Description
This Juicy Cajun Butter Thanksgiving Turkey recipe delivers a flavorful, moist, and perfectly roasted turkey with a spicy Cajun compound butter. The dry-brining technique combined with herbaceous aromatics and a buttery marinade ensures a delicious centerpiece for your holiday feast.
Ingredients
Scale
For the turkey & prep:
- 1 (12-14 lb) whole turkey, fresh or thawed
- Kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
- 2 large yellow onions, roughly chopped
- 6 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
- 6 whole carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 large lemon, cut into quarters
- 1 heaping bundle fresh hardy herbs like rosemary, thyme & sage
- 1 (12-ounce) bottle beer or 1 ½ cups turkey/chicken stock as substitute
- ¼ cup neutral oil (like avocado, grapeseed, or algae oil)
For the Cajun compound butter:
- 1 ½ lbs (6 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons Creole Cajun Seasoning (homemade or store-bought)
- 2 tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning
- 8 sprigs fresh rosemary, de-stemmed & finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ground sage
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- Kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prep the turkey. Remove the turkey from packaging, discard or save giblets and neck for gravy. Pat the turkey dry inside and out with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Dry-brine the turkey. Place turkey on a wire rack in a large vessel. Generously season all surfaces and cavity with kosher salt, black pepper, and brown sugar. Massage spices all over. Place breast-side up uncovered in refrigerator for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days.
- Set the turkey out. On cooking day, remove turkey from refrigerator a few hours prior to cooking to come to room temperature (takes several hours for 12-14 lb bird).
- Prep the Cajun compound butter. Mix softened butter with Cajun seasoning, lemon pepper, chopped rosemary, sage, thyme, allspice, salt, and pepper until smooth. Transfer to a large measuring cup or microwave-safe bowl and set aside.
- Preheat the oven. Place oven rack in center and preheat to 425°F.
- Coat & butter the turkey. Without rinsing dry brine, pat dry. Using disposable gloves, evenly coat turkey exterior with half the compound butter, gently lifting breast skin to get butter underneath. Reserve remaining butter.
- Stuff the turkey. Fill cavity with half the chopped onions, celery, carrots, lemon quarters, and herb bundle. Tie legs together with kitchen twine.
- Prepare roasting pan. Scatter remaining onions, celery, and carrots in the bottom of roasting pan. Add beer or stock. Place roasting rack on top and set turkey on rack.
- Initial roast. Roast uncovered at 425°F for 30 minutes.
- Reduce heat and prepare marinade. Lower oven to 325°F. Melt remaining compound butter in microwave, stir in neutral oil to make marinade.
- Inject and baste turkey. Using a meat injector, fill and inject marinade into multiple spots especially the top breast. Soak cheesecloth in marinade and drape over turkey.
- Continue roasting. Roast at 325°F for about 3 hours (13-15 minutes per pound) until internal temperature hits 165°F in breast or thigh. Every 30-45 minutes, baste by re-injecting marinade and re-soaking cheesecloth to keep moist.
- Rest the turkey. Remove turkey and cheesecloth. Let rest 30-45 minutes before carving. Baste with pan juices just before serving.
- Serve. Place turkey on platter and garnish if desired. Use pan drippings to make gravy if preferred. Enjoy alongside your favorite holiday sides!
Notes
- This recipe requires a cheesecloth, meat injector, and turkey baster for best results.
- Do not rinse off the dry brine; only pat dry to maintain seasoning.
- Ensure turkey comes to room temperature before roasting for even cooking.
- Use disposable gloves when handling turkey and compound butter for hygiene.
- Keep cheesecloth moist during roasting to infuse flavor and moisture.
- Save giblets and neck to make a flavorful homemade gravy if desired.
- Adjust seasoning amounts based on preference, especially salt, as turkey is already dry-brined.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 35 g
- Saturated Fat: 18 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 5 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg
