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This Cajun smoked turkey is one of the best Thanksgiving turkey recipes that we’ve ever made! With a simple homemade Cajun turkey brine and a blend of seasonings, this Cajun turkey will be the star of your dinner table this holiday!
We’ve made a few different Cajun smoked turkey recipes over the last few years, tweaking the homemade brine, trying various seasonings, and experimenting with injectable marinades. We’ve even done a smoked then fried Cajun turkey to see if the extra deep frying step made a difference (it didn’t… save the money and the mess and stick to smoking it).
And the wife and I agree that this is our favorite way to make Cajun smoked turkey.
Yes, it does use a store-bought marinade – and I know that some people may frown on that for their Thanksgiving birds – but it’s one that we swear by and have used over and over again. And we used the jarred marinade in a very unique way… not injecting it into the turkey as it was originally intended.
If you want to try a super easy to prepare smoked turkey that delivers on the flavor, then give this smoked Cajun turkey a try! *Or check out our apple cider brined turkey recipe here or a rotisserie turkey here – two more awesome smoked turkey recipes!
Ingredient Notes
- whole turkey – Thawed and spatchcocked. For smoked turkey, we firmly believe in spatchcocking for more even cooking and maximum smoke flavor.
- Cajun-style injectable marinade – We have used the Zatarain’s Cajun Injector injectable marinade for years. We add it to water, salt, sugar, and other brine ingredients for an easy and budget-friendly turkey brine.
- brine ingredients – In addition to the Cajun marinade, you’ll need a whole lemon, a whole head of garlic, bay leaves, black peppercorns, salt, white sugar, and brown sugar.
- Cajun seasonings – You’ll use these to season the brined turkey before putting it on the smoker. We used a blend of Heath Riles Cajun Creole Garlic Butter seasoning and Heath Riles Simple Citrus Rub. You can substitute your favorite all-purpose seasoning and Cajun seasoning.
Cajun Smoked Turkey Video
Spatchcocking the Turkey
The best turkeys that we’ve ever cooked, whether on the grill or in the oven, have all been spatchcocked. We also believe in spatchcocking whole chickens before cooking. Yes, you won’t have the presentation-worthy whole turkey to bring to the dining table on a silver platter, but you will have a delicious and moist turkey.
Here are the main benefits of spatchcocking:
- The spatchcocked turkey cooks more evenly because the meat is more of a uniform thickness.
- Spatchcocking allows more of the skin to be exposed during smoking, giving you more of that delicious crispy skin.
- A spatchcocked turkey cooks faster.
If you’ve never spatchcocked a turkey before, then you can find a great beginner’s guide to spatchcocking here or watch me do it in this video for Smoked Cajun Turkey.
Making the Cajun Turkey Brine
I’ve made a TON of Thanksgiving turkeys over the years, everything from apple cider brined smoked turkey to traditional oven-baked turkey. But the one thing that I swear by is a wet brine.
To make this easy Cajun turkey brine, simply add all of the brine ingredients to a large pot. Allow the mixture to come to a boil and the salt and sugars to dissolve, and then remove from the heat. Stir in the whole jar of Zatarain’s Cajun Injector injectable marinade, and cool the mixture for about 30 minutes.
Brining the Turkey
Once the Cajun brine has cooled, it’s time to brine the turkey. For this particular turkey, I used the cooler-brine method, but you can use a heavy-duty plastic brine bag and brine in a large roasting pan in the refrigerator if you prefer.
Simply add the cooled brine to a cooler, add a good amount of ice, and lay your turkey in the cooler, breast side down. Stir the ice and brine around a bit so that the turkey is completely submerged in the brine.
The concentrated brining liquid partially melts the ice to create a larger volume of brine. And then the remaining ice in the cooler keeps the turkey plenty cold overnight.
Plus, where I live the outside temperature in late November is usually pretty cold, so I keep my cooler outside while brining the turkey. You can also add more ice halfway through the brining time if needed, or use a thermometer to check the internal temp of your turkey if you’re worried about it.
As long as the turkey temperature stays below 40°F, you’ll be good to go!
Seasoning the Turkey
After brining the turkey for 24 hours, it’s time to prep it for the grill. Remove the turkey from the Cajun brine and place it on a wire cooling rack on top of a sheet tray. I also add a piece of butcher paper to the sheet tray underneath the wire rack just to make clean up a little bit easier.
Pat it dry with paper towels, and then season liberally with your Cajun seasonings. Be sure to get all of the nooks and crannies, and season the top side (presentation side) of your turkey last.
Turkey Seasoning Tips:
- Think about the presentation – Season the presentation side (the top breast side that everyone sees) last so that you don’t get fingerprints in your seasoning.
- Layering seasonings the right way – This smoked turkey recipe calls for two different seasoning blends. Add the lighter colored seasoning to the turkey first, because you’ll be able to better see how much you add. If you try to put the light colored blend on top of the darker seasoning, it will be difficult to tell how much seasoning is on the turkey.
- Season liberally – Remember that a turkey is very large and typically very bland. Don’t be afraid to season heavily, especially if your seasoning blends are not salt-heavy.
Smoking the Cajun Turkey on the Pellet Grill
After spatchcocking, brining, and seasoning, your Cajun turkey is finally ready for the pellet smoker! Preheat your grill to about 300 degrees F with your choice of wood pellets.
For my Pit Boss Navigator pellet smoker, the hottest part of the grill is right in the center, so I positioned the turkey so that the dark meat (legs and thighs) were closest to the middle of the grill. Not sure if it makes a difference, but in my mind, this helps to protect the turkey breast from overcooking.
Then, as long as you have a good wireless meat thermometer, it’s pretty much “set it and forget it”. *You can check out my favorite pellet grill accessories and the internal thermometer that I recommend here!
Smoke the turkey until the thickest part of the breasts reaches an internal temperature of 162 degrees F to allow for a bit of carryover cooking.
Then remove the turkey from the grill and let it rest for a good 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Absolutely! Follow the same steps to brine and season the turkey, place it on the wire cooling rack on top of a baking sheet, and bake in the oven at 300 degrees F until an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the breast reads 162-165 degrees F. You should have some carryover cooking while the turkey rests.
For smoking turkey, mild and fruity wood pellet flavors tend to work well as they complement the bird without overpowering it. Apple, cherry, pecan, or your favorite competition blend pellets would all work well.
Cooking times will vary based on the size and temperature of your grill or smoker, the outside temperature, how efficiently your grill runs, etc. Our 14 pound turkey took about 5 hours to cook at 300°F. Obviously, lower cooking temperatures will result in a longer cooking time.
The turkey is done when the internal temperature of the thickest part of the breasts reaches about 162°F, because it will continue to rise a bit while it rests (carryover cooking). *Disclaimer – The USDA recommends cooking whole turkeys to an internal temperature of 165°F, as measured in the thickest part of the breast and the innermost area of the thigh and wing.
I pulled my smoked Cajun turkey off the pellet grill once it reached an internal temp of 162°F to allow for carryover cooking of a few degrees. The result was a fantastic juicy and tender turkey! But if you don’t feel comfortable pulling it that early, then shoot for the 165°F mark.
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Cajun Smoked Turkey
Ingredients
- 13-14 lb turkey, fully thawed and spatchcocked
- Heath Riles Cajun Creole Garlic Butter seasoning
- Heath Riles Simple Citrus Rub seasoning
For the Cajun Turkey Brine:
- 1 large lemon, cut into wedges
- 1 head garlic, cut in half to expose the cloves
- 4 bay leaves
- 4 tablespoons black peppercorns
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- ½ cup kosher salt
- 4 cups water
- 16 oz Zatarain's Cajun Injector injectable marinade
Instructions
- Prepare for brining. Start brining the turkey 24 hours before you plan to start smoking it. Make sure that your cooler is clean and dry, and that your drain plug is inserted properly. Or clear space in your refrigerator if you plan on brining the turkey in the fridge. Spatchcock the thawed turkey.
- Make the brine. In a large pot, add these ingredients: water, black peppercorns, bay leaves, salt, brown sugar, white sugar, lemon wedges, and halved garlic. Heat over medium heat until boiling, stirring often for the sugars to dissolve. Then, remove the pot from the heat and pour in the full jar of Cajun marinade. Stir to combine. Allow the brine mixture to cool for about 30 minutes.
- Brine the turkey. Add a 10 pound bag of ice to the bottom of a cooler. Stir in the Cajun brine. Lay your turkey in the cooler, breast side down. Stir the ice and brine around a bit so that the turkey is completely submerged in the brine. Close the lid of the cooler and brine turkey for 18-24 hours. *See notes.
- Preheat the smoker. Preheat the grill or smoker to about 300℉ using your choice of wood or pellets.
- Dry and season the turkey. Remove the turkey from the brine and transfer to a wire cooling rack on top of a sheet tray. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Liberally season all sides of the turkey with the Cajun seasoning and the citrus rub.
- Smoke the turkey. Insert wireless meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast to monitor the internal temperature. Put the turkey on the grill with the breast side on the opposite side of the heat source. Close the lid and smoke turkey at 300℉ until internal temp in the thickest part of the breast and the innermost area of the thigh and wing reaches 162-165℉. (USDA recommends cooking to 165℉. A 14 pound turkey takes roughly 4½ – 5 hours to smoke at 300℉, but be sure to check internal temperatures for doneness.)
- Rest and serve. Remove turkey from the smoker and transfer to a serving platter or cutting board. Allow turkey to rest for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Video
Notes
- For cooler brining – If the outside temperature is colder than your house, keep the cooler outside. You can also open the lid to make sure the ice has not melted all the way and the turkey is still cold (below 37 degrees F) periodically during the 24 hour brining process.
- For refrigerator brining – Add the Cajun brine to a heavy-duty plastic brine bag. Stir in an additional 10-12 cups of water, or enough to cover the turkey completely. Place the turkey in the brine bag, seal the bag, and brine in the refrigerator for 18-24 hours.
- Smoked turkey times and temperatures – Cooking times are approximate and will vary based on the size of your turkey, the temperature of your grill or smoker, the outside temperature, etc. Always check the internal temperature of the thickest part of the turkey breast and the innermost areas of the thigh and wing for doneness. The USDA recommends cooking to an internal temp of 165 degrees F.
