﻿Hey guys, today we’re talking Fried Turkey. I’ll cover everything you need to know to get
really flavorful and tender results - I’ll also show you my go-to marinade injection
for turkey - it brings a nice cajun kick to the bird… so let’s get to it!
So, probably the first thing you’ll wanna do is get a measurement on how much
oil you’ll need in the pot. To do this, drop in your turkey and start filling your pot with water.
This is an essential step - because it will make sure you
use enough - but not a dangerous amount of oil that may overflow.
You’ll want to select a turkey that’s roughly 12lbs or under to ensure you have enough room
for a safe level of oil in the pot - and smaller birds are preferable for frying as well.
Fill the pot with water until it covers the turkey by an inch or two. Take the turkey out of the pot,
and then you have your ideal measurement when it comes to filling the pot with oil.
Once you have your measurement - of course, toss the water and thoroughly dry the pot.
As for the marinade - we’re going with a cajun style injection. It’s just a bit less of a hassle
than trying to brine a whole turkey, and I really find it does a really good job of getting the
flavor spread throughout the meat. For the cajun seasoning blend,
I’ll be posting the full recipe link if you want to make your own. You’ll want to cook
the marinade down over medium heat, that way everything has a chance to meld and intensify.
As for the beer, I go with a lager just because it’s lite in flavor and won’t over power anything.
Follow that with a quarter cup of fresh lemon juice.. Followed by 2 Tablespoons of Worcheshire
sauce… then add in ¾ of a cup honey.. Go ahead and give it a little stir so it starts to melt...
Then add a tablespoon of crab boil.. Follow that with ¼ cup apple cider vinegar..
As well as a quarter cup of minced garlic - Hey, this is a cajun turkey - so you know we
gotta have a lot of garlic in there! Now, toss in a tablespoon of salt. Add in a quarter cup
of that cajun seasoning blend.. and finish it off with 3 bay leaves.
Now just let it all simmer down and reduce by about half.
Once reduced - you can turn off the heat and let it cool for about 10 minutes ,then whisk in a
half cup of diced butter. This just helps the butter not break and separate too much. Then,
just strain the marinade through cheesecloth and let it cool while you season the turkey.
It’s crucial to always make sure you dry the bird off as much as possible,
inside and out. This will help the seasoning stick better for a nice presentation. Before applying
the dry rub - I like to coat the turkey in some oil. And since the turkey will be served breast
side up - I like to season the back first, so that I can keep the top layer of seasoning as even as
possible for a nice crust for presentation. For the dry rub, I’m using more of the same creole
blend that I used in the marinade injection. When seasoning, don’t forget about the cavity as well!
Get all down up in there, so that turkey can soak in flavor from all sides.
Once the marinade has cooled off - you can work your way around the turkey with the
injector mix. Keep in mind you will be slicing the turkey breast into many pieces, so you can
be pretty liberal with the injection - and make sure you give it pockets of flavor throughout.
Just kind of work your way all around the turkey and inject the marinade into a good
variety of areas and depths And of course, don’t forget about the legs! They need some love too.
Now, if you’ve got the time - it’s ideal to let the injected turkey marinate in the fridge
overnight, uncovered. This will help the skin dry out a bit which also helps to achieve crispy skin.
And of course it probably goes without saying.. But you want to be absolutely sure
your turkey is completely defrosted before frying. Ice and hot grease do not mix!
Before frying, I like to tie the legs with some butcher twine, this makes for a nice
presentation later. Then, just thread it on the frying stand - if you don’t have one like this
you can fry the turkey in a strainer basket as well - but I prefer this type of stand
because it helps it stay centered in the pot. As for the frying oil - I go with peanut oil. And
for this cook, I used just a tad over 4 and a half gallons of oil to reach the line that I measured.
Once the pot is filled to the line with oil, you can go ahead and turn on the propane tank.. You’ll
want to use a long stem lighter, so just hold the lighter up to the burner, let a little gas flow
from the regulator, so that you can safely ignite the burner. Once lit, you can turn the burner to
high and let the oil begin coming to temp. As for temperature, I’m looking to preheat the
oil to two hundred and seventy five degrees. This allows the Turkey to cook a bit while I
finish heating the oil to maintain a temp of around 325F for the remainder of the cook.
Some people say to fry at 350F degrees the entire time - but I find that makes it hard
to not have a really overcooked skin by the time the turkey is done cooking internally.
Make sure you have the type of thermometer that is long stem
and made to clip onto the frying pot so that you can monitor the temp for the whole cook.
Of course, with a burner on and a pot full of oil - you don’t want to run inside and
get distracted trying to make cocktails or something - this is a cook you don’t
want to leave unattended. I always keep a fire extinguisher nearby for peace of mind as well.
When the oil hits two hundred and seventy five degrees -go ahead and turn the burner off before
lowering the turkey into the fryer. This is just a good way to just add an extra
layer of safety - we’ll kick it back on right after the turkey is in the pot.
Make sure to use a hook like this one when lowering the bird into
the oil - and wear some good high heat gloves to protect your hands.
Gently lower the turkey into the oil, don’t rush this part - just gradually lower it in.
And Once the bird is in the pot, you can turn the burner back on and crank it up to high. Heat the
oil until it is right around 325 degrees, then you can dwell the burner down as needed to maintain
that temperature for the rest of the cook. You can expect to let the turkey fry for about
30 to 45 minutes, and with this being something you can’t walk away from - I would recommend
having some cold ones nearby while you babysit the turkey… Keep an instant read thermometer on hand,
and at about 25 minutes into the cook it’s a good idea to temp the bird to see where you’re at.
Cut the burner off for good measure while you do so. Gently lift it out of the oil,
and gaze upon your masterpiece! It gets such a nice mahogany color, I love it!
So, It took me about 35 minutes to reach an internal temp of 160. You can expect the
internal temp to rise several degrees while it rests, so it’s a good idea to pull it a little
lower than 165F internal. You’ll want to rest the turkey for at least 30 minutes before slicing,
and I like to lightly tent it with foil. And for plating, I like to keep some fresh
sprigs of thyme and sage handy. I also grabbed some peppers and kumquats from
the garden for a little pop of color. Man, I think a fried turkey is just a nice
change of pace and definitely worth trying if you are tired of your typical oven method.
It came out really nice and juicy, with some great pockets of flavor from that marinade injection.
Frying it locks the moisture in so well - when you bite in I think you’ll be a believer!
Thanks for watching, and I hope you enjoyed. Shout out to Robert for suggesting this recipe,
and hey - keep those requests coming, let us know what you wanna see and we’ll see ya next time!