Texas Style Smoked Turkey
A tender and delicious BBQ staple.
BBQ is a bit of a passion for me, and I really enjoy serving food that other people look forward to eating. Texas style brisket is usually the crowd favorite, but I personally love smoking turkey breast. It's different from the usual beef fare, it's leaner, and it's actually much simpler (and less time consuming) to make. This eats well with BBQ sauce or on sandwiches! This is basically the same recipe that Aaron Franklin uses, except that the turkey I usually find is already brined (while he brines the meat himself).
Ingredients
1 5lb boneless turkey breast
1 cup unsalted butter
Instructions
Trim the turkey breast. When I buy them, they usually come with the skin attached. Remove the skin and any easily-removed fat.
Apply the S2P rub evenly on all sides.
Bring the smoker up to heat at around 275 degrees. Ensure the smoke is clean (barely visible and slightly blue).
Add the turkey breast to the smoker.
Smoke the turkey until it reaches a temperature of about 130 degrees. Look for a golden color. Once the temperature is reached, pull the turkey out of the smoker.
Place the turkey on top of 2 layers of aluminum foil.
Add the butter (softened) on top of the turkey breast, and wrap it tight with the aluminum foil.
Finish cooking the turkey up to a temperature of 160-165 degrees.
Rest the turkey to bring the temperature down a bit (to 145 or so).
Slice thinly and enjoy!
Tips
- It is important to cook the turkey "low and slow". Use indirect, relatively low heat. It's a BBQ, not a grill!
- To get a truly authentic Texas BBQ flavor, use oak to cook with. Post oak is specifically the oak to use if it is available in your area, but any oak hardwood should work.
- After the turkey is wrapped in aluminum foil, the meat will not take any further smoke. You can either finish the turkey on the smoker or in an oven to avoid using more wood.