How long to smoke and at what temp (bone in turkey breast)

Que-Dawg · 04-05-2009, 08:33 AM

How long would I smoke a bone in turkey breast that weighs 7 lbs. and at what temp?

Saiko · 04-05-2009, 08:52 AM

I did two breasts yesterday if you want to read about it here:
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=59514
Cooking time is really going to vary, but plan on around 4 to 5 hours, but could be faster if you are using higher temps.
Cooking temp depends on one thing: Do you want a crispy brown skin or is skin not an issue? If you cook turkey with the skin on at the traditional temps of 225 to 250, the skin will not be crisp and can actually be kind of slimey. So you basically have 3 choices:

1) Keep the skin on, cook at 225 to 250 and don't worry about the skin not being crisp. The meat will still taste great.

2) Remove the skin and don't worry about it. This is the method I use.

3) Cook at much higher temperature, like 275 to 300 degree range. This results in a crisp, browned skin like you would get in a roasted turkey. Personally, I have never cooked one this way, but I have read that people get good results.

Be sure to pull it as soon as it hits 160 degrees internal or you'll end up with a dry breast. Turkey breast goes from moist to dry real quick. You might want to consider a brine, which you can read about in my thread. Even a 2 hours soak in a brine will improve the moisture content.

Hope this helps!

thirdeye · 04-05-2009, 10:51 AM

Brining will help for moisture, flavor and give you a bigger window on doneness (in other words, you can overcook it a hair and it will still be juicy) I cook mine between 250° and 275°, and I don't worry about the texture of the skin. You can baste it with butter/oil and it will crisp a little. The timing is a hard one to call....3-1/2 to 4 hours I would guess. I stick a probe thermometer in the center of one side and pull it off about 155°. It will rise another 8 or 10 degrees while resting.

Another method I like is to season under the skin. It makes the meat much more flavorful. This one has a layer of basil leaves in addition to seasoning. Just pull the skin back over and secure with toothpicks.

jestridge · 04-05-2009, 12:26 PM

cook it around 270

04-05-2009, 08:33 AM	#1
Que-Dawg is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 01-11-09 Location: somerset, kentucky	How long to smoke and at what temp (bone in turkey breast) How long would I smoke a bone in turkey breast that weighs 7 lbs. and at what temp? __________________ [COLOR=darkred][B][FONT=Georgia]BBQ Naked, & Toast Your Bunz[/FONT].[/B][/COLOR]

04-05-2009, 08:52 AM	#2
Saiko is Blowin Smoke! Join Date: 12-24-03 Location: Kennesaw, GA	I did two breasts yesterday if you want to read about it here: http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=59514 Cooking time is really going to vary, but plan on around 4 to 5 hours, but could be faster if you are using higher temps. Cooking temp depends on one thing: Do you want a crispy brown skin or is skin not an issue? If you cook turkey with the skin on at the traditional temps of 225 to 250, the skin will not be crisp and can actually be kind of slimey. So you basically have 3 choices: 1) Keep the skin on, cook at 225 to 250 and don't worry about the skin not being crisp. The meat will still taste great. 2) Remove the skin and don't worry about it. This is the method I use. 3) Cook at much higher temperature, like 275 to 300 degree range. This results in a crisp, browned skin like you would get in a roasted turkey. Personally, I have never cooked one this way, but I have read that people get good results. Be sure to pull it as soon as it hits 160 degrees internal or you'll end up with a dry breast. Turkey breast goes from moist to dry real quick. You might want to consider a brine, which you can read about in my thread. Even a 2 hours soak in a brine will improve the moisture content. Hope this helps! __________________ "Whose chopper is this?" "It's Zed's." "Who's Zed?" "Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead."

04-05-2009, 10:51 AM	#3
thirdeye somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 01-14-06 Location: At home on the range in Wyoming	Brining will help for moisture, flavor and give you a bigger window on doneness (in other words, you can overcook it a hair and it will still be juicy) I cook mine between 250° and 275°, and I don't worry about the texture of the skin. You can baste it with butter/oil and it will crisp a little. The timing is a hard one to call....3-1/2 to 4 hours I would guess. I stick a probe thermometer in the center of one side and pull it off about 155°. It will rise another 8 or 10 degrees while resting. Another method I like is to season under the skin. It makes the meat much more flavorful. This one has a layer of basil leaves in addition to seasoning. Just pull the skin back over and secure with toothpicks. __________________ ~thirdeye~ I Play With Fire and Smoke *Barbecuist ~ Charcuterist ~ KCBS Master Judge & CTC* Big Green Eggs, Big Drum Smokers, Big Chiefs, Weber Smokey Joe "Custom Tall Boy" Oil Patch Horizontal, SnS Deluxe Kettle Visit my Cookin' Site by clicking HERE Barbecue is not rocket surgery “The problem with quotes on the Internet is that it's hard to verify their authenticity” ~ Abraham Lincoln

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04-05-2009, 12:26 PM	#4
jestridge somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 12-28-07 Location: annville ky	cook it around 270