# Smoked Cajun Turkey



## ChileRelleno (Jul 7, 2012)

Had my wife thaw a turkey for me to smoke this weekend, and today was the day to play with the smoker.


Take one turkey and spatchcock.
Pat dry and rub well with a 1:3 cornstarch/salt mix, then air dry in the fridge for 24 hrs.











Pull it out and inject it with Cajun Butter, then oil it and generously cover with my Cajun poultry rub.




















Let it come up to room temp, then into a 350°-375° smoker with a mix of hickory and cherry.
One probe each in the breast and thigh, cooking the breast to 165°, the thighs went to 197° waiting on the breast, but the injections kept the thighs juicy and pretty tender.










This was one tasty bird, and juicy too.






























*The Finale*











After the main meal I was shredding hand fulls of meat and rolling it in the cajun spiced juices. 

Oh man, talk about intense flavor, I think I entered food nirvana for a short period.



I also made a side and dessert.


*Salsa Verde Taters*


Preheat oven to 450°


2 bags Hashbrown Taters
1 large Onion, chopped medium
2 7oz cans of Salsa Verde
1 can of Green Enchilada sauce
1T granulated garlic


Dump it all in to a 9x13 casserole dish and mix well
Bake at 450° till hot and bubbling throughout, approx 1.5 hours












*Smoked Apple Roses*
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/smoked-apple-roses.278257/#post-1860298


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## smooth move (Sep 25, 2012)

looks great. turkey is hard to keep moist. yours looks juicy to me.


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## ChileRelleno (Jul 7, 2012)

smooth move said:


> looks great. turkey is hard to keep moist. yours looks juicy to me.


 Thanks, it tasted as good as it looked.


No, turkey is easy to keep moist, all you have to do is some prep work.
Like this one, dry brine and injected, it was incredible.
Wet brining does wonders and it is easy, 1gal water + 1C salt (add seasonings if ya like) and soak 4-24 hours.
Dry brines are okay too, but not quite as effective as a wet brine.
Combine wet or dry brining with injections of broth, brine, marinade, flavored butter or any combination, and you're gonna have a super moist/juicy bird.


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

I wish my family loved turkey as much as me... Turkey looks spot on brother!!! Best part of turkey are the left over turkey and mayo samwhiches!!!!


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