Stuffed and Smoked Wild Turkey Breast with Bacon Cornbread Stuffing
When thinking about a Great Plains–inspired dish, several ingredients came to mind — especially those native to or symbolic of the region: wild turkey, sunflower seeds, corn and Kansas-style barbecue. This recipe brings those elements together in a rich, smoky main course that’s packed with flavor and texture.
September 24, 20252 min read
A wild turkey breast is butterflied, pounded thin and filled with a savory stuffing of crumbled cornbread, caramelized onions, crispy bacon and cheddar cheese. The rolled breast is then coated in Kansas barbecue sauce, crusted in crushed sunflower seeds and smoked until juicy.
Serve with roasted squash drizzled with honey or balsamic reduction. I went with the latter.
Ingredients
1 wild turkey breast
2 cups day-old cornbread (use your favorite recipe)
½ cup roasted sunflower seeds, crushed
1 onion, sliced
¼ cup chicken or turkey stock
4 strips of bacon, chopped
½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded or crumbled
1 cup Kansas-style barbecue sauce
Butter
Salt, to taste
Bacon grease (optional)
Kitchen twine
Instructions
Preheat the Smoker
Set your smoker to 250°F.
Make the Stuffing
In a skillet over medium heat, sauté the sliced onion in butter until caramelized to your liking.
In a large bowl, combine the crumbled cornbread, caramelized onions, chopped bacon, cheddar cheese, a spoonful of barbecue sauce and stock.
Gradually add the stock until the mixture is moist but not soggy. (Depending on your cornbread recipe, you may not need the full ¼ cup.)
Prepare and Stuff the Turkey Breast
Trim the fat and skin from the turkey breast as desired.
Butterfly the breast by slicing horizontally through the thickest part, stopping about 1 inch before cutting it in half. You want to create a flap that opens like a book.
Place the butterflied breast between two sheets of parchment paper. Use a meat mallet or cast-iron skillet to pound it evenly until about ½-inch thick.
Spread the stuffing mixture along the furthest edge of the flattened turkey. Using your hands, gently pack it into a dense log.
Roll the turkey breast tightly around the stuffing.
Secure the roll with kitchen twine — tie at both ends and once in the middle.
Coat and Smoke
Brush the outside of the stuffed turkey breast with the remaining barbecue sauce.
Roll it in the crushed sunflower seeds until evenly coated.
Place in the smoker with a couple dollops of bacon grease on tops and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165°F at the thickest part, about 2 to 3 hours depending on the size of the breast.
Serve
Slice and serve with additional barbecue sauce and a side of roasted squash, drizzled with honey or balsamic reduction.
