Southern Cooking, Fried Turkey 3

You can take the boy out of the south but you can't take the south out of the boy.  Nowhere is that more true than when it comes to food.  The south has the most the most distinctive and flavorful food in the country.  I have missed some of the foods that I grew up on but one that I am glad to see making it's mark here in the NW is fried turkey.  When I first moved to the NW I could barely find the supplies I needed to prepare my favorite holiday food.  Now however, stores like Outdoor Emporium and Sportco carry everything you need. 

Start with a pot (with basket) big enough to handle up to a 15lb turkey, an outdoor propane burner, a big food injector, your favorite marinade, and 3-5 gallons of peanut or vegetable oil.  As a word of caution, make sure that you prepare your turkey outside and your garage is not outside enough.

The first thing that needs to be done is to measure the amount of oil that you will need.  Simply place your turkey in the basket and lower in to the pot.  Next, you will want to fill with water until the turkey is just covered.  Make sure there is plenty of room at the top to allow for the oil to "boil up". 

Next, remove the basket with turkey and mark the water line.  This will be your fill line for the oil.  Make sure that you empty and dry your pot thoroughly after this step.

Injecting the turkey is when you can get creative.  You can use any marinade off the shelf or create your own.  I have used everything from steak sauce to salad dressing with my favorite being a butter creole.  Basically anything you think sounds good with turkey will work.  The process is simple, fill your injector, insert, and inject.  Make sure to inject at various sites on the turkey.

You will know that the bird is full when it starts to overflow.

After all of the preparations have been done, fill your pot with oil and heat to 325 degrees.  Slowly (very slowly) lower your turkey into the heated oil.  Fry your turkey 4 minutes for every pound at 325 and then remove.  The skin may look a little crispy but do not be alarmed, the meat underneath will be the most tender and flavorfull turkey you have ever tasted.  The process of frying the turkey turns the skin crispy and in turn seers in the flavors and juiciness.