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Cajun Fried Turkey

Fire Hazard! Please Use Caution With These Recipes.

ALWAYS FRY TURKEYS OUTSIDE AND KEEP CHILDREN AWAY!

MY HINTS TO YOU:

Make a "long handle holder" to aid in raising and
lowering your bird.
 
Be VERY CAREFUL and SLOWLY lower the turkey into the
oil. Immersion causes quite a reaction.
 
Use a LARGE, DEEP heavy-duty pot that the turkey fits
in with plenty of room for your oil.
 
Before filling the pot with oil, fill it with water and
lower the packaged turkey into the pot. This lets you
find the level for the oil and avoid overflow. A 40
quart pot filled to 24 quarts is usually about right.
 
Cooking time is usually 4 minutes per pound with the
oil temperature being 350° F. Remember to use ONLY
peanut oil.
 
The more "Cajun Style" you make them the better they
taste!
 
Keep the bird under 15 pounds or the outside will get
overdone before the center of the breast and thighs are
done.
 
Note: The oil cost for 1 bird is outrageous. We have
used the same oil to do about 5 to 10 birds, which
makes it lots less expensive.
 

















Recipe #1


Cajun Style Deep Fried Turkey


calls for:


4 ounces liquid garlic

4 ounces liquid onion

4 ounces liquid celery

1 tablespoon red pepper


2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons Tabasco®, or the hot sauce you prefer

1 ounce liquid crab boil, OR--1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning®

1 each poultry or meat injector

1 each DEFROSTED 10 to 12 pound turkey

5 gallons peanut oil

SAUTÉ liquid garlic, liquid onion, liquid celery, red
pepper, salt, Tabasco and liquid crab boil or Old Bay
Seasoning® until salt and pepper are dissolved. FILL
the injector and inject the turkey at the breast,
wings, drumsticks, thighs and back. ALLOW to marinate
for 24 hours in the refrigerator or in an ice chest.
 
USING a 10 gallon pot for frying, BRING the peanut oil
to 350° F and FRY the turkey for 38 to 42 minutes. The
turkey should FLOAT to the surface after 35 minutes and
you should COOK an ADDITIONAL 5 to 7 minutes.














Recipe #2


Cajun Style Deep Fried Turkey


Gather up:

1 medium size--12 to 14 pound-turkey

1 each propane cooker

1 each strainer basket

1 each Zatarain's® Crab Boil or Trappey's® Cajun Shake

1 each injector

1 large pot of peanut oil

1 each deep-fry thermometer

REMOVE turkey innards. PLACE turkey on a cookie sheet
for drainage. INJECT as many areas of the turkey as
possible with 16 ounces of liquid marinade (Zatarain's®
Crab Boil or Trappey's® Cajun Shake). LIBERALLY sprinkle
the outside of the turkey with Cajun Shake.
 
HAVE your peanut oil heated to 350° F. PLAN AHEAD!
because it takes time to heat. HANG the deep-fry
thermometer over the side of the pot with a bent coat
hanger for easy reading of the oil temperature. PLACE
the turkey into the strainer basket, and SLOWLY LOWER
the basket into the oil with something long enough to
keep you a safe distance away (anything from a broom
handle to a piece of pipe). BE CAREFUL doing this:
IMMERSION CAUSES quite a reaction.
 
The oil temperature will drop, so INCREASE the flame a
bit to bring it slowly back up to 350° F. COOK the
turkey 3 1/2 minutes per pound at 350°FA. (A 12 pounder
will take only 42 minutes to cook.) To remove the
turkey, CAREFULLY find the basket handle with a coat
hanger, then slip the lifting rod back under the handle
to remove the basket. LET the excess oil drip into the
pot. It helps if TWO PEOPLE do this, so one person can
slide the cookie sheet back under the turkey.








Recipe #3


Deep Fried Turkey


One (1)—11 to 14 pound whole turkey

2/3 cup Wishbone® Italian dressing

1/3 cup Sherry, the real stuff — NOT cooking Sherry

2 teaspoons garlic power

3 teaspoons lemon pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoons cayenne red pepper
5 gallons peanut oil

MIX all the ingredients well and PLACE in an injection
syringe. If it doesn't pass through the needle holes
you may have to strain the marinate. INJECT the
marinate into all parts of the bird. PLACE the bird in
a large plastic bag and allow to disperse throughout
the bird for at least 2 hours. TURN the bag and massage
the bird from time to time. OPTIONALLY you can make a
rub of the dry ingredients and rub over the surface of
the bird after the first hour of marinating. PREHEAT
the cooking oil in a kettle large enough to hold the
entire bird to 350-375° F. TIE the legs of the bird
together with wire. It helps hold the bird together and
provides a way to lift it in and out of the oil.
CAREFULLY place the bird into the oil and fry 3 to 4
minutes per pound. You should pay close/strict
attention to cooking time; each cooker has it's own
peculiarities. The resulting bird is tender and tasty
and very juicy.