Awesome Deep Fried Turkey

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. For those of us who are hosting family and friends this year, it's time to start thinking about what kind of meat you want to serve. Deep-fried turkey is pretty popular and, if you have the right equipment, relatively easy to prepare. Not quickly, mind you, but not difficult either. Here's a recipe that can take a long time to prepare, but is definitely worth it!

These instructions refer to a 14-16 pound turkey, but you can make adjustments if your turkey is sized differently. I've seen turkeys as big as 20 pounds in the store!

I'm going to give you three different preparations because deep-fried turkey is very versatile and it's always fun to try something new. You can use any or all of these methods to “spice up” a deep-fried turkey. It takes a *really* long time-days, in fact-to prepare everything, so take that into account when choosing a method and don't procrastinate!

Injected, Rubbed and Tea-Brined Deep-Fried Turkey-serves 10

For the injecting-

5 garlic cloves, peeled and slightly pressed

4 sage leaves

2 rosemary sprigs

½ cup butter

4 tbsp olive oil

cracked black pepper, to taste

To make the injection liquid, just simmer in a pot for 10-15 minutes.

For the rub, just use ½ cup of whatever dry rub seasoning you want. Here are a few suggestions:

http://bbq.about.com/od/turkeyrubrecipes/tp/Top-10-Turkey-Rub-Recipes.htm

For the brining-

4 quarts cold water

2 quarts apple juice

1 lb brown sugar

10 cloves garlic

10 fresh sage leaves

10 allspice, whole

10 peppercorns

4 sprigs rosemary

4 bags oolong tea

2 bay leaves

1 inch ginger, lengthwise-sliced

1 cup coarse or pickling salt

First of all, make sure your turkey is completely thawed! Otherwise, this might happen: http://gizmodo.com/5860511/william-shatner-shows-you-how-not-to-deep-fry-a-turkey

Your kids might find it fun to watch, but your neighbors certainly won't.

For instructions on thawing a turkey, visit http://homecooking.about.com/od/turkeyrecipes/r/blturkey5.htm.

Bring all the brining ingredients to a boil in a very large pot (big enough for a turkey). Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags. Add turkey to the pot and pour cold water over it until it is submerged. After 10-15 hours, discard the brine and rinse turkey inside and out. Dry with a towel.

If you're using the injection flavoring, let it cool and inject the mixture under the skin of breast and thighs and refrigerate overnight.

Here's the fun part-

Heat peanut oil to 350 F. If you're using rubbing spices, apply inside and out. Tie the wings and legs to the body and lower it into hot oil. Fry 3 minutes per pound, let stand for 15 minutes and serve.

Be sure to save some for me! Enjoy and happy Thanksgiving!