Cajun Turkey Seasoning Recipes

CAJUN SPICED TURKEY

Steps:

• Line a large roasting pan with foil. Place a V-shaped roasting rack over foil, and spray with cooking spray. Place turkey, breast side up, on prepared rack, and pat dry with paper towels.
• In a medium bowl, stir together butter and 2 tablespoons Cajun Spice Mix. Gently loosen skin from turkey, keeping skin intact. Rub butter evenly mixture under skin on each breast. Pat turkey dry, and sprinkle all over with remaining 6 tablespoons Cajun Spice Mix, rubbing it into the skin. Tie legs with butcher's twine. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours.
• Let turkey stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Position oven rack to lowest level. Preheat oven to 375°.
• In a medium bowl, combine onion, celery, and bell pepper. Fill turkey cavity with vegetable mixture, scattering any remaining vegetables across bottom of roasting pan. Brush turkey with oil.
• Bake for 1 hour. Rotate pan, and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest portion of thigh registers 165°, 1 to 1½ hours more, covering with foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary. Transfer turkey to platter, and let stand for at least 20 minutes before carving.
• In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

CAJUN TURKEY INJECTION MARINADE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Place all of the ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat until the butter is completely melted. Stir well and continue cooking until the sauce has completely liquefied.
• Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool for at least 5 minutes.
• Use while still warm enough to remain in a liquid state. Inject directly into the breast, leg, and thigh meat. Do this a few times to make sure the marinade is well dispersed throughout the turkey. Wipe away any excess that may leak out. Deep-fry or roast as desired.

CAJUN TURKEY SEASONING

Steps:

• Combine the salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper in a bowl. Rub the mixture over the inside and outside of a turkey (works on turkey breast too or chicken). Let the rub sit on the turkey for 2 hours (in the refrigerator) before cooking.

CAJUN-INJECTED SPICY TURKEY

Steps:

• Make the marinade by combining the Worcestershire sauce, crab boil, apple cider, honey, beer, salt, allspice, Creole seasoning, cayenne, olive oil, and minced garlic in a blender and process until very smooth, about 5 minutes. Fill a large syringe* and inject turkey in the breast and thigh area, as well as the back, wings, and legs, with at least 2/3 of the marinade. You will have to fill the syringe numerous times.
• Preheat the oven to 420 degrees F and line a large roasting pan with aluminum foil.
• Season the injected turkey well both inside and out with the kosher salt and black pepper. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan lined with aluminum foil and pour the remaining marinade all over the turkey. Bake the turkey uncovered for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, add 1 cup of the chicken broth to the roasting pan, and continue to bake the turkey until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part between the thigh and the leg registers 165 degrees F. (If the turkey begins to brown too much, tent loosely with aluminum foil until it is done. Also, add more broth as necessary to keep the bottom of the roasting pan from burning.)
• When the turkey is done, remove it from the oven and set aside to rest at least 20 minutes before carving.

CAJUN BUTTER SPATCHCOCK TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Combine the butter, wine, celery, bell pepper, onion, Cajun seasoning, brown sugar, hot sauce and salt in a food processor or blender. Process until very smooth. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan and keep warm over low heat.
• Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey and save for stock or discard. Place the turkey breast-side down on a cutting board. Cut along one side of the backbone from the tail to the neck with a chef's knife or kitchen shears. Repeat with the other side and remove the backbone. (Save for stock!)
• Turn the turkey over, and press down on the breastbone with the heel of your hand until it cracks. Tuck the wing tips up and over the back of the turkey. (This prevents them from burning.) Place the turkey on a wire rack in a roasting pan.
• Fill a flavor injector with the butter mixture and inject as much of the butter into the turkey at different angles. Pour any remaining butter over the top of the turkey, then sprinkle with additional Cajun seasoning, if desired. Place the roasting pan on the middle rack in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, undisturbed.
• Baste the turkey with the pan juices and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue to bake, basting occasionally, until a meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees F when inserted in the thickest portion of the breast and thigh (avoiding bone), 45 minutes to 1 hour. (Add the chicken stock to the roasting pan if it starts to dry out.) Let rest before slicing. Serve with the pan drippings.

SIMPLE CAJUN SEASONING

Steps:

• Combine the salt, oregano, paprika, cayenne pepper, and black pepper in a plastic bag and shake to mix.

HOMEMADE TURKEY SEASONING

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months. To use on whole turkey, rub under skin, over skin and in body and neck cavities before roasting.

FRIED TURKEY RUB WITH CAJUN INJECTION

Steps:

• Mix all rub ingredients together and apply ample quantities to the outside of the turkey. Let meat marinade for 8-24 hours.
• Combine injection recipe ingredients including 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the rub; boil and reduce to 1 cup. Cool and strain mixture then inject into all areas of the turkey.
• Fry turkey according to weight of bird and fryer instructions. DO NOT attempt this indoors or too close to a builidng.

CAJUN DEEP-FRIED TURKEY

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion juice, garlic juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, cayenne pepper and beer. Mix until well blended.
• Use a marinade injecting syringe or turkey baster with an injector tip to inject the marinade all over the turkey including the legs, back, wings, thighs and breasts. Place in a large plastic bag and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Do not use a kitchen trash bag. If your turkey is large, you can use an oven bag.
• When it's time to fry, measure the amount of oil needed by lowering the turkey into the fryer and filling with enough oil to cover it. Remove the turkey and set aside.
• Heat the oil to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C). When the oil has come to temperature, lower the turkey into the hot oil slowly using the hanging device that comes with turkey deep-fryers. The turkey should be completely submerged in the oil. Cook for 36 minutes, or 3 minutes per pound of turkey. The turkey is done when the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F (80 degrees C). Turn off the flame and slowly remove from the oil, making sure all of the oil drains out of the cavity. Allow to rest on a serving platter for about 20 minutes before carving.