The last few Novembers have seen people putting a Southern spin on a Thanksgiving staple.
A Cajun tradition, turkey frying has become increasingly popular throughout the country. It produces juicier meat and crispy skin. And, it takes less than an hour to cook.
Senior Justin Hobson said fried turkey is the way to go for Thanksgiving.
“Once you try it, you’ll never cook your turkey any other way,” he said.
Frying a turkey isn’t too difficult, but requires some special tools. A propane burner with a propane tank and a 28-40 quart frying pot can be found at local hardware stores, or can be purchased on-line. The turkey is actually marinated and deep-fried in peanut oil.
A turkey holder and lowering mechanism, such as a broom handle, will ensure the turkey is safely dunked into and out of the oil.
For adding flavor, both dry spices and liquid marinade are applied to the turkey, the liquid marinade via a hypodermic injector.
A candy thermometer will make sure the peanut oil stays the right temperature and a meat thermometer will make sure the turkey isn’t overcooked. And, any aspiring turkey fryer will need a 10-pound to 14-pound turkey.
Most of these ingredients can be found at a local grocery store or housewares store.
“You will also need an assistant and a comfortable chair,” said veteran fryer Steve Scott of Pearl. “That way, you have someone to help you and someone to talk to while the bird cooks.”
To prepare the turkey, inject marinade into it in several different places using the hypodermic meat injector, then rub dry spices over it.
After marinating from 12-36 hours, the turkey is ready to fry.
Frying a turkey can be rather awkward and potentially hazardous. For these reasons, senior Andy Buchanan strongly recommends an outdoor setting.
“It’s a real messy process,” he said. “You don’t want oil everywhere and you really don’t want anything to catch on fire.”
All children, pets and other flammable and well-loved material need to be cleared out of the way before frying a turkey.
A few inches should between left between the lip of the pot and the level of the oil. Once the pot is filled with oil, it’s OK to fire up the propane burner.
When the candy thermometer reaches 400 degrees Fahrenheit, the burner should be turned off momentarily so the oil will not splatter. Then, using the turkey holder, the lowering mechanism and an assistant, the turkey can be slowly dunked up and down in the oil until it is completely submerged. The oil temperature should then be reduced to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
For every pound, the turkey should fry for 2 to 3 minutes. When the time is up, the turkey should be pulled halfway out of the pot and the temperature should be checked with the meat thermometer. The turkey should read about 180 degrees. It’s now ready to be enjoyed.
It is equally important to take caution when removing the turkey from the pot. The turkey will be extremely hot when removed from the oil, and should be placed on a large platter where it can drain.
As soon as the turkey cools a little, it’s ready for the dinner table.
For those who don’t want to try their hands at frying turkey, Foodmax on Miss. Highway 12 will do it for only $10 more than the price of an oven-roasted turkey.
Customers can pick out a turkey and a cajun marinade, and the grocery store will deep fry it.
The total cost is $39.99.