Growing up, you might have only eaten turkey once a year at Thanksgiving or sometimes you may have gotten the processed slices from a deli to go on a sandwich. Don’t get me wrong, I'm sure it was good, but it was always about the same, just roasted turkey.
This applewood smoked turkey breast is not the same old turkey. Rubbed with a blend of warm spices and smoked using the sweet smoke of applewood. This will be the moist, tender, and delicious poultry you've ever had!
Applewood Smoked Turkey Breast
Servings: 6-8 | Time: 4-5 Hours
What’s You'll Need:
- 6-pound boneless turkey breast
- A bag of Furtado Farms Apple Wood Chips
- Charcoal
For the Rub:
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 3 teaspoons mustard powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
Let's Get Cooking!.
- Combine all the ingredients for your dry rub in a small bowl and mix thoroughly to ensure there are no lumps. Rub onto the meat on all sides. If you have time, I recommend that you wrap the turkey breast in plastic wrap and let it cure in the refrigerator for at least 4-hours or as long as overnight. Smoking the meat right away is ok, but sitting in the refrigerator for several hours allows the rub to penetrate the meat.
- Preheat the grill to 250°F.
- When the smoker is at the ideal temperature, place the turkey breast on the hot grate over the drip pan and add some applewood chips onto the coals and cover the grill.
- Make sure to check on the temperature of your grill every hour to make sure that it is staying as close to 250°F as possible for the whole smoke. Resist the temptation to open the lid. Only open the charcoal door or the lid if you need to add more charcoal or wood chips to maintain temperature and smoke. After at least 4-hours, check the temperature of the meat to see where it is and get an idea of how much more time it will need to smoke.
- Smoke the turkey breast until a dark “bark” forms and the internal temperature of the meat is about 170°F to 180°F, about 5 hours. Use a meat thermometer to test for doneness.
- After the turkey is completely done, remove it from the smoker or grill and allow it to rest as you would with grilled or roasted meats. Allowing the turkey to rest before slicing or serving it lets the meat fibers relax, moisture that was driven out is redistributed and reabsorbed by some of the dissolved proteins. Rested meat holds on to more of its natural juices. A good 15 to 20 minutes rest should do under loosely tented foil.
- To carve the turkey, Slice the breast against the grain into ½-inch slices. Perfectly cooked meat should be moist and juicy.
All that's let know is to enjoy. This smoked turkey works great in sandwiches or gives great flavour to any salad or pasta dish.