Cajun Smoked Frog Turkey – Cooking With Fire
A frog turkey is just a whole bird that you cut so it lays flat with the legs out to the sides. I inject mine with Cajun butter, season it with Cajun and smoke it over applewood. Flat, it smokes faster and more evenly than a turkey standing up, and all of the skin is exposed to the heat. I inject the breasts, thighs, legs and wings, so there is Cajun in the turkey and not only on the outside. Smoke at 300 to 350°F until the breast reaches 165°F. Tent it with foil if the skin gets dark. Let it rest before carving. My Spatchcock Cajun Herb Butter Smoked Turkey is a turkey that is spatchcocked the traditional way and has Cajun butter rubbed under the skin.
Two cuts and some joints that need to be popped. Your turkey will lay flat just like a spatchcock, with its legs out to the side. I smoked two in these photos. One cooks the same way.
Salt the turkey the night before if you have time to dry the skin out.
Quick Look: Cajun Smoked Frog Turkey
- Cut: Frog. Cut between the thighs and breast, open it up, pop the joints
- Method: Pat dry, inject with Cajun butter, avocado oil and Cajun on the outside of the skin, smoke skin up over applewood
- Smoker temp: 300 to 350°F
- Internal temp: 165°F in the breast. Check your thighs as well
- Time: 2 1/2 to 4 hours depending on the size of the turkey and your smoker
- Rest: 20 to 30 minutes
- Wood: Apple
- Feeds: 10 to 12
- The one thing that matters most: Dry skin. Salt your turkey and leave it uncovered in the refrigerator the night before if possible. If not, pat it really dry before adding your oil
My Smoked Turkey Breast is the one to make if you don’t need a whole bird.
Why This Recipe
- Frog style. Cut the turkey between the thighs and breast, then open it up and pop the joints. Now the turkey is flat, your thighs are exposed to the heat, and your breast isn’t covering everything.
- Injected. I use Cajun butter to inject my turkey. The breasts, thighs, legs and wings. So when you carve it there is Cajun in every piece.
- Seasoned on the outside. I use avocado oil and Cajun seasoning on the skin of my turkey. So there is Cajun flavor inside and out.
- Apple wood. Apple wood has a mild sweetness to it, which pairs well with Cajun.
- Tented. If the skin is getting too dark before the breast hits 165°F, tent it with foil. Don’t wrap it. You’ll lose the crispiness.
This is the turkey I make when the whole bird has to come off the smoker in time for the sides to go on. Flat, it is a half day cook instead of a full one.
Key Ingredients
For the Turkey
- Turkey. Whole turkey, 12 to 14 lbs, thawed. You do not want any ice left in your turkey. It won’t accept the injection and it won’t cook evenly.
- Cajun seasoning. 2 to 3 tablespoons, or however much you want to use to coat the skin of your turkey. Any brand will work.
- Avocado oil. Approximately 2 tablespoons. This is used to help your Cajun stick to the skin of your turkey.
- Apple wood. I use pellets, but chunks work as well.
For the Cajun Butter Injection
- Butter. 1 cup, melted. Unsalted.
- Chicken broth. 1 cup. You want the butter thin enough to go through the injector.
- Cajun seasoning. 2 tablespoons.
- Worcestershire sauce. 1 tablespoon.
- Hot sauce. 1 tablespoon.
- Garlic powder. 1 teaspoon.
- Onion powder. 1 teaspoon.
- Smoked paprika. 1/2 teaspoon.
You may need to strain your injection if your Cajun seasoning is coarse. Anything that doesn’t pass through the needle will plug up your injector. A different Cajun butter injection goes into my Cajun Creole Injected Fried Turkey, with cayenne in place of the hot sauce.
Substitutions or Additions
- Spatchcock. You can cut your turkey as a spatchcock. Use the same injection and smoke it at the same temperature. My Garlic Butter Truffle Spatchcock Turkey is spatchcocked.
- Rub instead of inject. Rub your Cajun butter under the skin of the breast and thighs. Less even, but no injector needed.
- Fried. You can fry this turkey. Cut it as a frog and use the same injection. My Brown Butter Garlic & Herb Injected Fried Turkey shows you how to fry your turkey.
- Different wood. Use hickory or pecan for more smoke. Pecan is the middle ground.
- Less hot. If you don’t want as much heat, leave the hot sauce out of your injection and use a Cajun seasoning that doesn’t have as much heat on the outside of your turkey.
- Brine. If you have time you can brine your turkey overnight. Just make sure to pat it dry after, since a brined bird comes out of the fridge wet. My Brown Sugar Brined Smoked Turkey Breast has the brine.
- Chicken. The same cut, injection and rub work on a whole chicken at the same temp. It is done in a fraction of the time. My Smoked Spatchcock Chicken is the flat chicken.
- Small turkey. You can do this to a smaller turkey. Just use less of the injection and figure the short end of the time range.
How to Make Cajun Smoked Frog Turkey (Step by Step)
Cut and open up the turkey. Lay your turkey on its back. Using a sharp knife, cut the turkey where the thigh meets the breast, on both sides. Then turn your turkey over so the breast is down and split it open, so it lays flat. Turn it breast up again and position it with the thighs toward the back and the breast toward the front. This is the frog look.
Pop your joints and pat dry. Push on the legs, thighs and wings until the joints pop and everything is laying flat. Then dry off your turkey with paper towels, inside and out. If you salted your turkey the night before, it will be dry already.
Mix your injection. Melt your butter on the stove top. Then add the chicken broth, Cajun, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika. Keep it on low heat to keep it warm.
Inject your turkey. Inject your turkey in the breasts, thighs, legs and wings. Make sure to inject them all in different areas, at an angle, so the butter spreads instead of pooling in one spot.
Add oil and Cajun. Add some avocado oil to the skin of your turkey. Then add your Cajun seasoning to all of the skin. Make sure to get under the turkey as well.
Add to your smoker. Preheat your smoker to 300 to 350°F with apple wood. Place your turkey skin up on the grill.
Tent if it gets dark, and cook to 165°F. If your skin is getting too dark, place a piece of foil on top of your turkey. Tent it, don’t wrap it. Once your turkey reaches 165°F in the thickest part of the breast, take it off the grill. Check the thighs and other thicker areas as well. It should take about 2 1/2 to 4 hours depending on your turkey and smoker.
Rest and carve. Let your turkey rest for 20 to 30 minutes, then carve. The legs and thighs will be easier to remove since they are sticking out.
The USDA states 165°F in the thickest part of the turkey. For a whole turkey you want to make sure both your breast and thighs reach 165°F. Your breast is what will dry out, so you want to make sure that is at least 165°F and not much past it, which is why the turkey is cut in the frog style. The dark meat can catch up to the white. Check out my Asado Style Turkey Recipe for a whole turkey over the fire.
Tips From Miguel
Salt your turkey overnight. If you have time, salt your turkey and leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight. It will help dry the skin out so it gets crispy. If you don’t have time, pat it as dry as you can.
Dry skin. If there is water on your turkey, it has to evaporate before your turkey can brown. So dry the skin out as best you can.
Inject all areas. Breasts, thighs, legs and wings. The breast will need more because it is bigger.
Tent your turkey. If the skin is getting too dark before the breast reaches 165°F, place foil on top of the turkey to keep it from browning more. If you wrap the turkey, you will lose the crispy skin.
Keep your injection warm. So the butter doesn’t congeal and plug up your injector. Leave the pan on the lowest burner while you work.
Check your turkey in multiple spots. You want 165°F in the breast, but also check your thighs and wings before it comes off.
Storage and Reheating
- Fridge: Carve your turkey and store it in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
- Freezer: Up to 3 months. Carve it up and add some of the juice to the turkey before it goes in.
- Reheat: In a 300°F oven, covered, with some broth. Heat until warm. Your skin will not be crispy again, but you can put it under the broiler for a few minutes.
- Make ahead: Salt your turkey the night before. Make your injection the night before and reheat it. You can cut your turkey the night before as well, which is when the salting happens anyway.
Use the leftovers for my Thanksgiving Turkey Sliders.
More Turkey Recipes to Try
Cajun Smoked Frog Turkey FAQs
What is a frog turkey?
It is a whole turkey that is cut between the thighs and the breast, then opened up so it looks like a frog. The turkey lays flat and the legs stick out to the sides. It cooks faster and more evenly than a whole turkey standing up, because nothing is tucked under anything else.
What is the difference between a frog turkey and a spatchcock turkey?
A spatchcock turkey has its backbone removed. The turkey is then pressed flat and the legs stay next to the breast. A frog turkey has its legs cut from the breast and stuck out to the sides. Both lay flat. The frog cut gives the thighs more exposure to the heat.
What temperature do you smoke a frog turkey?
I smoke my turkey at 300 to 350°F until the breast reaches 165°F. Hotter than a low and slow smoke, because the skin needs the heat to crisp and a flat bird is thin enough to take it.
How long does a frog turkey take to smoke?
Depending on the size of your turkey, about 2 1/2 to 4 hours at 300 to 350°F. It will take less time than a whole turkey. Go by the thermometer in the breast.
Do you have to inject your turkey?
No, you don’t have to. I inject my turkey with Cajun butter so there is Cajun in the meat of the turkey. If you don’t inject it, you will just have Cajun on the outside. Rubbing the butter under the skin is the no injector option.
Cajun Smoked Frog Turkey
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Lay the turkey on its back. With a sharp knife, cut where each thigh meets the breast, both sides. Flip the turkey breast side down and split it open so it lays flat, then turn it breast up and position it with the thighs toward the back and the breast toward the front.
- Press on the legs, thighs and wings until the joints pop and the bird lays flat. Pat the whole turkey dry with paper towels, inside and out.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the chicken broth, Cajun seasoning, Worcestershire, hot sauce, garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika. Keep it warm so it stays liquid. Strain if the seasoning is coarse.
- Inject the mixture throughout the breasts, thighs, legs and wings, in several spots each, going in at an angle.
- Coat the skin lightly with avocado oil, then season all the exposed skin generously with Cajun seasoning, including the underside.
- Preheat the smoker to 300 to 350°F with applewood. Place the turkey skin side up on the grates.
- Smoke until the thickest part of the breast reaches 165°F, checking the thighs and other thick spots as well. About 2 1/2 to 4 hours. If the skin darkens before the turkey is done, tent foil loosely over the top. Do not wrap it.
- Rest 20 to 30 minutes, then carve. The legs and thighs come off first.
