We hosted our 4th Annual Turkey potluck with our college friends, and we wanted to spice things up a bit by having a Iron Chef Battle between the hubby and me. All of our friends participated, brought various mashed potatoes (we had about 4 or 5 kinds),side dishes galore, sweet treats, and lots of beer and wine to go along with our meal. They also had the final say which "turkey reigned supreme!" My husband, the engineer, set up the turkey derrick per Alton Brown's strict directions. The most important step is the Turkey Derrick set-up, remember safety first!! If you try this at home, please do this on the grass and not on the cement. Here's the PDF. This set-up was in our backyard, along with the various tools, the much needed fire extinguisher, and 4 gallons of fat I mean peanut oil awaiting the demise of the deep fried turkeyness.
The turkey already looks amazing...my husband was fighting off all the guys hands off the turkey. Step away from the bird!
You can never judge a turkey by it's cooking vessel, a tradtional turkey is always the safe way to go, but the fun and crazy way to prepare a turkey is the Alton Brown way!
Alton Brown's Deep Fried Turkey & Turkey Derrick
Adapted from the one and only: Alton Brown
Ingredients:
6 quarts hot water
1 pound kosher salt
1 pound dark brown sugar
5 pounds ice
1 (12 pound) turkey, with giblets removed
4 gallons peanut oil
*Cook's Note: In order to determine the correct amount of oil, place the turkey into the pot that you will be frying it in, add water just until it barely covers the top of the turkey and is at least 4 to 5 inches below the top of the pot. This will be the amount of oil you use for frying the turkey.
Directions
1.Place the hot water, kosher salt and brown sugar into a 5-gallon upright drink cooler and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve completely. Add the ice and stir until the mixture is cool. Gently lower the turkey into the container. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure that it is fully immersed in the brine. Cover and set in a cool dry place for 8 to 16 hours.
2. Remove the turkey from the brine, rinse and pat dry. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking.
3. Place the oil into a 28 to 30-quart pot and set over high heat on an outside propane burner with a sturdy structure. Bring the temperature of the oil to 250 degrees F. Once the temperature has reached 250, slowly lower the bird into the oil and bring the temperature to 350 degrees F. Once it has reached 350, lower the heat in order to maintain 350 degrees F. After 35 minutes, check the temperature of the turkey using a probe thermometer. Once the breast reaches 151 degrees F, gently remove from the oil and allow to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes prior to carving. The bird will reach an internal temperature of 161 degrees F due to carry over cooking. Carve as desired.
Review: Hands down, my husband WON the Iron Chef Battle. I'm a hard critic, but overall...best turkey I have ever had, including my own! It will be a nice break for me to NOT cook turkey, but the dinner & a possible FIRE show at our house is pretty entertaining no matter what. Eric had won the crowd with his Turkey Derrick, and the smokiness & juicy turkey was just amazing.
