Holiday Cajun Smoked Turkey

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Prep Time: 12 hours - Cook Time: 6 hours

This is my recipe for Holiday Cajun Smoked Turkey. I'm calling it a Holiday Turkey, I usually cook this every year, from Thanksgiving to Christmas, or any other time of year I can get a hold of cheap Turkey's. This recipe also works really well with Chicken, with a few adjustments. I like to buy Turkeys after Thanksgiving when they go on sale, so I can constantly have smoked Turkey in the refrigerator throughout the end of the year. To me, it doesn't get much better then left-over smoked turkey! I'll eat it cold, straight out of the refrigerator. Leftover turkey is pretty versatile, my wife and I recently took a Zoom cooking class online with the New Orleans Cooking School where we made Turkey Pot Pies, Turkey Gumbo with leftover Turkey. One of my all-time favorite meals, I could literally eat every day ... is to take leftover Turkey, shred it up and fry it in a hot skillet with butter. As it's frying, I sprinkle with the Cajun Seasoning, then when it's done, I serve it on a slice of bread, drizzling the whole thing the BBQ sauce, it's simple, quick and so good.

I'll easily cook half a dozen or more of these Turkeys from November to December. I like to use Pecan wood, but recently starting using Cherry wood, both instill a subtle smoke flavor in the meat. I'll lightly spray the outside of the Turkey with vegetable or Olive Oil cooking spray every hour or so, to keep the skin from drying out. The Turkey is always moist and succulent when it comes out of the smoker. Occasionally I'll deep fry one, it's hard to beat that crispy skin on a deep-fried Turkey, but I prefer the meat on the smoked turkey. We don't even bother with roasting Turkeys in the stove any move. We like to cook rice and place the freshly smoked turkey ( or chicken ) on a bed of rice, so when you cut into the bird the juices run out into the rice, giving it some amazing flavor.

Shown in this recipe along with Jalapeño Macaroni and Cheese, served in small cast iron skillets with cracker crust.


 

Ingredients



Cajun Seasoning


  2 tbsp Paprika
  2 tbsp Kosher Salt
  2 tbsp Garlic Powder
  1 1/2 tbsp Cayenne pepper
  1 tbsp Black Pepper
  1 tbsp White Pepper
  1 tbsp Onion Powder
  1/2 tbsp Ground Thyme
  1/2 tbsp Ground Oregano

Cajun Butter


  2 stick(s) Salted Butter
  1 cup(s) Chicken Broth or Stock
  1 1/2 tbsp Cajun Seasoning

Turkey brine


  3 gallon(s) Water
  2 cup(s) Kosher Salt
  2 cup(s) Sugar
  2 cup(s) Light Brown Sugar
  1 cup(s) Cajun Seasoning
  2 tbsp Whole Black Pepper Corns
  1/2 cup(s) Apple Cider Vinegar
  2 Bay Leaves
  2 Carrots
  2 Celery Stalks
  1 Yellow Onion
  1 Garlic Cloves

Smoked Turkey


  10-15 lbs Turkey
  2 cup(s) Cranberries
  2 Apples, sliced
   Apple Juice
   Vegetable Spray
   Butchers Twine
   Pecan or Cherry wood chips
   Black Pepper
   Salt

Jalapeno Mac and Cheese


  2 cup(s) Warm Milk
  1/4 cup(s) Unsalted Butter
  1/4 cup(s) All Purpose flour
  1 tsp Cayenne pepper
  8 oz Elbow Macaroni
  8 oz Velvet Cheese
  2 cup(s) Shredded Cheese
  1/4 cup(s) Diced Jalapeno
  8-10 Ritz Crackers
  2 tbsp Melted Butter
   Fresh Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
   Salt


Instructions


Cajun Seasoning


Step #1 Combine seasoning in small, sealable container, like a small mason jar. Secure the lid and give it a good shake. I like to print labels with the ingredients on them, then put them on the container. When the seasoning gets low, I don't have to search around for the proportions to recreate it.




Step #2 Add two sticks of butter to sauce pan and set heat to medium



Step #3 Allow the butter to melt. Once it melts, the milk fat should separate from the butter. Skim the top of the butter to remove white solid from the surface.



Step #4 Ladle top layer of butter to mason jar or another pot, leaving the bottom, whitish layer behind.



Step #5 Add 1 1/2 tbsp of Cajun seasoning to clarified butter. Combine with a chicken broth to thin out. Seal the mason jar and shake to combine.





Turkey Brine


Step #1 Add 3 gallons ( 12 quarts ) of water to stock kettle. Turn heat to high.



Step #2 While the water is heating up, measure out salt, sugar, brown sugar and Cajun seasoning and add to stock kettle



Step #3 Add bay leaves.




Step #4 Once it starts boiling reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 10 minutes.



Step #5 Turn off heat and move to other side of the stove and allow to cool. Add herbs, onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Add apple cider vinegar.



Step #6 Submerge Turkey in kettle and place in the fridge overnight, 12-24 hours.



Step #7 Remove the turkey from the brine and drain excess liquid. Place back in the refrigerator on wire rack for one hour, allowing the outside of the skin to dry.




Step #8 Soak wood chips in water. Fill smokers drip pan with apple juice.



Step #9 Set smoker to 225 degrees. Season the turkey's cavity with salt and Cajun seasoning. Add cranberries and diced apples to the bird's cavity, truss the legs with butcher's twine, to keep stuffing from falling out.



Step #10 Tuck the turkeys wings back.



Step #11 Then generously spray the outside of bird with vegetable spray.




Step #12 Sprinkle the outside the bird all over with the Cajun Seasoning.



Step #13 Use injection needle to draw the Cajun butter up into syringe. Inject the butter into the breast meat in a couple different places, along with the legs & thighs.



Step #14 Insert a digital temperature probe if you have one, so you can monitor the Turkey as it cooks.



Step #15 Place the Turkey in smoker and smoke for 5 to 7 hours, about 30 minutes per pound, adding soaked wood chips to the fire every 30 minutes to an hour, depending on your smoked flavor preference.




Step #16 Remove the Turkey from the smoker with it reaches a temperature. between 160 to 165. It'll have some carry over cooking. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before cutting into it.




Jalapeno Mac and Cheese


Step #1 Start your Mac and Cheese by boiling 4 quarts of water. Once the water reaches a rolling boil, add 1/2 cup of kosher salt to your pasta water, you want it to taste like sea water. Add 8 oz of pasta to the water and cook, uncovered, for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.



Step #2 While the pasta cooks, start your Bechamel cheese sauce for a Mac and Cheese. It should come together before the pasta finishes cooking. Start by melting 1/4 cup of unsalted butter in a small saucepan. Once the butter is melted, add 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and whisk until smooth.




Step #3 Slowly add 1 1/2 cups of warm milk to the flour and butter mixture, whisking continuously. When you see your sauce start to thicken, you can add your Cayenne Pepper. Add additional salt to taste.



Step #4 You can now turn off the stove burner and add the Velvet Cheese and shredded cheese. Stirring to combine and melt. Add cooked noodles and diced Jalapenos to sauce and combine.



Step #5 Grease or spray small cast iron skillets. Add individual serving of Mac and Cheese to small cast iron skillets. Put your Ritz Crackers in a zip lock bag and crush them into fine particles. Melt 1/2 tbsp of butter and combine with your crushed Ritz Crackers.



Step #6 Sprinkle the mixture of top of your Mac and Cheese.




Step #7 Place your Mac and Cheese on the top shelf of your oven and turn your broiler on low.



Step #8 Allow to cook until golden brown on top.



Step #9 Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.



Recipe Card

Holiday Cajun Smoked Turkey

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Prep Time: 12 hours - Cook Time: 6 hours



Ingredients



Cajun Seasoning


2 tbsp Paprika
2 tbsp Kosher Salt
2 tbsp Garlic Powder
1 1/2 tbsp Cayenne pepper
1 tbsp Black Pepper
1 tbsp White Pepper
1 tbsp Onion Powder
1/2 tbsp Ground Thyme
1/2 tbsp Ground Oregano

Cajun Butter


2 stick(s) Salted Butter
1 cup(s) Chicken Broth or Stock
1 1/2 tbsp Cajun Seasoning

Turkey brine


3 gallon(s) Water
2 cup(s) Kosher Salt
2 cup(s) Sugar
2 cup(s) Light Brown Sugar
1 cup(s) Cajun Seasoning
2 tbsp Whole Black Pepper Corns
1/2 cup(s) Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Bay Leaves
2 Carrots
2 Celery Stalks
1 Yellow Onion
1 Garlic Cloves

Smoked Turkey


10-15 lbs Turkey
2 cup(s) Cranberries
2 Apples, sliced
Apple Juice
Vegetable Spray
Butchers Twine
Pecan or Cherry wood chips
Black Pepper
Salt

Jalapeno Mac and Cheese


2 cup(s) Warm Milk
1/4 cup(s) Unsalted Butter
1/4 cup(s) All Purpose flour
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
8 oz Elbow Macaroni
8 oz Velvet Cheese
2 cup(s) Shredded Cheese
1/4 cup(s) Diced Jalapeno
8-10 Ritz Crackers
2 tbsp Melted Butter
Fresh Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
Salt


Instructions



Cajun Seasoning


Step #1 - Combine seasoning in small, sealable container, like a small mason jar. Secure the lid and give it a good shake. I like to print labels with the ingredients on them, then put them on the container. When the seasoning gets low, I don't have to search around for the proportions to recreate it.
Step #2 - Add two sticks of butter to sauce pan and set heat to medium
Step #3 - Allow the butter to melt. Once it melts, the milk fat should separate from the butter. Skim the top of the butter to remove white solid from the surface.
Step #4 - Ladle top layer of butter to mason jar or another pot, leaving the bottom, whitish layer behind.
Step #5 - Add 1 1/2 tbsp of Cajun seasoning to clarified butter. Combine with a chicken broth to thin out. Seal the mason jar and shake to combine.

Turkey Brine


Step #1 - Add 3 gallons ( 12 quarts ) of water to stock kettle. Turn heat to high.
Step #2 - While the water is heating up, measure out salt, sugar, brown sugar and Cajun seasoning and add to stock kettle
Step #3 - Add bay leaves.
Step #4 - Once it starts boiling reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 10 minutes.
Step #5 - Turn off heat and move to other side of the stove and allow to cool. Add herbs, onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Add apple cider vinegar.
Step #6 - Submerge Turkey in kettle and place in the fridge overnight, 12-24 hours.
Step #7 - Remove the turkey from the brine and drain excess liquid. Place back in the refrigerator on wire rack for one hour, allowing the outside of the skin to dry.
Step #8 - Soak wood chips in water. Fill smokers drip pan with apple juice.
Step #9 - Set smoker to 225 degrees. Season the turkey's cavity with salt and Cajun seasoning. Add cranberries and diced apples to the bird's cavity, truss the legs with butcher's twine, to keep stuffing from falling out.
Step #10 - Tuck the turkeys wings back.
Step #11 - Then generously spray the outside of bird with vegetable spray.
Step #12 - Sprinkle the outside the bird all over with the Cajun Seasoning.
Step #13 - Use injection needle to draw the Cajun butter up into syringe. Inject the butter into the breast meat in a couple different places, along with the legs & thighs.
Step #14 - Insert a digital temperature probe if you have one, so you can monitor the Turkey as it cooks.
Step #15 - Place the Turkey in smoker and smoke for 5 to 7 hours, about 30 minutes per pound, adding soaked wood chips to the fire every 30 minutes to an hour, depending on your smoked flavor preference.
Step #16 - Remove the Turkey from the smoker with it reaches a temperature. between 160 to 165. It'll have some carry over cooking. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before cutting into it.

Jalapeno Mac and Cheese


Step #1 - Start your Mac and Cheese by boiling 4 quarts of water. Once the water reaches a rolling boil, add 1/2 cup of kosher salt to your pasta water, you want it to taste like sea water. Add 8 oz of pasta to the water and cook, uncovered, for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step #2 - While the pasta cooks, start your Bechamel cheese sauce for a Mac and Cheese. It should come together before the pasta finishes cooking. Start by melting 1/4 cup of unsalted butter in a small saucepan. Once the butter is melted, add 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and whisk until smooth.
Step #3 - Slowly add 1 1/2 cups of warm milk to the flour and butter mixture, whisking continuously. When you see your sauce start to thicken, you can add your Cayenne Pepper. Add additional salt to taste.
Step #4 - You can now turn off the stove burner and add the Velvet Cheese and shredded cheese. Stirring to combine and melt. Add cooked noodles and diced Jalapenos to sauce and combine.
Step #5 - Grease or spray small cast iron skillets. Add individual serving of Mac and Cheese to small cast iron skillets. Put your Ritz Crackers in a zip lock bag and crush them into fine particles. Melt 1/2 tbsp of butter and combine with your crushed Ritz Crackers.
Step #6 - Sprinkle the mixture of top of your Mac and Cheese.
Step #7 - Place your Mac and Cheese on the top shelf of your oven and turn your broiler on low.
Step #8 - Allow to cook until golden brown on top.
Step #9 - Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.


About the Author

Jeff Davis
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You may think cooking and recipes don’t have much to do with a website dedicated to hunting dogs ... but really, why do we hunt? Sure, we enjoy watching our dogs work in the field and being outdoors, but ultimately, hunting is about survival and feeding our families. We might as well try to do it well. I'm not a chef and definitely no food authority ... but I do like to eat and enjoy cooking. After searching for people willing to share their recipes on Gundog Central, without much success, I decided to try to do a few on my own, with my wife Tami's help. The recipes I share here are things I like to eat and have made here at home. I've tried to include step-by-step instructions with each meal describing exactly how I did it, but my method may not be best, if you decide to try a recipe posted here, please use whatever technique you think works best, I'm simply sharing how I did it. You'll see a lot of recipes where I've tried to make things from starch, when I could have just used store bought ingredients, simply because I wanted to learn how something was done. My goal is to continually update these recipes as I learn new things and techniques. These are my attempts at creating good, home cooked food, that I would like to eat! If I'm sharing it here, my family and I enjoyed it and I believe you will too.