{"id":1999,"date":"2022-04-29T13:52:08","date_gmt":"2022-04-29T13:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/?p=1999"},"modified":"2023-05-18T07:03:46","modified_gmt":"2023-05-18T07:03:46","slug":"smoking-a-turkey-breast-on-a-pellet-grill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/smoking-a-turkey-breast-on-a-pellet-grill\/","title":{"rendered":"Do It Like a Pro: Smoking a Turkey Breast on a Pellet Grill"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I have been witness to smoking a turkey breast on a pellet grill since I was a little girl. It was my family’s favorite way of preparing turkey<\/a>. Due to this, I have picked up my fair share of tips and tricks over the years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is your guide to getting this recipe just right!<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Smoking<\/figure>\n\n\n

How to Smoke Turkey Breast Using a Pellet Grill?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you aren’t too familiar with using a pellet grill to smoke meat, don’t worry – I’m here to help!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To start with, make sure that there are enough of wood pellets in the hopper. It is always a good idea to top this up so that you will have enough of wood chips for the duration of the smoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you run out in the middle of the cook, then you will need to stop, refill the hopper, prime the pellet grill and then start smoking again. Needless to say, you don’t want this!<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"brushing<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Now, if the hopper was emptied out during the last cook, then you will have to fill the hopper, start the grill, and then prime it before you get started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In case the hopper had some pellets in it, then you can choose your temperature setting and fire up your pellet grill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you are aware, no two pellet grills are the same. Due to this, you should always read the manufacturer’s instructions for that particular make and model before getting started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will show you whether you should use the Smoke function that comes with the pellet grill or if you should choose your own temperature setting. With some grills, the grill temp for the Smoke setting is a bit too low. Under these circumstances, you may need to use the regular setting at a lower temperature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You then close the lid, allow the pellet grill to preheat and then begin to smoke. It is as easy as that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dry Brining vs. Injecting the Turkey Breast<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before you smoke a turkey breast, I want to talk to you about prep methods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you are aware, turkey breast is a rather delicate piece of meat. Due to this, it is prone to drying out during the smoking process. To avoid this, you can choose to brine the turkey breast or inject it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will walk you through each of the methods so that you have a better idea of which one may be right for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With dry brining, you sprinkle kosher salt on the surface of the turkey breast and let it sit for several hours. Not only does this method help the turkey breast to maintain moisture but it also dries out the surface, resulting in a crispy skin as it is smoked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for injecting, here the turkey breast is injected with a marinade that can be made of stock, melted butter, spices, herbs, and other assortment that you like. This is done shortly before you smoke the turkey breast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are two advantages here. First, there is no downtime – you can smoke turkey breast shortly afterwards. The other benefit is that you get to inject both moisture as well as flavor into the meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n