Smoked Turkey Breast on a Ninja Grill

Moist turkey breast every time! This smoked turkey breast recipe on a Ninja Grill is so juicy and flavorful, you’ll want to make it year round.

Turkey gets a bad reputation, because when it’s not cooked right, it can be dry. This turkey recipe is so juicy, I’m tempted to cook up four of these, to go alongside my whole bird this holiday season.

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What is a turkey breast?

A turkey has four predominant cuts of meat. The turkey breast and turkey wings are white meat. The turkey legs and turkey thighs are dark meat.

The breast is located on the chest of the bird just over the rib cage. Each turkey has two breasts. It’s just like a chicken breast, except it’s from a turkey.

White meat is more lean than dark meat and can have a tendency to dry out if overcooked. To avoid this you can brine the turkey or inject the meat. In either instance, it’s important to cook it to the proper temperature to retain juiciness.

The USDA recommends cooking all poultry to 165F degrees.

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What is a turkey breast roast?

When purchasing a turkey breast, you have a couple of options. There is bone-in turkey breast, boneless turkey breast and turkey breast roast.

Bone-in turkey breast is usually found in the freezer section and is basically the chest of the bird with both breast meats still attached to the breast plate.

Boneless turkey breasts can be found in the turkey section at your meat department at your local grocery store.

Sometimes, manufacturers vacuum-seal them, and they resemble pork tenderloins. The packaging may say turkey tenderloin. Sometimes, they lay them out on styrofoam trays and cover them in plastic wrap, similar to chicken breasts.

Turkey breast roasts are found in the freezer section. That’s what this recipe calls for.

Brands like Butterball and Honeysuckle White make these by pressing two boneless turkey breasts together to make the shape more even. Then, the breasts are slid through elastic butcher’s netting, so they hold their shape.

Check the packaging. These roasts are often vacuum sealed with a brine solution that includes water, salt, dextrose, natural flavor, modified food starch and sodium phosphate.

This solution ensures the breast meat will be super moist once you cook it. And honestly, it saves you a step, so you don’t have to go through the brining stage.

BONUS: The frozen turkey breast roasts usually come with a turkey gravy packet. All you have to do is heat it up in a pot or in the microwave.

To make your own turkey breast roast, purchase fresh turkey breasts and some meat netting. Place two breasts together, insert them into the elastic net and cut the netting to size.

Smoke a whole turkey on the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL

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• Boneless Turkey Breast Roast: These can be found in your freezer section. Each contains around 3 pounds of turkey breast meat. Be sure to thaw it in the refrigerator for 1-2 days before smoking.
• Oil: This will be applied to the turkey before adding rub. You can use olive oil, canola oil or avocado oil.
• Turkey Rub: This is my go-to recipe for all things turkey. Feel free to make your own rub blend in a small bowl by combining kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.
• Petite Gold Potatoes: This is optional, but is a great, easy side dish to go with your smoked turkey. They can be found in the produce section and usually come with a seasoning packet. The Herbes de Provence variety from Kroger goes great with the turkey.

See the full recipe card below for servings and a full list of ingredients.

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How to smoke turkey breast on a Ninja Grill

The turkey breast roast comes in a plastic package that’s covered in a net. Start by removing and discarding the exterior netting. Then, carefully cut open the plastic packaging.

Remove the gravy packet (if included) and pour out and discard any liquid left in the packaging. Keep the butcher netting on the meat, so the roast keeps its shape.

1. STEP ONE: Pat the roast dry with paper towels. Brush with oil and season on all sides with turkey rub.

2. STEP TWO: Add wood pellets to your Ninja Woodfire Grill. Set the function to smoker, the cooking temperature to 325F degrees and the cooking time to 2 hours.

PRO TIP: If you don't want smoke flavor, simply leave the pellets out. The turkey will cook up beautifully. It just won't have the woodfire flavor. 

You can also cook this indoors on a Ninja Foodi Grill. Instead of the smoker function, set the function to roast. 

3. STEP THREE: Place the seasoned turkey on the grill and smoke until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165-170F degrees. This will take about 90 minutes.

PRO TIP: There are two ways to measure the turkey's internal temperature. If your grill comes with a meat probe thermometer, you can use that and choose the poultry or chicken setting. Otherwise, you can test the temperature with an instant-read thermometer. Simply insert the probe into the end of the meat toward the center. 

4. STEP FOUR: Wrap the turkey roast in aluminum foil and rest for 10-15 minutes. Remove the foil. Using a pair of scissors, remove the butcher’s netting.

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How to roast potatoes at the same time

1. STEP ONE: Season the potatoes with olive oil and seasoning.

2. STEP TWO: After the turkey has been roasting for 1 hour, place the potatoes on the grill.

3. STEP THREE: Cook for 30 minutes, or until fork tender.

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How to serve smoked turkey breast

While the turkey breast is resting, heat the gravy packet. Place the turkey breast on a cutting board and slice.

Serve alongside the gravy and roasted potatoes.

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Storage

Store leftover Ninja Woodfire Grill smoked turkey breast in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. If refrigerated, it should be eaten within 3-5 days. If frozen, it can last for at least 6 months.

Leftover turkey breast slices are great on turkey sandwiches or in wraps.

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