This Cajun smoke-fried turkey is bold, spicy, bright, and exciting. There aren’t many turkey flavors like sage and thyme in this turkey. The homemade Cajun turkey injection makes it a star on your holiday table.
Cooking the perfect turkey can be a challenging task. With its large size and lean meat, it’s easy for turkey to end up dry and flavorless. However, there is a cooking method that results in a juicy, tender, and flavorful bird every time – smoking followed by frying. This dual cooking technique truly is the best way to cook a turkey.
Why Smoke Then Fry?
Smoking and frying each have their advantages when it comes to cooking turkey. Smoking infuses the meat with delicious smoky flavor and starts the cooking process gently Frying crisps up the skin beautifully and locks in all the moisture Doing both techniques in combination maximizes the benefits of each.
Smoking alone can sometimes lead to rubbery skin and frying alone doesn’t add much flavor. Smoke then fry solves both of these potential issues giving you perfectly cooked meat and an incredible crispy skin with robust flavor. It’s a foolproof way to get the best textural contrast and well-seasoned flavor in every bite.
Step 1: Brining
Before cooking, it’s important to brine the turkey. Brining involves soaking the raw turkey in a saltwater solution, which helps keep the meat incredibly moist and well-seasoned. Dissolve 1 cup of kosher salt and 1/2 cup of brown sugar into 2 gallons of water to make the brine. Submerge the thawed turkey and let it brine in the fridge overnight or up to 24 hours.
Step 2: Smoking
Remove the turkey from the brine and pat it completely dry. Coat it generously with your favorite dry rub – something like a simple salt, pepper, and herb blend works great Place the turkey in your smoker and smoke at around 275°F until it reaches an internal temperature of 145°F This partial smoke cook infuses tons of flavor.
Step 3: Frying
Heat up your fryer with peanut oil to 350°F. Carefully lower the smoked turkey into the hot oil and fry for around 10-15 minutes until the breast meat reaches 165°F. The hot oil crisps up the skin to absolute perfection.
Step 4: Resting
Allow the smoked fried turkey to rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing into it. This resting period allows the juices to redistribute evenly throughout the meat. Dig in and enjoy!
Tips for Smoking Success
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Use an instant read thermometer to accurately monitor the turkey’s temp.
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Add smoke wood chunks to the smoker for more pronounced smoky flavor. Apple, cherry, and pecan woods work great.
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Maintain even, consistent heat in the smoker around 275°F for the best results.
Tips for Frying Success
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Allow oil to come back up to temperature between frying the turkey and any other items.
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Use a thermometer to verify oil is at 350°F before frying.
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Fry the turkey by itself – no overcrowding – for crispiest skin.
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Have a fire extinguisher on hand just in case. Safety first!
Why This Method Rocks
Smoking then frying a turkey is hands down the best way to cook this large bird for several reasons:
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Smoking adds incredible depth of flavor that you just can’t get otherwise.
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Frying makes the skin super crispy and delicious.
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The two techniques combine to keep the meat very moist and juicy.
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It’s an easier and less time consuming method than roasting.
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You get the benefits of both smoking and frying in one recipe!
If you’ve never tried smoking and then frying a whole turkey, I highly recommend giving this method a shot. It consistently delivers perfectly cooked turkey that is seasoned to perfection, juicy and tender on the inside, and crispy and golden brown on the outside. This turkey is sure to be the star of any meal!
How to Safely Deep Fry a Turkey
Deep frying anything can be risky, but a whole turkey is always a challenge. Many, many fires break out each year with people trying unsuccessfully to fry their holiday turkeys. To keep your family dinner from going bad and the fire department from being called, here are some safety tips.
- Use a dedicated turkey fryer. Most can be picked up for around $100. These pots are very deep (about 28 to 30 liters), so they can hold both the turkey and the oil without spilling.
- Check that your propane has a regulator and a valve that turns it off yourself. A lot of the turkey fryer kits you can buy already have this adapter built in. This safety feature can prevent an explosion.
- Don’t overfill your turkey pot with oil. In step 1 of the recipe card below, you’ll find detailed instructions on how to figure out exactly how much oil you need to cover and fry your turkey.
- Dry your turkey before frying. To keep the oil from splashing and bubbling, it’s important to dry the turkey before frying it. I dry it with paper towels inside and outside the cavity.
- Place your fryer far away from any building in your yard, on a roof, on a deck, or on the ground. If your oil does catch, it can quickly and far spread. Keep the fryer as far away from anything that could catch fire as you can.
- Wear an apron and good shoes. Even from a deep fryer, hot oil can spray a long way.
Smoked Then Fried Cajun Turkey
A Cajun smoked turkey breast was actually the first thing my husband and I ever smoked. First bite of home-smoked meat. My father-in-law helped me with my old, free gas grill and a pie tin full of wood chips. I was hooked!.
It had all the flavor of a Cajun smoked turkey and the crispy skin of a fried turkey. Years later, I wanted to bring back some of that flavor and nostalgia in a turkey. And thus, smoke-fried turkey was born!.
Your breasts, thighs, and legs will be juicy and tasty because the injection butter has flavors like Worcestershire sauce, lemon, and spicy creole seasoning in it. You can make a turkey that tastes great and has great texture all the way through by adding smoke and then deep-frying it.
One quick tip for this recipe: skip the seasoning. This turkey is seasoned from the inside out, so I don’t think it needs an additional dry rub. Additionally, the rub will mostly come off in the fryer. If you want to add more flavor, sprinkle some of the creole seasoning that was used in the injection on the turkey after you’ve sliced it. That little dusting of color looks and tastes great on the finished bird.
To brine or not to brine? This is a very serious question when cooking turkey. For this particular turkey recipe, I don’t believe an additional brine is necessary.
However, I do recommend purchasing a pre-brined turkey injected with a saline solution. Most turkeys you buy at the store already have a brine on them, which I think is a great way to go. Since the injection has a lot of flavor, I don’t want to mix it up with extra flavor from a brine like my Apple Spiced Turkey Brine.
Thanksgiving Turkey Smoked AND Fried – Best of Both Worlds!
FAQ
Can you smoke a turkey and then deep fry it?
Can you smoke 2 turkeys at once?
Can you stuff a turkey and then deep fry it?
Can you fry 2 turkeys in the same oil?