This Cajun smoked turkey is one of the best Thanksgiving turkey recipes that we’ve ever made! With a simple homemade Cajun turkey brine and a blend of seasonings, this Cajun turkey will be the star of your dinner table this holiday!
We’ve made a few different Cajun smoked turkey recipes over the last few years, tweaking the homemade brine, trying various seasonings, and experimenting with injectable marinades. We’ve even done a smoked then fried Cajun turkey to see if the extra deep frying step made a difference (it didn’t… save the money and the mess and stick to smoking it).
And the wife and I agree that this is our favorite way to make Cajun smoked turkey.
Yes, it does use a store-bought marinade – and I know that some people may frown on that for their Thanksgiving birds – but it’s one that we swear by and have used over and over again. And we used the jarred marinade in a very unique way… not injecting it into the turkey as it was originally intended.
If you want to try a super easy to prepare smoked turkey that delivers on the flavor, then give this smoked Cajun turkey a try! *Or check out our apple cider brined turkey recipe here or a rotisserie turkey here – two more awesome smoked turkey recipes!
Adding a spicy Cajun twist to your smoked turkey takes the classic Thanksgiving centerpiece to the next level. With the right technique and flavorful ingredients, you can have a juicy, well-smoked bird with tons of character that your guests will rave about.
Malcolm Reed of HowToBBQRight is known for putting creative spins on traditional BBQ fare. His recipe for Cajun smoked turkey packs some heat while keeping the turkey moist and infused with smoke. With a brine spice rub and injection, it has layers of Louisiana flavor.
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Overview of the Recipe
Malcolm’s recipe involves brining the turkey, injecting a spicy Cajun butter mix, and coating it with a homemade Cajun seasoning before smoking. Here’s an overview:
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Cajun turkey brine – Brining ensures a juicy bird. The brine has salt, sugar, garlic, lemon, and Cajun seasoning.
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Butter injection – Basting the meat while cooking isn’t possible, so injecting flavor is key. The spicy, buttery injection keeps meat moist.
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Cajun seasoning – A homemade blend coats the skin with spices like oregano, cayenne, and paprika.
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Smoking method – The turkey smokes for about 3.5 hours at 300°F using pecan wood. Aim for 165°F internal temp.
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Apple and onion – Quartered apple and onion in the cavity add moisture and flavor.
Step-by-Step Cajun Turkey
Follow these steps to make Malcolm Reed’s signature Cajun smoked turkey:
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Make brine, injection, and seasoning – Whisk up the brine, spicy butter injection, and Cajun seasoning a day before smoking.
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Brine turkey – Submerge turkey in brine for 24 hours. Use a cooler and ice to keep chilled.
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Prepare smoker – Set up smoker with pecan wood for flavor. Heat to 300°F.
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Inject turkey – Remove turkey from brine, pat dry. Inject meat thoroughly with spicy butter mix.
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Season and add aromatics – Coat skin with Cajun seasoning. Place quartered apple and onion in cavity.
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Smoke turkey – Place turkey in smoker for about 3.5 hours until 165°F internal temp.
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Rest and slice – Allow turkey to rest 20 minutes before carving. Slice and serve.
Tips for the Best Cajun Smoked Turkey
Take your cajun smoked turkey to the next level with these tips:
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Use a fresh or fully thawed turkey. Do not brine a frozen turkey.
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Inject the turkey in multiple locations to evenly distribute flavor. Target the breasts, thighs, and legs.
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Spray the skin with cooking spray periodically while smoking to prevent drying out.
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Use butcher’s twine to truss the legs together so they cook evenly.
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Allow turkey to rest at least 20 minutes before slicing to allow juices to redistribute.
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Slice breast meat across the grain for tenderness. Arrange slices neatly on a platter.
With Malcolm Reed’s recipe and tips, you can make a show-stopping cajun smoked turkey with moist meat and tons of spicy flavor. The brine, injection, and seasoning give you lots of opportunities to layer the taste. Your guests will love this unique, lip-smacking twist on a Thanksgiving tradition.
Cajun Smoked Turkey Video
The best turkeys that we’ve ever cooked, whether on the grill or in the oven, have all been spatchcocked. We also believe in spatchcocking whole chickens before cooking. Yes, you won’t have the presentation-worthy whole turkey to bring to the dining table on a silver platter, but you will have a delicious and moist turkey.
Here are the main benefits of spatchcocking:
- The spatchcocked turkey cooks more evenly because the meat is more of a uniform thickness.
- Spatchcocking allows more of the skin to be exposed during smoking, giving you more of that delicious crispy skin.
- A spatchcocked turkey cooks faster.
If you’ve never spatchcocked a turkey before, then you can find a great beginner’s guide to spatchcocking here or watch me do it in this video for Smoked Cajun Turkey.
Making the Cajun Turkey Brine
I’ve made a TON of Thanksgiving turkeys over the years, everything from apple cider brined smoked turkey to traditional oven-baked turkey. But the one thing that I swear by is a wet brine.
To make this easy Cajun turkey brine, simply add all of the brine ingredients to a large pot. Allow the mixture to come to a boil and the salt and sugars to dissolve, and then remove from the heat. Stir in the whole jar of Zatarain’s Cajun Injector injectable marinade, and cool the mixture for about 30 minutes.
Once the Cajun brine has cooled, it’s time to brine the turkey. For this particular turkey, I used the cooler-brine method, but you can use a heavy-duty plastic brine bag and brine in a large roasting pan in the refrigerator if you prefer.
Simply add the cooled brine to a cooler, add a good amount of ice, and lay your turkey in the cooler, breast side down. Stir the ice and brine around a bit so that the turkey is completely submerged in the brine.
The concentrated brining liquid partially melts the ice to create a larger volume of brine. And then the remaining ice in the cooler keeps the turkey plenty cold overnight.
Plus, where I live the outside temperature in late November is usually pretty cold, so I keep my cooler outside while brining the turkey. You can also add more ice halfway through the brining time if needed, or use a thermometer to check the internal temp of your turkey if you’re worried about it.
As long as the turkey temperature stays below 40°F, you’ll be good to go!
After brining the turkey for 24 hours, it’s time to prep it for the grill. Remove the turkey from the Cajun brine and place it on a wire cooling rack on top of a sheet tray. I also add a piece of butcher paper to the sheet tray underneath the wire rack just to make clean up a little bit easier.
Pat it dry with paper towels, and then season liberally with your Cajun seasonings. Be sure to get all of the nooks and crannies, and season the top side (presentation side) of your turkey last.
- Think about the presentation – Season the presentation side (the top breast side that everyone sees) last so that you don’t get fingerprints in your seasoning.
- Layering seasonings the right way – This smoked turkey recipe calls for two different seasoning blends. Add the lighter colored seasoning to the turkey first, because you’ll be able to better see how much you add. If you try to put the light colored blend on top of the darker seasoning, it will be difficult to tell how much seasoning is on the turkey.
- Season liberally – Remember that a turkey is very large and typically very bland. Don’t be afraid to season heavily, especially if your seasoning blends are not salt-heavy.