Cajun Butter Turkey
Ingredients:
Marinade:
1 stick unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. Cajun or Creole seasoning
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
2 tsp. cracked black pepper
2 tsp. Accent seasoning
2 cups chicken stock
12 lb. whole turkey
Cajun Butter:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 sprig fresh chopped rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme removed from stem
1 tsp. salt
Turkey:
1 tsp. salt
1/2 onion
1/2 bell pepper
1 orange
4 garlic cloves
1 stalk celery
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh thyme
12 oz. chicken broth
1 Tbsp. Herbes de Provence
Cajun or Creole seasoning
olive oil
Detailed Steps:
Marinade:
Melt the butter. Add the remaining ingredients
Stir and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain the marinade using a mesh strainer. Allow marinade to cool completely before injecting. Remove all contents of the turkey cavity. Rinse and pat dry. Inject every part of the turkey with the marinad. Cover with foil or place in a large marinating bag and refrigerate for 24 hrs.
Cajun Butter:
Mix all ingredients together and set aside.
Turkey:
Preheat the oven to 325° F. Place a rack in the lowest position of the oven.
Place the turkey in a roasting pan. Pat dry again with paper towels. Rub olive oil all over the skin of the turkey. Gently push the herb butter until the skin of the breasts. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt into the turkey’s cavity. Stuff the onion, bell pepper, orange, garlic, celery, rosemary, and thyme into the cavity.
Sprinkle a thin, even layer of Cajun or Creole seasoning all over the skin of the turkey. Sprinkle a thin layer of Herbs de Provence seasoning all over the skin of the turkey. Tuck the wings behind and under the turkey. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Cover the ends of the legs with foil and lay a piece of foil over the breasts to prevent early browning and burning. Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the roasting pan under the turkey.
Place the turkey in the center of the oven and roasted according to the instructions on the turkey packaging. (Approx: 13 mins per pound)
Halfway through the roasting time, carefully remove the turkey and baste it with the turkey drippings.
Place it back into the oven but rotate it in the opposite direction from the last time you placed it into the oven. When there is about 30 minutes left in the roasting time, remove the turkey from the oven, baste again, and remove the foil from the breast.
Continue roasting until a meat thermometer stuck between the leg and the breast registers 165°F. To ensure an accurate read, be careful not to poke bones with the thermometer. Remove the turkey from the oven, cover with foil, and allow it to rest for at least 1 hour before carving.
Prep Time: 24 hrs.
Yields: 10 to 12
