Deep-Fried, Brined Turkey

Name: Deep-Fried, Brined Turkey
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 3/4 cup chopped onion; 3/4 cup chopped celery; 3 to 6 tablespoons chopped garlic; 4 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 tablespoons (or more) chopped hot peppers from pepper vinegar; 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce; 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon cayenne; 1 tablespoon black pepper; 1 cup chicken stock; 1 recipe for internal turkey brine; 1 14-pound turkey; 1 tablespoon of cayenne or favorite Cajun spice; 5 gallons of peanut oil or lard (approximately)

By Jonathan Reynolds

Updated Oct. 23, 2024

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes, plus 24 hours' brining and 24 hours' refrigeration
Rating: 5(238)
Comments: Read comments

As every politician since Huey Long -- or possibly Madison himself -- has said, ''We can do better.'' And in Louisiana, they have, by doing the unthinkable: deep-frying an entire turkey in a bubbling vat of peanut oil or lard. The result is delicious, surprisingly ungreasy and fast. (A 14-pounder cooks in 49 minutes -- 49 minutes!) I've made five of these things, and comments have ranged from ''This is the best turkey I've ever eaten!'' to ''This is the best turkey I've ever eaten!'' with nary a discouraging word.

Deep-frying must be done outside, which means you will need a propane tank. In New York City it is illegal to cook with propane gas except in large gardens or outdoor spaces of single-family dwellings. It should work fine in a yard, where your fryer can double as a defensive weapon in case of intruders scaling your wall.

In case the oil overflows, place a large bowl and a ladle next to the pot. Also, just before lowering the bird into the oil, and again just before taking it out a scant 49 minutes -- 49 minutes! -- later, turn the flame off for the same reason.

Featured in: Food; Quirky Turkey

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

For the Internal Turkey Brine

¾cup chopped onion
¾cup chopped celery
3 to 6tablespoons chopped garlic
4tablespoons unsalted butter
2tablespoons (or more) chopped hot peppers from pepper vinegar
2tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
1tablespoon cayenne
1tablespoon black pepper
1cup chicken stock

For the Turkey

1recipe for internal turkey brine
114-pound turkey
1tablespoon of cayenne or favorite Cajun spice
5gallons of peanut oil or lard (approximately)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Eight to 24 hours in advance, make the brine by sauteing onion, celery and garlic in butter until tender. Add hot peppers and Worcestershire, then stir in the salt, cayenne and black pepper. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
Step 2
Strain into a bowl, pressing the solids to extract as much juice as possible, to yield about 1½ cups.
Step 3
With monster hypodermic, inject the turkey's breast in five places and each leg in one place.
Step 4
With your bare hands, rub the cayenne into the turkey's breast under the skin. Omit if you don't like the flavor -- though it's very mild in this quantity.
Step 5
Refrigerate, uncovered, for 8 to 24 hours. Or if you prefer, you may fry the bird immediately.
Step 6
On the day you plan to eat it, remove the turkey from the refrigerator, place it in the empty fryer pot and cover with water. Then empty the pot, measuring the water to find out how much oil you'll need (usually about 5 gallons for a 14 pounder).
Step 7
Dry the pot very thoroughly and fill it with the same amount of oil or lard, attach the extra-long thermometer and heat the oil to 350 to 375 degrees. Just before lowering the bird, turn off the flame to make absolutely sure that Mr. Peanut's essence won't start a fire. Then pierce the turkey with its holder and lower slowly into the oil. Boil for 49 minutes or longer (3 to 3½ minutes per pound).
Step 8
Remove the turkey, drain excess oil and rest it on a platter for 10 to 30 minutes. Slice and dive in!

Tip

Turkey kits are available from $85 at Cabela's (800-237-4444, www.cabelas.com) and at the Cajun Shoppe in Louisiana (natch), (800-434-2809, www.cajunshoppe.com).

Ratings

5 out of 5

238 user ratings

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Comments

Erica6 years ago

They are little green peppers in vinegar in a jar. Look for Louisiana brand peppers in vinegar or Texas Pete brand pepper sauce.

jules6 months ago

Followed the recipe to a T but it came out overdone. The cavity was really dark brown and breast meat was dry. Looked like it was in the deep fryer too long– even though we went with the 3 1/2 mins per pound cook time. Maybe the 14 pound turkey was mislabeled with incorrect weight? Or, maybe I should’ve reduced the label weight (and cooking time) down by a few pounds after all the neck, gizzards and liquid was drained from its packaging?

Becca7 months ago

Has anyone adjusted this recipe for a turkey breast rather than a full turkey?

Chris P1 year ago

I loved it, but it was a little too spicy for much of my family. This should be labeled "Cajun Fried Turkey".

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