Cajun-Style Smoked Turkey

A smoky, show-stopping centerpiece.

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 November 22, 2024
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
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Ingredients

For the Injection:

  • 3/4 cup (175 ml) beer, at room temperature

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 ounces; 57 g), melted

  • 3 medium cloves garlic (15 g)

  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce

  • 1 tablespoon (15 g) Creole seasoning

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons liquid crab boil

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Louisiana-style hot sauce

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume 

  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

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

For the Rub:

  • 2 teaspoons paprika

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1 teaspoon onion powder

  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin

  • 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil

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

Directions

  1. For the Injection: In a blender, combine beer, butter, garlic, Worcestershire, Creole seasoning, liquid crab boil, hot sauce, salt, and cayenne pepper and purée until completely smooth. Fold turkey wings under the body and, using kitchen twine, tie legs together. 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. For the Rub: In a small bowl, combine paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, oregano, cumin, salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Season turkey inside and out with rub, 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 (160ºC), 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 (74ºC) in thickest part of the breast, 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 let 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

Make-Ahead and Storage

The spice rub can be made up to 1 month in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Leftover turkey can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1281 Calories
54g Fat
3g Carbs
182g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories 1281
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 54g 70%
Saturated Fat 17g 84%
Cholesterol 704mg 235%
Sodium 1269mg 55%
Total Carbohydrate 3g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 2%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 182g
Vitamin C 1mg 7%
Calcium 103mg 8%
Iron 7mg 41%
Potassium 1570mg 33%
*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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