Normally we have a traditional Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner, which includes the turkey baked in the oven with the stuffing, squash, etc.. Once in a while we have an extremely large group joining us, in our gathering of being thankful, then we have two turkeys. One in the cooked in the oven, the other... is deep fried. I know the words turkey and deep fried sound so wrong when said in the same sentence, but I assure you, it is not as unhealthy as it sounds, if you use peanut oil. This method of cooking is really quick, yet yields a really juicy turkey when done. But, you must be really careful! We have all seen the local news stations with disastrous footage tape of someone preparing a deep fried turkey and everything goes up in flames - so please take appropriate precautions! This is not an area for children!
Deep Fried Turkey
Ingredients:
1 turkey (about 14-16lbs.) *eye up the pot to see what size turkey would fit before purchasing.
4 gallons peanut oil
Thermometer
Gloves
Hook
Ingredients for Injecting the Turkey
1/2 c. chicken broth
2 tbs. butter
1 tbs. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
salt to taste
Prepare the turkey. It needs to be defrosted, room temp., washed and thoroughly dried. Take out any of the pop-up timer devices or anything that is inside of the turkey. Truss the turkey. This is done by securing the legs, neck flap and wings to the tail of the body of the turkey.
Prepare the the ingredients for injecting the turkey by melting butter in a small pan, add remaining ingredients, except for the salt. Mix well. Add salt until the mixture has a salty flavor. Allow this to cool enough to work with and pour into the meat injector. Using a 20-30 cc syringe and 18 gauge needle. Be sure to inject evenly throughout turkey, injecting 5 inches apart. Be careful not to inject air into the turkey. Place in sealed plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 12 hours. For best results, inject turkey approximately 12 hours before deep frying. If you don't have enough time to let sit overnight or for 12 hours, you can inject the turkey prior to deep frying it.
*Remember, when you inject the turkey you don't want to use any ingredients that could get stuck in meat injector apparatus.
Determine the amount of peanut oil you are going to use by placing the turkey in the empty pot, add enough water to completely cover the turkey, plus an inch or two. There should still be enough room between the oil and the top of the pot, if not, you either need a bigger pot or a smaller turkey - sorry. Remove the turkey and measure the water. This is the amount of oil you will need. Make sure the pot is completely dry, any water left behind can cause problems once you add the oil and heat.
At this point make sure your "cooking area" is a large, open space and void of any flammable products or anything that could potentially catch fire. Add the oil to the pot and bring the temp up to approx. 400 degrees. (Hopefully you have invested in a good thermometer.)
Again, make sure the turkey is thoroughly dry! This will prevent some of the splattering caused by water hitting the hot oil. Turn off the burner while putting the turkey in. Slowly, lower the turkey into the HOT pot of peanut oil. It is going to splatter some, so you need cooking gloves and a hook to lower the turkey into the pot. A good way of preventing the oil to completely boil over the pot is, if you slowly lower the turkey part way, pull it back out, and repeat this step until it is safe to fully immerse the turkey in the peanut oil without it over flowing.
Once the turkey is fully immersed and resting in the oil, turn the burner back on and allow temperature to get to 350 degrees to properly cook. A turkey generally cooks at a rate of about 3-3 1/2 minutes per pound. While the turkey is cooking, I don't recommend walking away from it. This is a very dangerous cooking situation, especially when left unattended. A 15 lb. turkey should cook in about 45-50 minutes. Use your instant read thermometer to 175 degrees.
If done, turn off the burner and, slowly, remove the turkey from the oil and place on a cookie sheet; sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper, then allow it to cool, upside down for 15 minutes before serving. Carve and enjoy!
Dish - In case you missed the 2008 American Music Awards, here is a link for the winners. Chris Brown was the man who took home 3, count'em, 3!
Kayne West took home 2. I agree with Jimmy Kimmel, who hosted the event, when he said: "Last year Kayne was complaining about not winning an award, this year he is giving his away." Can't keep em happy, I guess.
I was happy to see that Annie Lennox was presented with an: "Award of Merit." I love this girl's music.
“We are delighted to honor Annie Lennox at this year’s AMAs. Through her work with the groundbreaking Eurythmics to her solo career, Annie has always been at the forefront of music. She is a truly exceptional artist,” said AMA Producer Larry Klein. Previous honorees to receive this award include: Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Frank Sinatra, James Brown, Neil Diamond and Gloria Estefan.
http://abc.go.com/primetime/ama/index?pn=winners#t=0
Here's video of some of the performances ~ but I don't see Annie Lennox. She brought the crowd to their feet with her performance.
I thought Cold Play's lead singer: Chris Martin, seemed a bit like a little boy who had tons of energy that he didn't know what to do with, so he just jumped around, most of the time looking silly. I love Cold Play, but this was not one of their better performances.
Loved Pink, Rhianna, Pussy Cat Dolls, Natasha, Jonas, The Fray, Mirah Carey; oh yeah - Happy Birthday - again Miley Cyrus....how many times does a girl turn "sweet 16" on national TV...is this the 2nd or 3rd time? I can hardly wait till she turns 21.
http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00020118.html
Who wore what as they arrived~
http://www.aceshowbiz.com/events/2008%20American%20Music%20Awards/ALO-038957.html
Embellish - Dress for success!
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