Turkey Pastrami
by This post may contain affiliate links.
Fall in love with the flavor of this homemade Turkey Pastrami recipe! It’s brined, seasoned and smoked, just like my classic beef pastrami, resulting in bold, peppery flavor and perfectly juicy texture. Serve it as the main dish at a holiday dinner, or bbq, or slice it thin to make the most delicious deli-style sandwiches!
Why you’ll love this recipe
After perfecting my homemade pastrami recipe, I knew that I had to take this same concept and make deli-style turkey pastrami. It’s brined, seasoned, and smoked just like a brisket, but the brine time is much shorter for a turkey breast. Because a turkey breast is much smaller, leaner and more tender than a beef brisket, you don’t want to over-brine the breast or the final texture can become mushy.
Following my simple recipe and expert tips, you’ll get perfectly tender, juicy, flavorful turkey pastrami every time! Here’s why I love this recipe and know that you will too.
- Big flavor, simple prep: This recipe uses an easy brine and spice rub to pack every bite with bold, peppery, smoky flavor, no complicated steps required!
- Juicy every time: The combination of brining and slow smoking locks in moisture, giving you perfectly tender, flavorful turkey that never turns out dry.
- Versatile and impressive: Whether you serve it as a show-stopping holiday main or slice it up for incredible sandwiches all week, this smoked turkey pastrami always delivers restaurant-quality results at home.
Ingredients
Here I explain the best ingredients for this turkey pastrami recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Boneless turkey breast – if you’re buying a frozen, packaged boneless turkey breast, you’ll usually find 2 turkey breasts in the package, bound together with netting. These packaged turkey breasts usually vary from 3-5 pounds in size. Turkey breast roasts can also be used in this recipe and these will also range from 3-5 pounds in size. The turkey breast used in this recipe is 3 pounds. During the month of November, these are quite easy to find at most grocery stores both fresh and frozen. During the rest of the year, you’ll find these frozen at most major grocery stores.
- Salt – when using salt in a brine, the weight of table salt, kosher salt and pickling salt can vary greatly. This is why I use ounces, instead of tablespoons, when making a brine. A basic kitchen scale online is less than $20 and something I use every week in the kitchen. If you don’t want to purchase a scale, you can use 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons salt for this recipe.
- Granulated sugar
- Corned beef seasoning (pickling spice) – click the link for my homemade spice blend. It’s easy to mix up in 5 minutes and you can keep it in the pantry for up to 6 months, so you can easily make it ahead of time. It includes a delicious combination of spices like coriander seeds, black peppercorns, mustard seeds, bay leaves and fennel seeds.
- Premium curing salt #1 – also called prague powder #1, pink salt, or pink curing salt, I’ve always ordered this ingredient online, but you might also be able to find it at some specialty meat and butcher shops. This ingredient is made using sodium nitrate, which prevents food from going bad while it’s being cured or brined for an extended period of time.
- Pastrami seasoning – to season the outside of the turkey breast before smoking, you’ll need a combination of black peppercorns, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, smoked paprika, and brown sugar.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Brine the turkey breast and prepare the seasoning.
- Add water, pickling salt, sugar, pickling spice, and pink curing salt to a large pot on the stove over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Turn the heat off and allow the brine to cool to room temperature. To quickly cool down the brine, omit a cup of water in the brine, and add 10 ice cubes after you’ve prepared the brine.
- Place the turkey breast in a large container. Pour the cooled brine over the turkey, making sure the turkey is completely covered in the liquid. I used this 6 quart container. Place in the refrigerator and brine for 24 hours.
- While the turkey is brining, prepare the pastrami seasoning. Add peppercorns, coriander seeds and mustard seeds to a small skillet on the stove over medium heat. Lightly toast the peppercorns and seeds for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the toasted seeds to a spice grinder (or use a mortar and pestle). Pulse the spices in the grinder into a coarse texture. Stir in the smoked paprika and brown sugar. Set the seasoning aside until you’re ready to smoke the turkey breast.
Season and smoke the turkey breast.
- After the turkey breast has brined for 24 hours, remove it from the brine and cut off any netting around the breast. Pat it dry with paper towels, then use kitchen twice to tie it together. Rub the prepared seasoning on all sides for the turkey breast, making sure it’s covered in a thick coating of the rub.
- Place the seasoned turkey breast on a smoker preheated to 275°F. Cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast reaches 155°F. This will take between 2-4 hours depending on the size of the turkey breast. Plan for approximately 45 minutes per pound of turkey, but always remember to smoke to temperature, not time.
- Rest the turkey breast for 10 minutes before removing the kitchen twine and slicing.
What to serve with it
Turkey Pastrami is delicious as a main dish, paired with a variety of sides. Try a combination of the following, depending on the time of year and occasion when you’re serving the turkey.
- Thanksgiving: Mushroom Stuffing + Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts
- Summer BBQ: Dad’s Famous Baked Beans + Deviled Egg Pasta Salad + White BBQ Sauce
- Fall dinner: Loaded Mashed Potatoes + Butternut Squash Bruschetta
- Christmas: Hot Honey Sweet Potato Casserole + Crock Pot Creamed Corn
This turkey also makes the best turkey reuben sandwich I’ve ever had! Use my reuben sandwich recipe and simply replace the corned beef with sliced turkey pastrami.
Other ways to use the turkey
I like to double up this recipe and make two breasts so we have plenty of leftovers to use in recipes throughout the week. Try it in any of these tasty meals!
Smoked Turkey Pastrami
Ingredients
Brine
- ½ gallon water
- 5 ounces pickling salt, or coarse salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pickling spice, click link for the recipe
- 1 teaspoon pink curing salt, also called prague powder #1 or premium curing salt #1
- 3 pound boneless turkey breast
Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
- ½ tablespoon coriander seeds
- ½ tablespoon mustard seeds
- ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
- ½ tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Add the water, salt, sugar, pickling spice, and pink curing salt to a large pot on the stove over high heat.
- Bring to a boil and stir until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Turn the heat off and allow the brine to cool. To quickly cool down the brine, omit a cup of water in the brine, and add 10 ice cubes after you’ve prepared the brine.
- Place the turkey breast in a large container. Pour the cooled brine over the turkey, making sure the turkey is completely covered in the liquid.
- Brine the turkey breast for at least 8 hours, up to 24 hours.
- Preheat a smoker to 275°F.
- After brining the turkey, remove it from the brine, remove the netting, and pat it dry. Use butchers twine to tie the turkey breast(s) together.
- Add the peppercorns, coriander seeds and mustard seeds to a small skillet on the stove over medium heat.
- Lightly toast the peppercorns and seeds for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the toasted seeds to a spice grinder (if you don't have a spice grinder, use a mortar and pestle). Pulse the spices in the grinder into a coarse texture. Stir in the smoked paprika and brown sugar.
- Rub the turkey with the seasoning and place it in the smoker for 2-4 hours, depending on the size of the breast. Plan for approximately 45 minutes per pound of turkey.
- Remove the turkey from the smoker when the internal temperature reaches 155°F.
- Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- If you don’t like the skin on the turkey breast, use a sharp knife to remove it before brining the turkey breast. This means that you will have to remove the netting before brining. After you’ve removed the skin, simply tie the turkey breast back up with kitchen twine before brining.
- I recommend leaving the netting on the turkey breast while it brines, so that it stays together. Most turkey breasts purchased at the store are “roasts” which are made up of multiple pieces of turkey breasts pressed together, or it’s two breasts netted together.
- When planning how much turkey you’ll need for a meal, plan for a half pound of turkey per guest.
- If you want to make this recipe with a larger turkey breast or bone-in turkey breast that’s closer to 6 pounds in size, simply click the 2X button above to double all of the recipe ingredients. You’ll need to use a large container or brining bag to make sure the larger turkey breast is completely covered in the brine.
- Store leftover turkey in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 6 days. This turkey is great for making a turkey reuben sandwich.
- I used a Traeger grill for this recipe, but you can also make it on a traditional smoker, electric smoker, or charcoal grill.
- I recommend using maple, hickory, or apple wood chips or pellets when making this recipe.
Nutrition Facts
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
