Cajun Smoked Turkey Recipe 385 Food

CAJUN SMOKED TURKEY

Steps:

• Thaw frozen Whole Turkey (12 pound) in refrigerator for 5 days; check cavity for neck/organs (discard or save for making stock).
• Bring 2 quarts of Water (2 quart), Caster Sugar (2 cup) and Cajun Seasoning (1/2 cup) to a boil in a large pot over medium high heat. Stir to dissolve and pour into gallon pitcher.
• Add Salt (1 cup), Garlic (6 clove), Celery (2 stalk), Onion (1), Bay Leaf (4), Black Peppercorns (1 teaspoon), Fresh Herbs (1 bunch), and Lemon (2) along with Water (2 quart) and steep for 1 hour or until mixture cools to room temperature.
• Pour over turkey and add remaining Water (2 quart) to completely submerge turkey in the brine.
• Place turkey in an XXL Ziplock bag and pour brine over bird. Store in a cooler with ice around the bag to keep cool. Brine Turkey for 24 hours replacing ice as necessary.
• Prepare smoker for indirect cooking at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) using pecan wood for smoke flavor.
• Remove turkey from brine and rinse under cool water. Pat skin dry with paper towel.
• Place Chicken Broth (14 fluid ounce), Butter (1/4 cup), Killer Hogs Hot Sauce (2 tablespoon) and Cajun Seasoning (1 teaspoon) into a bowl or mason jar and whisk to combine. Shake or stir well before injecting.
• Place quartered Apple (1) and Onion (1) in the cavity and tie the legs together with butcher twine. Inject the breast, legs, and thighs with Cajun injection. Coat the skin with vegetable cooking spray.
• Combine Killer Hogs The A.P. Rub (1/4 cup), Paprika (2 tablespoon), Dried Oregano (1 tablespoon), Dried Thyme (1 tablespoon), Onion Powder (1 tablespoon), Dried Parsley (1 tablespoon), Cayenne Pepper (1/2 tablespoon) and Ground White Pepper (1/2 tablespoon) and store in airtight container for up to 1 month.
• Season the outside of the turkey with Cajun seasoning* and place on preheated smoker.
• Smoke the turkey for 3 ½ hours spraying the skin with additional cooking spray as necessary. Remove the turkey from the smoker when internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F (73 degrees C) in the breast and 175 degrees F (79 degrees C) in the thigh.
• Cover turkey loosely in aluminum foil and rest for 20 minutes. Carve into desired portions.

CAJUN SMOKED TURKEY RECIPE

Steps:

• Stir together kosher salt, light brown sugar, paprika, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl; set Cajun rub aside.
• Remove giblets and neck from turkey; reserve for another use. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Rub 1 tablespoon Cajun rub in cavity. Reserve 1 tablespoon Cajun rub, and sprinkle outside of turkey with remaining Cajun rub; rub into skin. Chill turkey, uncovered, 10 to 24 hours.
• Stir together butter and reserved 1 tablespoon Cajun rub. Loosen skin from turkey breast without totally detaching skin; spread butter mixture under skin. Replace skin, securing with wooden picks. Tie ends of legs together with kitchen twine, tuck wing tips under, and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare charcoal fire in smoker according to manufacturer's instructions, bringing internal temperature to 225°F to 235°F. Maintain temperature inside smoker 15 to 20 minutes. Place hickory chips on coals. Smoke turkey, breast side up, covered with smoker lid, until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of turkey registers 155°F, 5 to 6 hours.
• Remove turkey from smoker, cover loosely with heavy-duty aluminum foil, and let stand 20 minutes before slicing.

CAJUN-INJECTED SPICY TURKEY

Steps:

• Make the marinade by combining the Worcestershire sauce, crab boil, apple cider, honey, beer, salt, allspice, Creole seasoning, cayenne, olive oil, and minced garlic in a blender and process until very smooth, about 5 minutes. Fill a large syringe* and inject turkey in the breast and thigh area, as well as the back, wings, and legs, with at least 2/3 of the marinade. You will have to fill the syringe numerous times.
• Preheat the oven to 420 degrees F and line a large roasting pan with aluminum foil.
• Season the injected turkey well both inside and out with the kosher salt and black pepper. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan lined with aluminum foil and pour the remaining marinade all over the turkey. Bake the turkey uncovered for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, add 1 cup of the chicken broth to the roasting pan, and continue to bake the turkey until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part between the thigh and the leg registers 165 degrees F. (If the turkey begins to brown too much, tent loosely with aluminum foil until it is done. Also, add more broth as necessary to keep the bottom of the roasting pan from burning.)
• When the turkey is done, remove it from the oven and set aside to rest at least 20 minutes before carving.

CAJUN BUTTER SPATCHCOCK TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Combine the butter, wine, celery, bell pepper, onion, Cajun seasoning, brown sugar, hot sauce and salt in a food processor or blender. Process until very smooth. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and keep warm over low heat.
• Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey and save for stock or discard. Place the turkey breast-side down on a cutting board. Cut along one side of the backbone from the tail to the neck with a chef's knife or kitchen shears. Repeat with the other side and remove the backbone. (Save for stock!)
• Turn the turkey over, and press down on the breastbone with the heel of your hand until it cracks. Tuck the wing tips up and over the back of the turkey. (This prevents them from burning.) Place the turkey on a wire rack in a roasting pan.
• Fill a flavor injector with the butter mixture and inject as much of the butter into the turkey at different angles. Pour any remaining butter over the top of the turkey, then sprinkle with additional Cajun seasoning, if desired. Place the roasting pan on the middle rack in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, undisturbed.
• Baste the turkey with the pan juices and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue to bake, basting occasionally, until a meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees F when inserted in the thickest portion of the breast and thigh (avoiding bone), 45 minutes to 1 hour. (Add the chicken stock to the roasting pan if it starts to dry out.) Let rest before slicing. Serve with the pan drippings.

CAJUN BUTTER SPATCHCOCKED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Fit an 18-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet with a wire rack.
• To spatchcock the turkey, use a large chef's knife or kitchen shears to cut along both sides of the backbone. Remove the backbone and reserve for stock if desired. Place the turkey breast-side up on a cutting board and use your hands to press the center to break the breastbone and flatten the bird. Use your fingers to gently loosen the skin from the breast and the legs, then place the turkey on the prepared baking sheet.
• To make the Cajun butter, mix together the smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, dried thyme, salt and black pepper in a medium bowl. Place the butter in another medium bowl and mix in the spice mixture until well combined. Transfer a quarter of the Cajun butter to a small microwave-safe bowl and set aside.
• Rub the turkey with the remaining room temperature Cajun butter under the skin and on top of the skin.
• Roast the turkey until the skin begins to brown, about 35 minutes.
• Microwave the reserved Cajun butter until melted, about 10 seconds. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, brush the melted Cajun butter over the crispy skin and roast until golden, about 20 minutes. Baste the turkey with the pan drippings and roast, basting once more, until the internal temperature registers 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour.
• Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest at least 15 minutes. Pour the juices from the baking sheet into a small serving bowl and reserve for drizzling over the bird. Slice the turkey breasts and transfer to a serving platter. Remove the wings, thighs and legs and transfer to the platter. Slice the 1/2 lemon into rounds. Garnish the turkey with the lemon rounds and herb sprigs if desired.

MESQUITE SMOKED CAJUN WHOLE TURKEY COOKED ON GAS GRILL

Steps:

• Preheat grill on high. Turn down to maintain (medium) 350 degrees.
• Place smoker box of wet mesquite chips on grill.
• Remove neck and giblets from cavity, rinse turkey, and pat dry.
• Mix spices in a small bowl, set aside 1 TBSP of mixture, and put some of the mixture in the cavity and some under the skin.
• Spray turkey with butter spray and pat reserved spice mixture on the skin of the turkey.
• Place turkey breast side down, turning back wing tips, on the grill over a dip pan.
• Cook turkey for 11 to 13 minutes per pound (internal temperature 180 degrees in thigh and 170 degrees in breast.
• Note: At halfway point, turn turkey if needed for even cooking. 10- 18 pound turkey takes 2 to 3 hours. We turned our turkey at 1 1/2 hours. To reach internal temperature of 170 in breast we cooked it for 1 1/2 more.
• Let stand 15 minutes before carving.