Brent Gann

Smoke-then-fry turkey

Injected with Cajun butter, rubbed heavy, rested overnight, smoked for ninety minutes, then dropped in the fryer with the lid down so the smoke seals in. The one recipe people ask for by name.

Smoker, then fryer

Rest
12+ hours
Smoke
90 min, low heat
Fry
lid down first
Pull at
160°F

The rub

Two bottles of Tony Chachere’s Injectable Cajun Butter, and then the dry seasonings. The “heaping” is deliberate; a whole turkey takes more than you think.

  • 1 tablespoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 2 heaping tablespoons onion powder
  • 2 heaping tablespoons garlic powder
  • 2 heaping tablespoons black pepper
  • 2 heaping tablespoons lemon pepper
  • 1 heaping tablespoon seasoned salt
  • 1 heaping tablespoon celery salt
  • 1 heaping tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 heaping teaspoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

The day before

  1. Inject heavily with the Cajun butter, everywhere: breast, thighs, legs, and back. Rub whatever is left in the bottle lightly over the skin.
  2. Apply every seasoning thoroughly. Get under the skin where you can.
  3. Let it sit for at least twelve hours.

Smoke

  1. Smoke for 90 minutes on low heat, lid closed, with wood chips. Any time the smoke stops, replace the chips. Ninety minutes is about two runs of chips.
  2. Before it goes in the fryer, refill the chips one more time. That last load is what gets sealed in.

Fry

  1. Start the fryer on high heat with the lid closed for the first 10 to 20 minutes. This crisps the skin, seals the injection, and holds that final run of smoke inside the bird while the oil comes up.
  2. Open the lid and fry until the internal temperature reaches 150 to 155°F.
  3. Close the lid again and take it to 160°F. Watch the skin through this stretch: you want it crisp, not burnt, and the last few degrees is where it turns.

Pull at 160°F and let it rest. The injection keeps it from drying out on the carryover.

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