Description
A flavorful and juicy Cajun Butter Thanksgiving Turkey recipe featuring a dry-brined bird coated in a homemade Cajun compound butter, roasted to perfection with aromatics and a beer-infused roasting pan for an extra layer of moisture and taste.
Ingredients
Scale
Turkey & Prep
- 1 (12-14 lb) whole turkey, fresh or thawed
- Kosher salt to taste
- Fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 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)
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 completely dry inside and out with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Dry-brine the turkey. Place the turkey on a wire rack in a large dish. Generously season all surfaces and cavity with kosher salt, black pepper, and brown sugar. Massage the spices all over the bird. Position breast-side up.
- Refrigerate uncovered. Transfer the turkey uncovered into the refrigerator and rest for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days.
- Bring to room temperature. On cooking day, remove the turkey from the fridge several hours ahead so it can come to room temperature, especially for a 12-14 lb bird.
- Prepare the Cajun compound butter. In a large bowl, mix softened butter with Cajun seasoning, lemon pepper seasoning, chopped rosemary, sage, thyme, allspice, salt, and pepper until smooth. Transfer to a microwave-safe container and set aside.
- Preheat the oven. Adjust oven racks so the turkey will be in the center and preheat to 425°F.
- Coat the turkey with butter. Pat dry the dry-brined turkey to remove excess moisture. Using half of the compound butter, liberally coat the exterior, front, back, and carefully lift skin on the breast area to work some butter underneath. Reserve the remaining butter.
- Stuff the turkey. Fill the turkey cavity with half the onions, celery, carrots, lemon quarters, and bundle of herbs. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
- Prepare the roasting pan. Place the remaining onions, celery, carrots, and beer or stock in the bottom of the roasting pan. Set a roasting rack on top and place the turkey on it.
- Start roasting. Roast the turkey uncovered at 425°F for 30 minutes to develop a crust.
- Reduce heat and prepare marinade. Lower oven temperature to 325°F. Microwave remaining compound butter until melted, stir in neutral oil to create the basting marinade.
- Inject and baste. Use a meat injector to inject the marinade into several spots on the turkey, mainly the breast area. Soak cheesecloth in the marinade and drape it over the bird.
- Continue roasting. Roast at 325°F for approximately 3 hours total (13-15 minutes per pound), until internal temperature reaches 165°F in breast or thigh. Every 30-45 minutes, remove turkey, re-inject marinade, baste, and re-soak cheesecloth to keep moist.
- Rest the turkey. Once done, remove cheesecloth and let turkey rest 30-45 minutes before carving. Baste with pan juices just before serving.
- Serve. Transfer turkey to a large platter, garnish if desired, and use pan drippings to make gravy.
Notes
- Use a meat injector and cheesecloth for best basting results and moisture retention during roasting.
- Do not rinse off the dry brine; just pat dry before applying compound butter.
- Resting the turkey after roasting is crucial to preserve juiciness and make carving easier.
- Leftover drippings can be used for a flavorful homemade gravy.
- Adjust seasoning salt cautiously since dry brine adds plenty of saltiness already.
- If you don’t have beer, use turkey or chicken stock as a substitute in the roasting pan.
- Make sure to bring the turkey to room temperature before roasting to ensure even cooking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 550 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 45 g
- Saturated Fat: 25 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 40 g
- Cholesterol: 140 mg
