Smoked Cranberry Turkey Breast
A viral slow cooker turkey breast moved to the smoker. Smoke it to 130, pour on cranberry and cider, foil it to 165, then turn the pan juices into gravy with a cranberry kick.
Equipment
- Pellet smoker
- Aluminum Pan
- Aluminum foil
- Leave-in thermometer
- Instant Read Thermometer
- Strainer
- Saucepan
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 3 lb boneless turkey breast thawed, netting removed
- 1/4 cup poultry or BBQ rub a rough guess; I used Cockadoodle Brew from PS
- 1 can jellied cranberry sauce
- 1/2 cup apple cider fresh from the orchard if you can get it
- 1 packet turkey gravy the one that comes with the turkey, or a 12 oz container; I used McCormick because it's gluten-free
Instructions
- Set your smoker to 225°F. Take the netting off the thawed turkey breast and cover it with the rub.
- Put a leave-in probe in the thickest part and smoke the breast right on the grates until it reaches 130°F, about 1.5 to 2 hours.
- Whisk the jellied cranberry and apple cider in a bowl until mostly smooth. A few small chunks are fine.
- Move the turkey to an aluminum pan, pour the cranberry mixture over the top and cover the pan tightly with foil.
- Put the pan back on the smoker until the thickest part reaches 165°F, usually about another hour. Check a few spots with an instant-read thermometer.
- Take the pan off the smoker and let the turkey rest in the pan for about 15 minutes.
- Move the turkey to a cutting board and strain the pan juices into a saucepan.
- Warm the juices on the stove, whisk in the turkey gravy and heat through.
- Slice the turkey and spoon the gravy over the top.
Notes
- Faster cook: I kept it at 225°F, but you could turn the smoker up to shorten the time. I don't think it would change the flavor much as long as you stay in the 200s.
- More cranberry: try using half of the container of gravy, and thicken with a little cornstarch if you need to.
- Gluten-free: the McCormick gravy I used is gluten-free. Check the labels on everything you use, including your rub.