Recipe - Cajun Deep Fried Turkey (Houston Chronicle)

12 pound Turkey never frozen; not
injected

In spite of the potential danger of lowering an unwieldy turkey into a
small vat of boiling oil, fans of Cajun DeepFried Turkey say it's worth
the risk because the turkey comes out moist and juicy, and deepfrying cuts
hours off the cooking time. It is definitely an outdoor activity.

Most experts insist that the turkey weigh no more than 12 pounds. The
turkeys are injected with a spicy marinade, then plunged into a pot of
boiling oil and deepfried.

Following are tips to help you safely deepfry a turkey.

=B7 Handle turkey, pots and oil carefully.

=B7 Use water to measure the capacity of your deepfryer, if you are unsure
how much oil will be needed.

=B7 Hook a heavy wire coat hanger to the wire band that secures the turkey
legs to help when lowering and lifting the turkey from the fryer. Use a
sturdy cooking spoon, tongs or a large fork for extra support; don't depend
on the wire band alone, as it can loosen during frying.

Before removing the pot from the burner, let the oil cool 1 hour after the
turkey has been removed and the burner is turned off.

Before you begin to fry, you need to season the turkey. You can inject
strained bottled Italian salad dressing for the marinade or use the Cajun
Injector, a kit that includes a 16ounce jar of marinade and a syringetype
injector. The kit is available at many supermarkets and specialty food
shops.

Use about 1 ounce of marinade per pound of turkey (it's better to buy a
fresh turkey than the prebasted type because prebasted turkeys are
saltier, said Reece Williams, who helped develop the Injector).

Marinades can be injected into a whole turkey in about 5 minutes.

Remove the giblets from the turkey cavities, wash cavities and pat dry.
Inject the marinade into the turkey thighs, legs and breast.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees in a 40quart cooker (such as a propane or
butane cooker with a steamer basket and cover).

Sprinkle Cajun seasonings over the entire bird and inside the cavity.
Carefully lower the turkey into the oil and deepfry 3 One half minutes per
pound, maintaining oil at 350 degrees. Remove the turkey carefully and let
oil cool. Makes 12 to 15 servings.

Recipe by: Houston Chronicle, 11/96

Posted to recipeludigest Volume 01 Number 435 by Lou Parris
lbparris@earthlink.net on Jan 02, 1998