It’s Thanksgiving and I thought I would share my deep fried turkey recipe.

It is a good idea to brine your turkey before you cook it.  This will add flavor.   The Turkey Brine consists of: 1/2 Cup of sea salt,  1/2 Cup white sugar, 1 T. rosemary, 1T. Sage, 1T. thyme and 2 quarts cold water.  In a large pot combine vegetable stock, salt, sugar, and herbs over med. heat.  Simmer for about 15 min unitl salt is completely dissolved.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool.  Add cold water.  Place turkey in a large plastic container.  Pour brine over top, cover and refrigerate.  Brine for 1 hour per pound.  Thoroughly rinse all the brine from the turkey before cooking.  Otherwise there will be a salty flavor to the turkey. This brine will work for however you cook your turkey.

DO NOT — USE A TURKEY WITH ONE OF THOSE PLASTIC MEAT THERMOMETERS!

For the deep fried turkey:

You will need an outdoor deep fryer.

Size matters.  Your turkey should not exceed 14 lbs. for deep fried.  In addition to the obvious safety concern of lowering and lifting a big turkey into a vessel of boiling oil, larger birds simply cook longer.  The extra cooking time may result in over exposure to the skin, which could be over cooked.

Amount of oil:

Use Peanut oil.

Many turkey fryers feature a “fill line” indicating the right level of oil to add to the pot.  If this feature is not available follow these guidelines:

Place the thawed turkey in the fryer basket and place in the empty pot.  The minimum oil level should be 3 to 5 inches from the top of the fryer.  Add water until the top of the turkey is covered.  Remove the turkey, allowing the water to drain from the turkey.  Note the water level, using a ruler to measure the distance from the top of the pot to the surface of the water.

Drain or pour out the water and dry the pot thoroughly.

Cooking Preperation

Remove the turkey from the wrapper.  Be sure to save the label that indicates the weight of the turkey  Use the turkey’s weight to compute the total frying time.  Thaw the turkey completely.  Remove the neck and giblets from the two body cavities.  Remove any excess fat around the neck to allow the oil to flow through the turkey.  Remove the wire or plastic truss that holds the legs in place.  cut off the wing tips up to the first joint and cut off the tail.  Do not stuff the turkey for deep frying.(This would be when you Brine)  Heat the oil to 350 degrees.    This should take about 45 min.  To reduce spattering, thoroughly dry the interior and exterior of the bird.  Submerge bird into 350 degree oil and cook for 3.5 min. per lb.  Let sit for 15 min. before carving.

Additional Safety Tips

Never leave the turkey fryer unattended during the heating, cooking and cooling process.  Keep children and pets away from the cooking area at all times.  Allow the oil to cool completely before disposing or storing.  Immediatly wash hands, utensils, equipment and surfaces that have come in contact with raw turkey.  Turkey should be consumed immediately and leftovers stored in the refrigerator within two hours of cooking.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!