Last Updated on October 17, 2023 by Carne Diem
Protein: 
Origin: North American, American
Method: Smoker or Oven
Jump to RecipeThis smoked turkey roulade has become one of our go to Thanksgiving turkey recipes. Tender and juicy all white meat turkey breast is stuffed with prosciutto, fresh herbs like thyme, parsley, sage, and marjoram, and black garlic, before being rolled up and smoked. This rolled turkey breast with prosciutto and herbs, is also super super easy to make, giving you more time to prepare the rest of your holiday meal.
Table of contents
What is Turkey Roulade?
Roulade is a French term meaning "to roll." Turkey roulade consists of thinly sliced turkey breast stuffed with your choice of fillings. For our smoked, stuffed turkey breast we filled the rolled turkey with fresh herb butter, black garlic, and prosciutto.
Making the Herb and Prosciutto Turkey Roulade
Prep the turkey breast
You will want an at least 3 pound turkey breast for this roulade recipe. Many turkey breasts come in a brining solution but, if using fresh turkey breasts, we highly recommend using a brine like our Apple Cider Turkey Brine.
If using a brined turkey, give the breast a quick rinse and pat dry before trimming.
To prepare the turkey breast for stuffing, thinly slice the turkey breast to about ¼-inch to ½-inch thick. This works best with a long sharp knife. Start at one end and slowly cut and "unroll" the turkey breast as you go. Take care not to cut all of the way through the turkey breast.
Preparing the herbed butter for the herb stuffed turkey breast
To make the herbed butter you will need your fresh herbs, black garlic, and softened butter. We look forward to growing our own herbs throughout the year to use for recipes like this smoked turkey roulade and our Beef Tallow and Herb Crusted Prime Rib.
Rinse and finely chop the chop the fresh parsley and sage. Remove the thyme leaves from the stems. This is easily accomplished by starting at the top of the stem and running your fingers down the stem. The leaves should all come right off.
Add the fresh herbs to the bowl with the softened butter.
Next, finely chop the black garlic. If you do not have black garlic, you can substitute regular garlic cloves. Add the garlic to the bowl with the softened butter and mix well to combine.
What is black garlic?
Black garlic is garlic which has been fermented and heated under high humidity conditions for weeks or even months. The result is a soft, black garlic clove that is rich in flavor. Black garlic is rich in umami flavor with hints of balsamic or soy sauce. The black garlic works perfectly with the earthy flavors of the fresh herbs in this stuffed turkey breast.
Rolling and tying the herb stuffed turkey roulade
To form your stuffed turkey roulade place the turkey breast skin side down on a cutting board. Salt and pepper the turkey breast, to taste. Spread the softened herb and black garlic butter over the surface of the turkey breast.
Next, layer the prosciutto over the herb butter layer. This typically takes 3-4 slices of prosciutto to cover the turkey roulade.
Working from one end of the turkey breast, tightly start rolling up the turkey breast. Use cooking twine to toothpicks to maintain the shape of the rolled turkey breast. If the skin of the turkey breast has bunched up, stretch it out to cover as much of the outside of the turkey as possible.
If desired, sprinkle the herb stuffed turkey breast with some of your favorite BBQ rub for poultry or spread some additional herb butter on the outside of the turkey roulade.
Smoking your Turkey Roulade with fresh herbs and black garlic
To cook your smoked stuffed turkey breast, prepare your grill or smoker for indirect heat and preheat to 300 degrees. We cooked this smoked turkey on the Big Green Egg but pellet smokers or offset smokers work well too.
Smoke the herb and prosciutto stuffed turkey breast to desired temperature. Typically a 3 pound smoked turkey roulade will take about 3-4 hours to reach temp but we have seen it done in 2 or take as long as 5 hours so be sure to use an In Meat/Grill Thermometer. If you notice the outside of the smoked turkey breast getting too dark before reaching your desired temperature, spray with a little cooking oil or spray butter or tent with foil, to slow the browning.
What is the best temperature to cook smoked turkey breast to?
USDA guidelines state that turkey should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. What most people do not realize, is the time at a specific temperature matters just as much as the temperature itself. For example, cooking a turkey to 150 degrees and keeping it at or above that temp for 4 minutes has the same safety profile as cooking a turkey to 165 degrees for 10 seconds. We have included a chart from the USDA for reference, since it all gets a bit confusing. Our favorite way to cook turkey breast is to cook it to an internal temperature of about 155 degrees, before pulling off the smoker, with a 3-5 minute hold and rest. Carryover temp will bring the temperature up a little more, and the turkey will be safe to eat while still remaining moist and juicy.
Serving the Smoked Turkey Roulade
After a 3-5 minute rest, remove the cooking twine or toothpicks and slice the smoked herb stuffed turkey.
Enjoy your smoked turkey roulade with with other Thanksgiving favorites like our Holiday Stuffing with Truffle Sausage, Grilled Apple Cranberry Salad, Fried Boursin Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette, or White Castle Holiday Stuffing. For a quick and easy smoked turkey breast recipe try our Weekday Thanksgiving Smoked Turkey Breast. Leftovers? Try using the leftover turkey to make a Louisville Hot Brown: Kentucky’s Turkey Sandwich.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to the USDA food safety chart, a turkey cooked to 160 degrees and held for 30 seconds is just as safe to eat at a turkey cooked to 165 degrees. Meat temperature should be checked with a temperature probe in multiple locations.
The best way to reheat turkey and keep it from drying out, is with a sous vide. The turkey should be reheated to a temperature of 150-155 degrees. If you don't have a sous vide, wrapping the turkey in foil and reheating in a 300 degree oven is also effective.
As long as you are using a gluten free poultry rub, then this recipe as written is gluten free and free of major allergens. The recipe does contain butter, which can be substituted for a dairy free option.
Thank you for taking the time to visit our blog. If you tried and enjoyed our recipe, please share with others and please leave us a comment and review. We also love to see your pics so don’t forget to tag us @Carne_Diem_Culinary or #CarneDiemBlog. To be notified of future recipes please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest, or sign up for our e-mail notifications. Until next time, Carne Diem!
📖 Recipe
Smoked Herb Stuffed Turkey with Prosciutto
Equipment
- Cooking twine or toothpicks
Ingredients
- 3 pound Boneless Turkey Breast
- 4 slices Prosciutto
- Salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- Poultry BBQ Rub optional
Herb butter
- 2 sprigs Thyme
- 5 leaves Sage
- 4 Cloves Black Garlic
- 2 Tablespoons Chopped Parsley
- 2 Tablespoons Butter softened
- ½ teaspoon Marjoram
Instructions
- Finely chop the fresh herbs and garlic and remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs, discarding the stems.
- Add the diced herbs and garlic to a small bowl with the softened butter and mix to combine.
- On a cutting board, slice the turkey breast to about ¼ to ½ inch thick "unrolling it" as you go.
- Place the sliced turkey breast with the skin side down. Cover the top of the turkey breast with the herb and black garlic butter.
- Next, place a layer of prosciutto on the turkey.
- Working from one end, tightly roll up the turkey, as you would a jelly roll. Secure the turkey roulade with cooking twine or toothpicks.
- Pat the skin down to make sure it is as dry as possible. If desired, sprinkle the top of the turkey roulade with some poultry BBQ seasoning or some additional herb butter.
- Prepare your grill or smoker for indirect heat and preheat to 300 degrees. You may also cook in your oven if you do not wish the turkey to be smoked.
- Cook until the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees then remove form the smoker, cover with foil, and rest for 3 minutes, or cook to your desired doneness.
- Slice the rolled turkey breast and serve while warm.
Nutrition
SR
Could not find any black garlic so used regular fresh garlic, and it still was a great recipe. Typically, turkey is not my favorite, but this was very flavorful and juicy.
Carne Diem
Thanks for the comment. Our family really loves this recipe too.