Cajun Fried Turkey?

CouchCoach

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Don't know if any are considering this but I've been doing this since 1985 when I lived in Baton Rouge and have passed this onto at least a dozen people that use this recipe that was passed to me and dates back to 1955 when the Dad of the guy that gave it to me began this ritual on turkey hunts with no electricity but they did have propane.

The turkey needs to be out of the fridge for 30 minutes to allow the injected marinade to penetrate the meat. It needs to be injected all over, including the back, if you're planning on Fried Turkey/Andouille gumbo and why wouldn't you? That's the best reason to fry turkeys.

1 stick of salted butter
2 tsp Garlic juice
2 tsp Onion juice
2 tbls of Worcestershire, I only use Lea & Perrin, they created it
2 tbls of La. Hot Sauce, I prefer Crystal but any La. one will do but Tabasco doesn't work as well
1 cup of dry white wine

Cook this down to reduce the volume and burn the alcohol off for about 10 minutes and then let completely cool to inject the bird and let it rest in the fridge overnight (it will be tired from all of the acupuncture). After you've injected it, cover it with Tony Chachare's inside and out and loosely cover with foil.

Get the oil to 375, depending on how cold the bird is, but the goal is to not drop below 350 and fry feet pointing up at an angle for 3.5 minutes per pound. That skin is one of the greatest mouthgasms I ever had.

You want a "back the hell off, this is really good stock"? Get as much meat off the bird, tear it down and break the larger bones and simmer that for 5-6 hours and strain that and refrigerate for 4 hours to skim the fat off the top. Now, you are ready for some gumbo. And you know that fat you just skimmed off the stock, use that mixed with oil to start your roux.

BTW, that's the original recipe and my son and I have altered ours to add more zip with more La. Hot Sauce because you know what I always say, "there's never enough La. Hot Sauce". You can also add salt but this calls for salted butter and if you've ever read a N'Awlins cookbook, you know they never, ever use unsalted butter.
 

Hardline

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I been looking for an excuse to buy an outdoor deep fryer .
 

CouchCoach

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I been looking for an excuse to buy an outdoor deep fryer .
When I first started frying them, they didn't make those, I had to use my 80 qt crawfish pot. I had 4 other guys pitch in on the oil and we all spent our first Fried Turkey Day on my patio with Bloody Mary's and beer. None of us had ever fried them before and only one had even tasted fried turkey. When we tasted that skin, we were hooked. Now, the turkey frying set up is easy. Especially compared to trying to get 12-14 lb bobbing turkeys out of 350 degree oil.

You make the gumbo with that and some andouille and toss is some oysters in the bottom of the bowl before ladling that in and you've got the perfect post TDay meal. We always made the N'Awlins soaked salad and crusty French bread and that was our really special Thanksgiving meal. I always made either Bananas Foster or Cherries Jubilee for desert.
 

CouchCoach

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Sounds good, what time do I need to swing by for two plates full?
I am not doing it this year, my son is and frying me one to bring back after his wife, a pastry chef, makes her cinnamon rolls that shame Cinnabon.

I'll rip the legs off that sucker, sit in the corner with a low growl to keep my dogs away and then turn the rest of that into gumbo.
 
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