Deep frying your Thanksgiving turkey may sound like madness. Yet doing so yields impossibly juicy turkey that oven-roasted poultry simply can’t beat. Dad’s Deep Fried Turkey infuses each bite with a balance of sweet, tangy, and earthy flavors that no amount of basting can replicate. Once it emerges from the oil, you’ll find crackling, crispy skin over fall-off-the-bone tender turkey. You won’t have to worry about filling the fridge up with leftovers this holiday because Dad’s Deep Fried Turkey has a reputation for vanishing!
Ingredients
- 3 cups light brown sugar, packed
- 1 1/2 cups Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons salt
- 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
- 2 gallons cold water
- 1 bunch thyme
- 10-12 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 12 pounds turkey
- 2 1/2 gallons vegetable oil
Directions
Step 1 -In a large stockpot, whisk to combine, the brown sugar, the Dijon, the cayenne pepper, and the salt.
Step 2 -Gradually whisk in the water. Then add in the garlic and the thyme.
Step 3 -Add in the turkey, then cover and brine it in the refrigerator for 35 hours.
Step 4 -In a turkey fryer or a large 18-quart stockpot, heat the oil to 400 degrees F. This may take up to an hour to heat up.
Step 5 -Remove the turkey from the brine, then pat it dry inside and out using paper towels.
Step 6 -Move the turkey to a frying basket, breast side up. Place the turkey into the hot oil, frying for 3 minutes per pound, for about 36 minutes total.
Step 7 -Lift the basket up and out of the fryer, then drain the turkey on a rack set over a rimmed baking sheet for about 15 minutes.
Step 8 -Carve and serve!
