the G sides

Some pics of the Fried Turkey Experience yesterday. I used a new rub Amy found online. Couple of things to remember if you decide to fry a turkey.

First, don’t let all the ‘scary’ talk keep you from trying this. They taste awesome, relatively easy and quick to cook and your wife will love you forever now that you are cooking the turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas. (Of course, she’s supposed to love you forever anyway…)

Second, DO PAY ATTENTION TO A COUPLE OF IMPORTANT DETAILS.

DETAIL ONE: Only fry dry, thawed turkeys. To do otherwise will result in an incredible explosion worthy of Mythbusters. The problem with said explosion is that you will be to close to enjoy it and your house won’t appreciate it at all.

DETAIL TWO: Fry it outside. Seems to be common sense but then again that sense has never been that common.

DETAIL THREE: Keep your PEANUT oil below 325/350 degrees. Use only peanut oil. You’ll see some folks talk about cooking the bird at 350 but problem with this is the longer you fry, the hotter it gets and the back 10 to 12 minutes of the fry you’ll watch your oil get close to 400 degrees and that’s a bad place to be. It’s bad because the fire risk is greater and you’ll burn the bejesus out of your bird.

I get the oil to 325. The temp will drop to 300 but it will climb back up. Cook the bird 3 1/2 minutes per pound.

The Rub:
16 ounces of Italian dressing (Only use 12 ounces for the mix below).
1/2 cup cayenne pepper
1/2 cup of black pepper
1 cup of cajun seasoning (Tony C’s)
1 tablespoon of garlic powder

It sounded ridiculously hot but we decided to try it. The ‘marinade’ ended up being a rub, with the consistency of wet sand. Rub that stuff all over the turkey and underneath the skin. Pour the other 4 ounces of Italian dressing inside the bird and let it soak in for over 7 hours.

Pulled the turkey out 30 minutes before cooking. Let the turkey drain the Italian dressing out, got the peanut oil to 325 and we were ready to DANCE!!!

Tasted great – the ‘heat’ of the rub cooked off and left the turkey with a nice flavor. All of the kids loved it and ate it so it wasn’t hot at all. Letting the turkey ‘rest’ after you pull it out of the fryer is a must. Let’s the juices get back in the bird and you’re not trying to slice a 180 degree turkey.

After the meal, we lounged around with our neighbors – little Sammy loves hanging with Coop. Started to snow and the girls played outside.