other remote thermometers require.

It’s got a great free app that is constantly being updated and even has an algorithm to predict how much longer your type of meat will take to cook based on cooking temperature, target temperature, and current internal temperature.

It’s like a GPS for your meat!

Anyways, back to our smoked turky breast…

Let the turkey breast rest for about 15-30 minutes before carving and serving so that the juice stays in the meat where you want it.

 

If you injected the turkey breast, you will see little pockets of flavor where the injection went in.  Yum!

 

Cooking a Turkey Breast for Thanksgiving on a Pellet Grill

If you’re like me, you think all year long about delicious meat you’ll put on the table for Thanksgiving dinner.

Plan well ahead and do a test run or two in the summer and early fall with a couple turkey breasts on the pellet grill so that everything goes great on the big day.

Try some different rubs, injections, and wood pellets to dial in the perfect flavor for the big day.

In the fall, consider brining with seasonal flavorings like sage and thyme.  Adc a little bit of apple cider to your turkey injection.

Then smoke with some mild fruitwood pellets like pecan or apple to round out the flavor.

 

Trash Can Turkey

Looking for another FUN way to make Turkey?

Check out this RIDICULOUSLY FAST AND FUN method for cooking a full sized turkey in only 2 hours!  Click HERE NOW to check it out.

 

Other Fun Pellet Grill Recipes

Looking for some more inspiration for things to cook on your pellet grill?

Check out some of our favorite recipes below that can easily be modified to be done on a pellet grill.

• Smoked Fresh Ham with Dark Rum Citrus Glaze
• Smoked Leg of Lamb with Guinness Marinade
• Smoked Lamb Chops with a Balsamic Butter Sauce
• Smoked Rack of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary or Smoker
• Smoked and Pulled Lamb Shoulder with a Turkish Spice Rub
• Smoked Lamb Shanks
• Smoked Oysters in a Garlic White Wine Sauce
• Smoked Scallops with Lemon Garlic Drizzle
• Smoked Lobster Tails with Garlic Butter
• Smoked Bratwurst with Beer Braised Onions
• Smoked Gouda Cheese
• Smoked and Reverse Seared Ribeye Steaks
• Pellet Grilled Steaks
• Pellet Grill Turkey
• Smoked Asparagus