MacGourmet News

"Da ol' mon wants to thank Pam's Culinary Connection for the following recipes. Thanks, Pam.

Fire Hazard! Please Use Caution With These Recipes.

ALWAYS FRY TURKEYS OUTSIDE AND KEEP CHILDREN AWAY!

Pam's 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
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 poultry or meat injector
1 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 then you should COOK an ADDITIONAL 5 to 7 minutes.

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Recipe #2
Cajun Style Deep Fried Turkey
1 medium size turkey, 12 to 14 pounds
1 propane cooker
1 strainer basket
1 Zatarain's Crab Boil or Trappey's Cajun Shake
1 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°F. (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.

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Recipe #3
Deep Fried Turkey
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 powder
3 teaspoons lemon pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoon 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.

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Read Cajun Clark's latest Fortnight Recipe.