Ingredients:
1 12-14 lb. turkey, thawed
Your favorite flavor Cajun Injector marinade (I recommend Creole Butter)
Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning
3 Tbsp. mustard
3 Tbsp. honey
1/2 c. butter
Supplies:
An injector
A marinade brush
Pecan wood
Standard charcoal (not self-starting)
A Brinkman Smoker (just a cheap version is fine)
A “redneck rig” 55 gallon metal drum turned upside down with a rope through the bottom suspended by a pulley (obviously this is optional but it allows for much better smoke and air control when lowered over the smoker during the cooking process; I always have believed this was the key element to my brother & grandfather’s perfectly smoked turkeys)
Cooking Process:
Give your turkey plenty of time to thaw in the refrigerator before cooking (a full day for every 4 lbs). Thaw turkey in wrapper on a pan with raised sides to catch any drippings.
The night before turkey is to be smoked, place several pieces of wood in water. Leave overnight.
Prepare the smoker per the manufacturer instructions. Clean your turkey by removing the neck, giblets, etc. from the inside of the turkey, rinsing with water and patting dry, inside and out.
Inject turkey with injection marinade (for how-to instructions go to http://www.cajuninjector.com/how-to-inject-marinade.html).
Mix cajon seasoning with mustard, honey, and butter and use it to throughly rub the turkey down. Re-apply this mixture every two hours during cooking (use a brush and be careful to avoid flare-ups and consequential burning). Place turkey on top rack of smoker, breast down. It should cook one hour per pound. Add wood as needed during smoking. The turkey is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees in the thickest sections of meat (make sure the meat thermometer does not touch the bone) and the legs move easily in the joints. Note that smoke turkey appears pinker than baked turkey due to the reaction to the smoke; this is normal.