Smoky. Tender. Juicy as can be. This Smoked Turkey Roast is everything you love about Thanksgiving turkey, without all the work of roasting a whole bird. A simple dry rub is all it takes for this turkey roast to smoke up tender and dripping with wood-fired BBQ flavor. This one's perfect for any special occasion!

If you don't want to mess with the bone, you've got to try my Smoked Boneless Turkey Breast. It's every bit as flavorful as this smoked turkey roast.

Golden brown smoked turkey roast sliced on a white plate, showing juicy, tender meat with a pink smoke ring.

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Looking for more easy turkey recipes? Try my Smoking a Turkey on a Pellet Grill recipe, Smoking a Turkey in an Electric Smoker, Traeger Spatchcock Turkey, and How to Cook a Turkey in a Roaster.

Got a craving for that classic Thanksgiving turkey flavor, but not into hauling out the brine bucket or wrestling a 20-pound bird? Then this turkey roast is for you. It's easy, elegant, and just plain delicious.

I made this recipe again last weekend to test out a few tweaks. The skin got nice and golden and crispy. The meat stayed juicy. The smoke flavor was just right. And my family didn't leave a single slice on their plate.

This smoked turkey roast is officially a family favorite over here. It's easy, elegant, and downright delicious. And it's perfect for Thanksgiving, Sunday dinners, birthdays, or any special occasion. The bone keeps it moist. The rub locks in the flavor. And the smoker does all the hard work, while you get to take the credit.

Raw bone-in turkey breast roast on a white plate with bowls of olive oil and spices, including brown sugar, paprika, kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, rosemary, thyme, and poultry seasoning.

Ingredients

Only a few ingredients are needed to make smoked turkey roast:

Bone-In Turkey Breast Roast: A bone helps keep the meat juicy and tender as it smokes. I used a 4-6 pound roast - it's large enough to serve a crowd, but not so big that it's difficult to manage.
Olive Oil or Melted Butter: A thin coating will help the skin crisp and brown, and help the dry rub stick to the turkey.
Turkey Rub: It takes only a few basic ingredients to make my Best Smoked Turkey Rub: brown sugar, smoked paprika, kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, poultry seasoning, crushed rosemary, and dried thyme.

How to Make Smoked Bone-In Turkey Roast

The full ingredients and recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is an overview of how to make it.

Preheat the smoker. Preheat a smoker or pellet grill to 250°F. Load your favorite wood pellets. I love to use apple, cherry, hickory, or pecan wood pellets. Let it heat up while you prepare the turkey.
Season the turkey. Pat the turkey breast dry all over with paper towels. This will help the skin to crisp up as it cooks. Brush it all over with olive oil or melted butter. Mix together the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl, then evenly coat the turkey breast, rubbing the seasoning into every surface so it adheres well.

Uncooked turkey breast being brushed with olive oil using a red silicone brush, with a small bowl of oil beside it on a baking sheet.

Bone-in turkey breast completely coated in homemade dry rub on a baking sheet, ready to be placed on the smoker.

Smoke the turkey roast. Place the turkey breast side up directly on the grill grates and insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast making sure it does not touch the bone. Close the lid and smoke the turkey roast until the internal temperature registers 165°F, about 35-40 minutes per pound.

Bone-in turkey breast completely coated in homemade dry rub, placed on smoker grates.

Perfectly smoked turkey breast roast with golden, crispy skin resting on smoker grates, ready to remove and slice.

Rest before slicing. Place the turkey roast on a cutting board and tent loosely with foil. Let rest for at least 20 minutes. This lets the juices redistribute in the meat rather than running all over the cutting board.
Slice and serve. Slice along the breastbone to remove the meat, then slice across the grain into thick juicy pieces and serve. ENJOY!

Golden brown smoked turkey breast roast sliced on a white plate showing juicy, tender meat, served with cranberry sauce.

Jeri's Tips for Success

This smoked turkey roast is an easy recipe, even for beginners, but a few small tricks will help you nail it every time. Here is how to make sure your turkey is juicy, full of flavor, and perfect from the first slice to the very last:

Do not skip the thermometer. Every smoker runs a little different. Temperature cooking (not time) is the key to success. This turkey roast had a pop-up thermometer, but I still used my meat thermometer just in case.
Do let it rest. I know, you want to dive in, but let the turkey rest for 20 minutes or so under a loose tent of foil. This lets the juices redistribute rather than run all over the cutting board.
Do choose your wood pellets wisely. I like to use fruit woods such as apple and cherry for a milder flavor. Hickory and oak give a more pronounced BBQ-style flavor. But pecan and maple are also some of my favorite pellets. Make your own blend of flavors by combining different flavored pellets.
Do not open the lid. Every time you open the smoker, the heat and smoke escape. Keep the smoker closed as much as possible.

Recipe Variations

Use a Brine. Just because this recipe doesn't have a brine in it, it doesn't mean you can't use one. If you'd like, you can use my Citrus Turkey Brine.

Use Different Herbs. Omit the thyme and rosemary and use sage or oregano instead.

Use a Different Rub: Swap BBQ, Cajun, or lemon pepper seasoning in place of the standard dry rub. You can even use my Smoked Chicken Rub or Smoked Pork Rub.

Add a Butter Baste: Brush the turkey with melted butter and minced garlic halfway through smoking.

Tender smoked turkey breast roast sliced on a white plate.

What to Serve with Smoked Turkey Roast

Salad. Try Fruit Salad with Cool Whip or a simple Old-Fashioned Cucumber Salad.
Bread. Nothing beats warm bread on the side. No-Knead Sourdough Bread, Smoked Cornbread, or Baking Powder Drop Biscuits are my favorites.
Vegetables. Oven Roasted Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows, Oven Roasted Buttercup Squash, Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes, Smoked Mashed Potatoes, Smoked Green Bean Casserole, and Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts, and Smoked Brussels Sprouts are tasty.
Extras. Whole30 Cranberry Sauce, 3 Ingredient Cranberry Sauce, Smoked Turkey Gravy, Sourdough Stuffing, or Homemade Stuffing with Bacon would be perfect.

And don't forget the dessert! Try Smoked Pumpkin Pie, Smoked Cheesecake, Smoked Peach Cobbler, and Crustless Pumpkin Pie.

Got Leftovers?

Smoked Turkey Stock, Smoked Turkey Soup, or 3 Bean Turkey Chili would be a great way to use any leftover smoked turkey.

Storage Tips

It's best to remove the meat from the bone and then either store it in the fridge or freezer. The carcass can also be put in a plastic bag and either stored in the fridge or freezer to make soup with.

Fridge: Store leftover turkey in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in foil for up to 4 days.

Freeze: Wrap leftover turkey portions tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

More Smoked Turkey Recipes

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