Cajun-Style Smoked Turkey

A show stopping centerpiece and a creative way to get a bird on the table for any holiday meal.

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated September 26, 2023
A golden Cajun-style turkey resting on the surface of a charcoal grill.

Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

Why It Works

  • In lieu of a brine this recipe uses a meat injection syringe to infuse the turkey with flavor.
  • This turkey is spicy, but not too spicy, and the spice is beautifully complemented by the smoke from the grill.

Each Thanksgiving I look forward to firing up the smoker and seeing what new turkey creation I can come up with to throw in there. So far I've done well with an apple-brine and honey-brine, but I took things to a whole new level this year with a Cajun-inspired smoked bird.

In lieu of a brine, a spicy butter and beer based liquid was injected all over this turkey, which was then coated in a rub and smoked for three hours.

While past birds have had a more subtle flavor, this one came out packing a punch. The injection left the meat juicy and heavily spiced throughout, giving it a heat that was always present, but not so strong that it overwhelmed the light smokiness. The skin was also fantastic—you'll want to eat it by itself.

With such great success—and easier and faster than brining—I've found a new method to keep my turkey experimentation going for years on end. Now if only Thanksgiving happened more often!

November 2011

Recipe Details

Cajun-Style Smoked Turkey Recipe

Prep 10 mins
Cook 2 hrs 25 mins
Active 15 mins
Resting Time 20 mins
Total 2 hrs 55 mins
Serves 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

For the injection

  • One 12-ounce bottle beer, at room temperature

  • 1/2 cup butter, melted

  • 6 large garlic cloves

  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

  • 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning

  • 1 tablespoon liquid crab boil

  • 1 tablespoon Louisiana-style hot sauce

  • 1 tablespoon Kosher salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • One 12 to 14 pound natural turkey, rinsed and patted dry with paper towels

For the rub

  • 1 teaspoon paprika

  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin

  • 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 2 fist-sized chunks of apple wood or other light smoking wood

Directions

  1. To make the injection, place beer, butter, garlic, Worcestershire, Creole seasoning, liquid crab boil, hot sauce, salt, and cayenne pepper in the jar of a blender and puree until completely smooth. Using a meat injection syringe, inject mixture into meat of turkey all over with each injection spaced about 1-inch apart.

    The breast of a turkey being injected with flavored liquid.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

  2. To make the rub, combine paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, oregano, cumin, salt, black pepper, and cayenne in a small bowl. Season turkey inside and out with rub. Fold wings under the body and tie the legs together, then brush entire turkey lightly with vegetable oil.

    A raw turkey on a cutting board spread all over with spices.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

  3. Fire up smoker or grill to 325°F, adding smoking wood chunks when at temperature. When wood is ignited and producing smoke, place turkey in smoker or grill and smoke until an instant read thermometer registers 165°F in thickest part of the breast, about 2 to 3 hours.

    A spice-rubbed turkey placed on the surface of a smoking charcoal grill.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

  4. Remove the turkey from smoker and allow to rest, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes. Carve and serve.

    The fully cooked, golden brown smoked turkey on the surface of a charcoal grill.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

Special Equipment

Smoker, meat injection syringe

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
898Calories
41gFat
4gCarbs
119gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories898
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 41g53%
Saturated Fat 14g70%
Cholesterol 417mg139%
Sodium 1857mg81%
Total Carbohydrate 4g2%
Dietary Fiber 0g1%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 119g
Vitamin C 2mg12%
Calcium 78mg6%
Iron 5mg29%
Potassium 1294mg28%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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