Cajun Smoked Turkey Recipe
It’s not Thanksgiving without a smoked turkey, and this year I’m doing a spicy Cajun Smoked Turkey version for my family. WHAT MALCOM USED IN THIS RECIPE: – Killer Hogs AP Seasoning – Killer Hogs Hot Sauce – Malcom’s Cajun Seasoning King Craw – Meat Bags – Turkey Injector – Injection Shaker Bottle – Thermoworks DOT – 12″ Slicing Knife PrintCajun Smoked Turkey Recipe
Ingredients
- 12–14lb Whole Turkey
- 1 ½ gallon Turkey Brine*
- 16oz Cajun Butter Injection*
- 1 Medium Size Onion
- 1 Medium Size Apple
- ¼ cup Cajun Seasoning*
Cajun Turkey Brine:
- 6 quarts Water
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1 cup Salt
- ½ cup Cajun Seasoning
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 2 stalks celery cut into quarters
- 1 Medium Onion quartered
- 4 Bay leaves
- 1 Tablespoon Whole Black Peppercorns
- 1 bundle of Fresh Poultry herbs (Rosemary, Thyme, & Sage)
- Juice of 2 lemons
- Bring 2 quarts of water, sugar, salt, & Cajun seasoning to a boil in a large pot over medium high heat. Stir to dissolve and pour into gallon pitcher. Add remaining ingredients along with 2 more quarts of water and steep for 1 hour or until mixture cools to room temperature. Pour over turkey and add remaining 2 quarts of water to completely submerge turkey in the brine.
Cajun Butter Injection:
- 14oz can of Chicken Broth
- 1/4 cup melted Butter
- 2 Tablespoons Killer Hogs Hot Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Cajun Seasoning
- Place ingredients into a bowl or mason jar and whisk to combine. Shake or stir well before injecting.
Cajun Seasoning:
- ¼ cup Killer Hogs AP Seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons Paprika
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Thyme
- 1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
- ½ Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
- ½ Tablespoon White Pepper
- Combine ingredients and store in airtight container for up to 1 month.
Instructions
- Thaw frozen turkey in refrigerator for 5 days; check cavity for neck/organs (discard or save for making stock).
- 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 300⁰ using pecan wood for smoke flavor.
- Remove turkey from brine and rinse under cool water. Pat skin dry with paper towel.
- Place quartered apples and onion 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.
- 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 165⁰ in the breast and 175⁰ in the thigh.
- Cover turkey loosely in aluminum foil and rest for 20 minutes. Carve into desired portions and serve.
- 6 quarts Water
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1 cup Salt
- ½ cup Cajun Seasoning (recipe below)
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 2 stalks celery cut into quarters
- 1 Medium Onion quartered
- 4 Bay leaves
- 1 Tablespoon Whole Black Peppercorns
- 1 bundle of Fresh Poultry herbs (Rosemary, Thyme, & Sage)
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 14oz can of Chicken Broth
- 1/4 cup melted Butter
- 2 Tablespoons Killer Hogs Hot Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Cajun Seasoning
- ¼ cup Killer Hogs AP Seasoning (or a good quality All Purpose seasoning)
- 2 Tablespoons Paprika
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Thyme
- 1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
- ½ Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
- ½ Tablespoon White Pepper
Cajun Smoked Turkey Recipe
Ingredients
- 12–14lb Whole Turkey
- 1 ½ gallon Turkey Brine*
- 16oz Cajun Butter Injection*
- 1 Medium Size Onion
- 1 Medium Size Apple
- ¼ cup Cajun Seasoning*
Cajun Turkey Brine:
- 6 quarts Water
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1 cup Salt
- ½ cup Cajun Seasoning
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 2 stalks celery cut into quarters
- 1 Medium Onion quartered
- 4 Bay leaves
- 1 Tablespoon Whole Black Peppercorns
- 1 bundle of Fresh Poultry herbs (Rosemary, Thyme, & Sage)
- Juice of 2 lemons
- Bring 2 quarts of water, sugar, salt, & Cajun seasoning to a boil in a large pot over medium high heat. Stir to dissolve and pour into gallon pitcher. Add remaining ingredients along with 2 more quarts of water and steep for 1 hour or until mixture cools to room temperature. Pour over turkey and add remaining 2 quarts of water to completely submerge turkey in the brine.
Cajun Butter Injection:
- 14oz can of Chicken Broth
- 1/4 cup melted Butter
- 2 Tablespoons Killer Hogs Hot Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Cajun Seasoning
- Place ingredients into a bowl or mason jar and whisk to combine. Shake or stir well before injecting.
Cajun Seasoning:
- ¼ cup Killer Hogs AP Seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons Paprika
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Thyme
- 1 Tablespoon Onion Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
- ½ Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
- ½ Tablespoon White Pepper
- Combine ingredients and store in airtight container for up to 1 month.
Instructions
- Thaw frozen turkey in refrigerator for 5 days; check cavity for neck/organs (discard or save for making stock).
- 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 300⁰ using pecan wood for smoke flavor.
- Remove turkey from brine and rinse under cool water. Pat skin dry with paper towel.
- Place quartered apples and onion 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.
- 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 165⁰ in the breast and 175⁰ in the thigh.
- Cover turkey loosely in aluminum foil and rest for 20 minutes. Carve into desired portions and serve.
Have a Question About This Recipe?
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You need to get a brine bucket
Looks good
I have a master built electric smoker, it will only go to 275. What do I need to do differently to make up for the cooking time?
It will take longer – so you don’t want to cook a larger turkey. But just hold the temps steady
Malcom, what adjustments do you make for a larger bird (20-24lbs). Do you change the brine? Cooking temp? Seasoning? Any tips will be appreciated!
Get rid of that junk. Not real bbq unless fossil fuels provide heat.
I use a old cast iron skillet filled with hot charcoal on the bottom rack above the electric element to add the extra heat with a splash of pecan wood chips on the coals,=extra heat +extra smoke
Spatchcock the bird. Just takes longer at 275
We are doing this! Question, can you brine the turkey longer than 24 hours?
yeah- you can go 48 hours.
I smoked a turkey on my Weber kettle using your smoked turkey recipe. Best turkey I ever had
I’m going to be doing a 25lbs Turkey this weekend (GMG DB). Should I do it at 300°f? And how long do you think it would take?
Made this for Thanksgiving this yesterday – man was it GOOD! This recipe is perfect, just enough heat, just enough spice, and so many flavors. Thanks!
Is there a particular type of apple or onion you would recommend for stuffing the cavity?
No, whatever you like would work. It does give a little flavor – but it’s mostly about adding mass and cooking the product evenly.
One more question: is there a brand of cooking soray you would recommend?
Just a good quality one.
Hey Malcom, I just finished dinner and it was the first time I have smoked a turkey on my new Traeger pellet smoker. I wanted to thank you for sharing this recipe and making the video. I followed this pretty closely and it turned out AMAZING! I got many compliments on how juicy the turkey was. I can’t wait to try a few of your other recipes on your site. Nice job. Keep up the great work!
Glad to hear it!
Aloha Malcom, You helped me get started a few months ago I watched tons of you videos. I have made 4 turkeys so far and doing two more this weekend, They were on sale for 0.49 cents/Lb!
I use this recipe as my starting point each time. They are the best turkeys you can ever eat! Thanks for all your guidance.
Cory
Greetings from Orlando,
We have a Jamaican friend who helped us to adapt your recipe to Jamaican Style Jerked Turkey. It is toned down to fit the Gringo’s heat index but all the techniques you have given seem to make the transition to the Caribbean beautifully. The smoking process adds a wonderful flavor as in their famous Jerked Chicken. He didn’t write anything down just started winging it with cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme, and allspice. He used a little cayenne to heat things up and commented that a scotch bonnet pepper would be more authentic. We substituted his spice combination for your cajun version and it all worked! The seasoned butter and chicken stock injection is a killer idea that really kept it all juicy. I’m sure you could do a better job with the idea, I’ll watch for Malcom’s version to show up.
Thanks for all your great tips!!
dc
Just did my first set of ribs on my UDS. First time ever smoking anything. I used your recipe and the ribs were great!! I’d like to test run this recipe before Thanksgiving. How would I adjust this for a UDS?
Thanks, and
Q-DAT
If you can keep the temps steady – you can cook this recipe on any smoker. So you don’t really need to adjust anything – but I wouldn’t put too much wood in a UDS for a turkey because it’s a white meat and the UDS gives some serious smoke flavor.
I followed this exactly last Thanksgiving with 2 smaller birds. Everyone said it was the best turkey they ever had. Great instructions!
Malcolm,
Do you think this recipe could be adapted to work on a gas grill using the indirect cooking method?
If you can hold the temps steady – you can cook it on any cooker
Hey Malcom, thanks for this video. My family loved your recipe last year. Question though, last year I cooked it with a gas smoker that could only get to 250 degrees. I have a pellet smoker this year so can get to 300 degrees. Have all of these that you cooked been in the 3 1/2 range? Last year it took me closer to 8 hours.
Thanks!
Hey Malcom
Cooking a few turkeys for church
Did a practice cook this past weekend using your recipe, it turned out great
But I need to take the spice and heat level down a notch
Any suggestions
Thanks
just pull back on the peppers in the recipe or use non-spicy seasonings.
Hi Malcom,
Great recipe. Best advise for cooking day before and serving next day?
David Ussery
Just reheat it in the oven until it hits 140 internal. That is the proper temp to reheat a turkey – taking it further than that can dry it out.
Hey Malcom,
Love the website…last year I did a smoked turkey but the skin was really tough and inedible.
Have you ever heard of such a thing? If so what did I do wrong?
Roy
No, but it sounds like you might have overcooked it. You gotta go by the internal temp instead of time – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcGHGr4l-rU
Hey Malcolm, I was planning on using this recipe for a 20lb turkey. Since its a larger bird, should I adjust anything for the larger size and to avoid drying out the turkey? I appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks!
this might give you some better info: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcGHGr4l-rU
Where can I find the injector you are using?
we don’t have the BDI Injector in stock – the manufacturer has stopped production.
I’ve had horrible luck with injectors. Where can I get the one you are using in this video to try? Thanks!
we don’t have the BDI Injector in stock – the manufacturer has stopped production.
Hi Malcom, Your the man! I love your videos and have tried a few of your recipes and all of them, despite me being green at smoking, have turned out really solid. I have done a deep fried turkey for years but now that I have my new pellet smoker I want to try to smoke a turkey. I ran across your Cajun Turkey recipe and have picked up some rubs from your site and going to give it a try.
I did have a silly question though. Does it make a difference if I spatchcock the turkey first or will that negatively impact the finished bird?
Thanks
no, you can spatchcock – just go by internal temps and not time
What’s up Malcom big fan here love your rib and pork shoulder recipes on my UDS, doing 4 racks this weekend with your bbq rub in fact ! Anyway First time smoking turkey i’ll be using this recipe for Thanksgiving this year had a question about gravy for you. So I’m planning to use a drip pan and save the turkey juices can you recommend a recipe or what to do with the juices for mashed potatoes? Thanks buddy keep up the great work!
I don’t recommend saving drippings from a smoked turkey – it’s going to be over-smoked
https://howtobbqright.com/2018/11/14/holiday-smoking-tips-how-to-cook-multiple-meats-at-once/
Hey Malcolm. First timer here. On the brine receipe it says Juice from 2 lemons. Was wondering do you throw the lemons with brine after squeezing the juice or throw away?
throw them in
I know this is all about smoking a turkey, would love to have one. I was wondering if instead of smoking would it come out good in an oven? I also can use a convection oven.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Vicki
Is the sugar you use for your brine brown sugar or regular?
regular
Hey Malcom,
Can you confirm the amount of Cajun seasoning you put in the brine? It says 1/2 cup and the recipe makes a little of a 1/4 cup. Just want to make sure. Thank you!
just make a double batch
Hey Malcom,
I’m going to fry and smoke some turkeys for Thanksgiving using your Cajun Brine and Injection recipes. I noticed your Cajun Brine has more sugar than salt which is different from a lot of other standard brine recipes. Does that add more sweetness to the Tukery? If I reduced the amount of sugar would it affect the brine too much? Does your brine work well for Fried Turkeys?
Thanks again
you can change the recipe to make it your own
Hey Malcom
Great website! I’ll be doing your Cajun turkey (13#) and spiral cut honey glazed ham (10#) recipes next week. Quick question on cook time planning. I was planning to cook both at the same time (300 F) in my pellet smoker and was wondering if that was recommended or do you prefer cooking separately. Should I plan for longer cook times if doing them together? Thanks!
I put together some info here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcGHGr4l-rU
Hi Malcolm.
If I am using a pre brined turkey, should I just leave out the salt from your brine recipe?
Thanks
Most of the turkeys in the grocery are packed in a solution, but I always brine them anyway
Made this today for the work crew and it came out great! Took 5 hours to cook a 17 pound turkey. Best compliment was that even the fat was delicious 😉
I’m making this brine tonight. Is the “salt” just regular salt, or is it kosher salt?
table salt
Followed. But used Creole not Cajun. Was amazing! Thank you!
Will store bought spice jnjectate and rub make the brined turkey too salty?
I don’t think it will make it too salty – I always brine and inject my turkey
I just made this last night! AMAZING!! first time having a smoked Turkey and now we plan on making 1 every yr. Thank you.
Malcom, Just wanted to say thanks. I followed your directions as best I could. My family generally doesn’t like turkey, and is not known for holding back their opinion, but this year I decided to cook. They said this is the best turkey they have ever had, and from now on it is the only way we are allowed to cook turkey.
Thanks again, John
I used your injection recipe for my 12 lb turkey but the dry ingredients and thick butter (as it cooked down), clogged the injector needle. What can I do about that? I’ve always use the commercial brand ( Tonys), but I wanted to try yours. I use a lot of your recipes, and what can I say,…..you are the MAN!
I’m going to be doing a 25lbs Turkey this weekend (GMG DB). Should I do it at 300°f? And how long do you think it would take?
That’s a monster turkey! I would cook it at 300 but you’ll want to cover it loosely once the skin gets some color or it’ll turn dark. For a bird that size it’ll take upwards of 6 hrs.
Hey Malcom, I’m planning on smoking a whole turkey (12-13 lbs) this year, and my questions is, can you stuff a smoked turkey with a traditional style bread and giblets stuffing, will it cook properly or take longer to smoke? Thanks in advance!
It will cook just fine. You just have to make sure the stuffing hits 140 internal too – so any juices that cook into the stuffing don’t get anyone sick.
Can I stuff the turkey with a traditional meat stuffing instead of the apples and onions?
Instead of mixing up my own cajun seasoning, could I sub for the Tony’s creole seasoning or would that make it too spicy?
No, Tony’s is a good substitute!
Right on! Was going to ask the same question. Doing this on Thursday! Looking forward to it! Thanks for the recipe! Great video!
Do we need a gravy to go with a smoked Cajun recipe?
It’s all up to you… gravy is never a bad choice.
What would be a good way to smoke a 14 lbs turkey using a gas grill?
Set it up for 2 zone cooking and cook the turkey on a cooling rack in a shallow aluminum pan. You’ll need to rotate it often for even cooking.
Three years running at our early friendsgiving…. best turkey out of 6. This turns out great every time.
Thanks!
Hi Malcom,
If I smoked the Turkey a day before Thanksgiving, would it ruin it if I warmed it up in the over on Turkey Day?
no, After it comes off the smoker (when it’s 165 in the breast) let it cool completely and place it in the fridge. Then next day allow it to come up to room temp for about 30-45 minutes before you put it in the oven at 250 until it hits 140 internal (140 is the proper temp to serve). Let it rest for 10 minutes then slice and serve.
Hi Malcolm! Looking forward to trying this. It’s just the two of us this year, so I’m only doing 8lb Turkey. Any guess on how much less time that will take? I might even try spatchcock to really speed up. I’ll check internals, i just need a ballpark number.
If you spatchcock an 8lb bird I would guess it would take less than 2 hours.
So I’ve never smoked a Turkey before this will be my first, and this looks amazing. I have an 30″ masterbuilt electric smoker. The max temp is 275°. Will this still work? And if so what kind of adjustments should I make for a 14lb bird?
It’ll take a little longer just use a good probe thermometer to watch the internal temps and cover the bird with foil once it gets a nice golden color. This will keep it from turning too dark.
Hello Malcom,
I an doing a 20lbs bird in an electric smoker that was gifted to me but it only goes up to 275 degrees. Can you please give me an estimation of the time it will take to cook. I am not doing stuffing other than your apple and onion stuffing
I don’t have a great answer here but I would guess at least 6-8hrs for a bird that big.
Any pros/cons to using the big green egg “beer can” to put the turkey vertically with this reciepe? Thanks!
No, I think that would work just fine
Hi Malcom,
My smoker isn’t an indirect heat setup, do I need to adjust cooking temp to account for the heat being right under the bird?
You need to create a two-zone fire. You can’t cook the turkey over coals. We talk more in-depth of how to setup a two zone fire in this podcast: https://howtobbqright.com/2019/10/10/bonafide-ribeye-sandwich-two-zone-cooking/ You can jump right to the 35 minute mark to get the info on two-zone cooking.
Hi Malcom,
My smoker isnt an indirect heat setup, do I need to adjust cooking temp to account for the heat being directly under the bird?
yes and you probably need to cook it on a wire rack over an aluminum shallow pan. It’ll help shield some of the direct heat.
Tried this with an Electric Masterbuilt smoker. First time doing a turkey and second time smoking any meat. IT WAS PERFECT! IT took a few hours longer but it was so worth it! Thanksgiving was a huge success, thank you for your recipe and easy to follow instructions! On to trying the Prime Rib and Suckling Pig next!
Which Yoder model is this?
YS480
Malcom, I am going to smoke a 22lb turkey. How long can I expect to smoke it? I am using a Treager Lil Tex.
smoke until it hits 165 in the breast.
Amazing turkey. Family loves it. Moist and tender inside, just the right amount of spice and beautiful crispy skin. And fast!
★★★★★
I’m smoking one to take to work the next day. What is the best way to heat it up at lunch. Time/temp please!
I always like to allow it to cool and vacuum seal. Then reheat in the vacuum seal bag with hot water.
Hey Malcom any tips for doing this on a drum? Any special considerations? Should I shield the bottom? Or just let her run?!?!? Thanks, love your stuff!
Hi Macomb, do you have any advice on how to keep the temp on a smoker or how to get it up? I’ve tired your recipe several times and it’s a big hit with my family. But I find myself smoking my turkey for 12 plus hours because we can’t get our smoker to temp. Also I’m ordering the Cajun seasoning, will that be okay instead of getting the AP all purpose and adding to it?
Hi Malcom
Cooking at higher temps usually means less smoke on my pellet grill. When I cook chicken at these higher temps I often put some pellets in my A-maze-n tube. Do you think this is okay with the turkey or would that be too much smoke? I was thinking of using it for just the first 2 hours.
Thanks!
Can I use your King Craw seasoning in place of the Cajun seasoning?
Oh yeah!
I followed this recipe last Thanksgiving and it was phenomenal. So you know I’m running it back this year.
★★★★★
I’ve been watching your videos for quite some time. I only tried the cage and spoke to me. And the family absolutely love it! Thank you very much.
Best turkey that I have ever made, thank you!
★★★★★
We have been cooking a recipe for a orange sage turkey for years, we switched to this for Christmas and it was the best turkey ever!! Thank you!!
Im gonna try it…..tanx
★★★★★
So I have a pit boss pellet grill should I do anything differently than what you did? Every other recipe I’ve cooked from you has been amazing thanks.
How would you do this recipe now that you have your own cajun rub and bird brine mixture?
Hey Malcom… Can’t wait to give this a go this weekend on a test run. I was looking at a bunch of different recipes and came across this one. Oddly enough it’s identical to yours and they’re claiming credit for it. Jsut thought you might like to know. https://www.yodersmokers.com/2019/07/cajun-brine-solution-for-turkey/#comment-7732
Best turkey we ever made!
Always get great complements every year using your recipe, love it! This is my first year cooking the turkey on a pellet smoker. I was thinking of cooking it on the “super smoker” mode(180 degrees) for X time but wasn’t sure of how long or if it would make the skin tough. Have you tired something like this before? Thank you in advance!
Fantastic! Thank you!
Thank you again for this terrific recipe. I am going to smoke another one the day before Thanksgiving, and am wondering if you have any tips for warming it the next day for Thanksgiving dinner. In the past, when I smoke one the day before, I stick it in the oven at 350′ for about an hour. Even if I leave it foiled, it tends to dry out the bird. Is there a secret to this? Thanks for any tips and happy Thanksgiving to all!