Deep Fried Turkey

The deep-fried turkey is a Cajun tradition that takes less time than the traditional roast turkey and leaves your oven open for other dishes… like dessert!

This isn’t my recipe but it was sent to me and it looks pretty delicious, so I thought I would share it with all of you.

There are some dangers that come with deep-frying a whole turkey so make sure to do it outdoors. It is also very important that you have the right equipment.

You’ll need:

• Heavy-duty portable propane burner
• Large stockpot (26- to 40-quart capacity) or a custom-made turkey-frying pot.
• A heavy-duty cooking thermometer
• A tool that will allow you to safely lower the turkey into a vat of boiling oil, and remove it once the turkey is done. (you could use a drain basket)
• 1 (12 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
• 1 white onion
• turkey marinade and dry rub. You can use 1/4 cup Creole seasoning if you like.

Look online to find places to purchase turke-frying equipment.

Turkey Prepping

1. Turkey Size: First, choose a turkey between 10 and 15 pounds. If you have a lot of people to feed, prepare two turkeys rather than one large one. The turkey should either be fresh or completely thawed before cooking.
2. Oil: To determine the amount of oil you will need, place the bird in the pot you intend to use for frying. Pour in cold water until the turkey is covered by a couple of inches. There should still be several inches between the surface of the water and the top of the pot. Measuring the water will tell you how much oil you’ll need.
   • For a traditional Cajun Fried Turkey, use peanut oil to fry the bird.
   • Peanut oil is expensive, but it gives the best flavor and has a high smoke point. You can also use half peanut, half vegetable oil.
3. Preparing the Turkey: Rinse turkey, and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.
4. Turkey Seasoning: Cajun-style turkeys are usually injected with a liquid seasoning marinade, then rubbed with a dry seasoning blend or “dry rub”.To season your turkey properly, place it in a pan and load your marinade into a hypodermic meat injector. It is like a giant needle and you can find it at virtually any kitchen supply stores or supermarket, especially around Thanksgiving.
   • Inject the marinade into the turkey in several places by carefully lifting up the skin, rather than poking the needle through it.
   • Gently loosen the membrane under the turkey skin. Apply a dry rub under the skin of the bird and all around the cavity.
   • This can be done as much as 36 hours in advance, but you should allow at least 12 hours to give the flavors time to penetrate the meat while it’s kept in the refrigerator.
   • Make sure the hole at the neck is open at least 2 inches so the oil can flow freely through the bird.
5. Frying the Turkey
   • In your turkey fryer, heat the oil to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and be sure to leave room for the turkey, or the oil will spill over. Layer a large platter with food-safe paper bags.
     
   • Place the whole turkey and white onion into the drain basket. The turkey should be placed in basket neck end first. Slowly lower basket into hot oil to completely cover turkey.
   • Maintain the temperature of the oil at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and cook turkey for 3 1/2 minutes per pound, about 45 minutes.
   • Carefully remove basket from oil, and drain turkey. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh; the internal temperature must be 180 degrees F (80 degrees C).
   • Finish draining turkey on the prepared platter.

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