Deep Fried Turkey from Karen's Kitchen

This year I made a little pact with myself to focus on Vegetarianism, so I am only going to do a quick once-over on the turkeys. Most of you know how to cook them anyway, and will just do it that way regardless of what I tell you. But for the daring few... this is FASTER and makes a MORE TENDER TURKEY than any other method you will ever find. Do it ONCE, and you will do it this way forevermore!

• Welders Mask
• Asbestos lined fireman's jacket
• steel toed fireman's boots
• 20 foot raked diameter bare ground
• custom designed 6' long sterilized blacksmith's tongs

Somewhere between my carefree attitude and Chad's big tools safety first approach, you can have LOTS of fun doing a turkey. Yes, I have done several of them indoors on my stove top, and I now have a DEEPER POT and a picture of Chad's method as well as mine. He does his birds at 360 degrees for 3 minutes a pound to perfection. I crank up my fire full blast for 5 minutes a pound, I have never checked the temp. My method works best on 12 pound birds. 15 pound birds don't crisp up on the outside. Chad's method works perfect on 12 pound birds and once the oil is hot "If you can do a 12 pounder in 36 minutes, you might as well do THREE!"

Honest to goodness, this is the best way to do a turkey. It is a little more expensive than just sticking the bird in the oven and praying, but the success is worth it. It CONSISTENTLY comes out moist, tender and flavorful like you have never seen a bird in your LIFE. And think about it: A 12 pound bird is done in thirty-six minutes

Prepare the bird by removing any extra parts like giblets and necks. You can add more flavor by using one of those flavor injectors and inject a marinade directly into the bird. My friend Juli had us put Italian dressing into one bird, and some folks from the south insisted that I try this BBQ sauce marinade in at least one drumstick. I am hard pressed to decide which I liked best! This year I will use the Watkins Mediterranean Rub to season things up the day before, and inject it with a Red Raspberry Chipolte Sauce I just found at Costco. Maybe I'll even do one leg with Italian, one leg with BBQ and the rest with the Raspberry...

Use a big enough pot and enough peanut oil to submerge the bird. You have to bring the oil to a boil before you lower it in, and make sure you know how you are going to pull it OUT before you submerge it. This is hot work. Last year we ran a long wire down the middle of the bird and back up so we could raise and lower it easily. Keep the kids away and do it in the great out of doors. Don't drop it in! Lower gently and maybe with the glove-type hot pads. Just PLEASE be careful.

So now you have a marinated bird with all it's innards removed, a long wire looped through it's body and back out on top to stay above the boiling oil and help you lower and raise it. The oil is now boiling--HOW MUCH DOES THE BIRD WEIGH??? Timing is everything on this, at 360 degrees it is 3 minutes per pound of bird! Carefully lower it in, set your watch, keep an eye on things so it doesn't get knocked over or burst into flames (oil? fire?) and stand back and watch.

Watch the bird, watch the temp and watch your watch and KEEP THE KIDS OUT OF THE WAY!!!!

Time's up! Grab those long sleeved hot pads!

When you pull it out, you will be amazed. Let it rest a short time before serving. The outside is crispy, the inside is moist. Make sure you have film in your camera. It will be as much an event as any show you could order up to entertain your guests. This is one instant in which the boiling pot will be WATCHED.

Raise the bird CAREFULLY from the oil and let it drain for a few minutes. Lay it on the platter and serve. Each 1 ounce serving of meat is 1 protein block.

Just so you will know that it can be done...Here are before and after pictures of when Larry and I did it for my Kitchen Convention in Spring of 1999, followed by Chad's Turkey Day 2002 SAFETY FIRST Turkey Frying Extravaganza:

Going IN...

Coming OUT!