This looks great and all, but why not just fry the bird instead? The end result will render you ~speechless.~
'Bout to come at you with a lot of information, don't worry... the full recipe and instructions are in detail at the bottom of this post.
DISCLAIMER: Deep frying a turkey can be dangerous if not done properly.
First, get your brine right:
Give it a stir, then add four quarts of additional cold water. Add your bird. Weigh it down, make sure it is completely submerged, and cover.
Take the bird out of the brine. Dry it off. Bring it to room temperature (will take about 30 minutes).
Next, use EXTREME CAUTION and fill up your frying pot with peanut oil and let it heat up. Heat your oil to 350ºF or 177º C.
While your oil heats, finish prepping your turkey for frying. Then, place it in the hot oil and let it fry away!
Deep fry your turkey three minutes per pound.
Here it is frying away on BuzzFeedTasty's Instagram:
Next, make sure you have safety gloves on and use the proper equipment to capture the bird out of the hot oil.
You want to make sure the delicious result is cooked to a perfect 150ºF or 66ºC.
Turkey porn, amirite? Bye.
Here's what you need:
- 1 lb. of salt
- 1 lb. of brown sugar
- 6 qt. of boiling water
- 3 lbs. of ice
- 4 qt. of cold water (or enough water to cover turkey entirely)
- 13 to 15 lb. turkey (no larger than 15 lbs.)
- 4 ½ gallons of peanut oil
Equipment:
- Turkey deep frying kit, which should include the following:
- Large pot (30 qt)
- Hook or basket or stainless steel kitchen utensil with wide bottom, long handle, and looped top
- S-hook with handle
- Oven mitts or rotisserie-grade oven mitts
- Propane burner with sturdy stand that will hold your large pot
- Deep fry thermometer
In a large pot, container or cooler with a lid, combine salt, brown sugar, and boiling water to make the brine. Once the salt and brown sugar have dissolved, cool down with ice. Place your turkey into the brine mixture, add more cold water to cover your turkey entirely. Weigh down the turkey with something heavy and cover. Place the turkey in a cool place or refrigerator and let it brine for 8–16 hours.
Remove the turkey from the brine, discard the brine. Pat dry the turkey. Make sure it's entirely dry inside and out. Let it sit at room temp for 30 minutes.
While the turkey is coming to room temp, prepare your deep frying pot. The pot should be large enough to hold the turkey, oil, and have enough room to contain the oil once it starts bubbling (recommend 30-qt. pot). Make sure the deep frying pot is clean and dry. **Any moisture in the pot will make the oil pop when it starts heating up.** Pour the peanut oil into the pot. You should have enough oil to just cover the turkey. Set over high heat on an outside propane burner. Bring the temperature of the oil to 350°F/177°C.
While the oil is heating up, prepare your turkey to submerge into the oil. If you are using a turkey deep frying kit, use all the equipment provided (i.e. hook/basket, s-hook, retrieval handle). If not, take a stainless steel kitchen utensil with a wide bottom, long handle, and looped top. Take the kitchen utensil and push the handle through the neck of the turkey. You want the wide part of the utensil to rest inside the turkey cavity. Take an s-hook with a handle attachment and loop it through the loop part of the kitchen utensil. Wipe down the turkey again to make sure there is no moisture. Turkey is ready!!!
Once the temperature of the oil has reached 350°F/177°C, slowly and gently lower the turkey into the oil. SLOWLY AND GENTLY. Fry the turkey for three minutes per pound. For a 15-lb. turkey, this will take 45 minutes. Make sure the oil temp is maintained at 350°F/177°C. After 45 minutes, turn off your propane burner and gently remove the turkey from the oil. Place the turkey on a large baking sheet or carving board and check the temperature. Right out of the fryer, the breast meat should be at 150°F/66°C and will reach 160°F/71°C due to carryover cooking. Let the turkey rest for 30 minutes before carving. Carve as desired and enjoy!
CAUTIONARY NOTE: Be extremely careful while frying your turkey, wear appropriate clothing and gloves, keep kids away, monitor your frying situation at all times, and when your turkey is done remember: Oil will be hot for a few hours after frying. DON'T touch or dispose until fully cooled.