
        Wendy Hufnagel <whufnagel@shadowlink.net>

Fried Turkey Injection
                                                            
I found the best price for peanut oil at Sam's.  They sell it in 35# jugs.
I'd recommend you get two...one might not be quite enough.  Don't know if
you like things spicy, but here is my tried and true recipe for
injection...and it is to die for...

Melt one stick (1/4#) butter (no substitutes), add an equal or greater
amount of your favorite hot sauce (depending on how hot you like it).  I use
Frank's Hot Sauce, then add several splashes of Tabasco Habanero Sauce.  I
add garlic juice and onion juice to taste, and several glugs of liquid
shrimp and crab boil.  If you need more salt, I use plain popcorn salt, as
it is fine and dissolves easily for injection.  I think the key is to taste
as you go.  One hint:  I make it about hot enough to blow your head
off...you will find that once injected into the meat, it will taste no where
near as hot.  I like to inject 2-3 days ahead of anticipated cooking.  I
also salt, pepper and shake Tony Chachere's into the cavity and do likewise
to the outside after applying a LIGHT coating of oil.  Then, do all your
injecting from the top of the bird.  I slide the platter into a plastic
grocery bag, secure, and refrigerate, but don't forget to bring the bird to
room temperature before cooking.  My  $.02  ~W

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An afterthought.  Since so many more folks out there are trying this
technique, just thought of something I don't think I have mentioned before.
When you are injecting the bird from on top, to maximize the permeation of
the injection marinade through the meat without turning the bird into a pin
cushion, inject a bit, then semi-withdraw the needle, but using the same
outside hole, redirect the needle through the inner flesh several different
times, dumping more marinade at each site, kinda like reverse liposuction!
OK, I know y'all have probably thought of that already, but I just thought
I'd mention it.  ~W

----------------------------


My $.02...Sounds rather messy to me!  You're going to be frying outside, 
obviously, so what do you do when you take the turkey out to drain?  Drain 
and season it where?  Would hate to be having to pack that oily fowl back 
into the kitchen!  To be honest, we don't even do the water test for oil 
level, which is the beauty of having a 42 qt. cooker...we more or less know 
how much oil after all these birds, and with the larger size cooker have 
never worried about a boil-over.  What I usually do after brining and 
allowing the bird to 'dry' is season the cavity, then rub with a LIGHT coat 
of olive oil on the bottom (back) of the bird and season that side, turn the
bird over on a platter and inject, then apply a light coat of olive oil to 
the breast side and season.  Part of the seasoning process includes a light 
sifting of Wondra which I think increases the crispiness of the skin.  I 
also like to inject the day before the actual frying.  Man, I sure am 
missing my turkey fryer this Thanksgiving!  :( ~W
=================

For all the metal fabricators out there (I've got a friend who owns Badger
Metal Fabricating in FL...I'm going to ask him to think about this
idea)...we need a pan, about 2' x 2' with sides @ 2 1/2" high, into which
one could pour kitty litter, then  settle their turkey cooker in...thereby
saving deck and patio surfaces.  Since the fryers are selling like hotcakes,
this is not a bad idea.  But since I have given y'all the marketing
idea...which I would also be happy to market...send all prototypes to me for
testing!  I am only half kidding, guys, it would be a great marketing idea.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
==================
Wendy H

You melt the butter to make it injectable, then you immediately refrigerate 
the bird after injection.  The butter isn't HOT...it's just melted with 
enough liquidity so that it can pass through the ports on your injector.  W,
still kicking after injecting upteen birds.  Guess it's not a sport for the 
squeamish.  ;~)
================
Hi Dave,
We use the perforated basket, but on initial insertion have the turkey neck 
side down.  Haven't had any problem with the air purge.  ~W

================================

Bruce Cook
Wendy Hufnagel
BBQ List

Cajun Fried Turkey

12-18 lb Turkey
1/2 lb Butter
12 oz Hot Sauce
3 T Onion juice
1  T Garlic juice
3 T Liquid Crab Boil
Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning or your favorite seasoning.
Wondra (optional)

Measure amount of peanut oil needed by placing turkey in pot and filling with water. Remove turkey and mark  water level.

Melt butter add other ingredients.

Inject seasoned  butter into breasts, thighs, legs, and wings in the middle or top. Make sure you inject slowly and pull injector out slowly. Try to use the same hole to inject into each piece. This way you can season all areas of the meat.

Season cavity and outside skin with your favorite poultry seasoning. I prefer to use Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning.

Let sit uncovered in refrigerator. Overnight is fine. You want the skin to dry out a little.

Prior to cooking let come to room temperature 
Sprinkle lightly with Wondra flour (helps crisp skin) optional

NOTE: A FIRE EXTINGUISHER should be nearby and available for immediate use. Best if someone is nearby holding it while lowering turkey into pot of oil.


Heat oil to 350 degrees. Turn burner off. Slowly lower turkey into pot  about 1/4 of the way. Slowly raise out. Repeat to 1/2 way. Continue till fully immersed. Watch out for splattering. Be cautious!

Relight burner as soon as turkey is in oil.. When temperature returns to 350 degrees begin timing 3 minutes per pound. After time check internal temperature. If not return to oil for five minutes. Check again.

Let sit for 15 minutes. Carve.  Save carcass for stock.

Peel skin and eat prior to carving. This is the reward for the effort! 

~W

========


The Ten Commandments of Frying Turkeys

1) Don't get too big a turkey. The average pot that comes with these frying
kits will hold about a 14 to 18 pound turkey. If that isn't enough do two
turkeys instead of trying to pack a huge one in a little pot.

2) Always fry your turkey outside on a flat even surface. Don't let kids or
pets around while you are  cooking. It might be a good idea to find a chair
for drunk uncle Bubba to sit in also.

3) Be prepared in case of an accident. Fire extinguisher...good idea.  Water
hose...probably bad idea. If the pot tumps over and catches fire, where is
the burning oil going to go??? Under your car? Down through the gaps between
the boards of your wooden deck? It is best to do this out in the yard or on
a driveway. Get a piece of plywood to set it on and that will help keep
splattering oil of off your grass or driveway.

4) Know how much oil you will need. Don't fill the pot up and get it to 365
and then try to put a turkey in it. If you do then you need to re-read #3
because about 1/2 of that oil will leave the pot. A good tried and true way
of figuring the amount of oil is the water method. Put the raw turkey in the
pot and fill it with water just until the turkey is almost underwater. Now
take the turkey out and mark where the water level is. That is the mount of
oil you will need.

5) Get rid of all the water. Before you fill the pot with oil dry it as good
as you can. That goes the same for the turkey. Pat it dry with paper towels.
Shake it around to get the water out of the cavity. Hot oil and water do not
mix very well.

6) Use good clean oil. Peanut oil is usually the preferred oil in that in
can withstand the higher temp.'s better then other oils. Regular oil can be
used but I spend the couple extra bucks and get peanut oil. You can use it
for quite a while if you take care of it. Get a filter of some kind and use
it. They can be bought all over the place and are made just for this. I
found that coffee filters do not work unless you have about 6 days to kill
filtering oil.

7) Wear thick leather gloves. When you are lowering that turkey into the oil
you will get some splattering so expect it. Our natural instinct when
something very hot hits our hand is to pull it away. Ok...you get
splattered... you let go of turkey to pull hand away...turkey now PLUNGES
into boiling oil...you are on your way to the hospital to get new skin on
both of your legs. Just get some good thick gloves. Also watch out for that
hole where the neck was. Oil will gush out of that like a volcano.


8) TURN THE FIRE OFF. This has to be the one thing I really try to do. After
you get the oil up to temp. and are ready to lower the turkey in, turn the
burner of first. 99% of the time you will have some oil splash over the
side. With the fire off all you got now is a little mess (but you have a
piece of plywood down just for the messes, right) instead of the possibility
of a flare up. Once the turkey is in and the oil has settled down re-light
the burner. Remember, you do not have to have  the flame at it's highest.
Once
the oil heats up it doesn't take too much to keep it hot with the exception
of outside temp. and wind. That is just something you will have to figure
out.


9) Go slow. Don't just try to lower the turkey in the oil in a few seconds.
Take your time. Lower it in a couple of inches and then raise it up just a
little. Lower it in a little farther and then back up a little. When the
turkey is a little over half way in kind tilt it a little to each side. This
will let any air pockets out and you won't have a big splash of oil when an
air bubble comes out. Never leave the turkey by itself. Always have someone
there watching (except drunk uncle Bubba) just in case something happens.
Going slow also applies to taking the turkey out. Don't just yank it out and
splash oil on everyone who will now be out there wondering when it will be
ready. Take it out slow and let the oil drain out of the cavity back into
the pot. Make sure that you have the turkey high enough so that it won't hit
the lip of the pot when you swing it around to sit it on something.

10) Know when the turkey is done. The general rule is 3.5 minutes per pound.
That usually works real well but I take the internal temp. also. I will
raise it up ( or have someone else raise it) about 1/2 way out of the oil
and take the temp. in the breast. It should read 165 to 170 and I will
consider that bird done. Take it out and let it sit for about 15 minutes and
carve it up.



Wiley Mixon
Klose Pit Owners Association
ICQ#2236572

======================


***  2001 HOLIDAY TURKEY TIPS  ***

                  Enjoy The Best Turkey Day Ever!

                             By Mikey & Barbie

      =========================================

Here's a little check list of things to do for Thanksgiving.

1. DON'T GET A BIRD TOO LARGE.

   2 - 16 pounders will be more tender and yield more leftovers
   than a 25 pounder.  We love to smoke two 11-12 pounders.

2. GO FOR FRESH.  This time of year you can usually locate a
fresh turkey.  You WILL get better flavor !  Our personal
preference, based on year's of Award-Winning turkeys, (unless
you can get a REAL fresh one from a farm) is Purdue - fresh.
It's heads above the competition.

3. IF YOU DEFROST, DO SO IN THE REFRIGERATOR.
   TIME: It takes about 6 hours per pound to defrost in the frig.

4. USE A MEAT THERMOMETER TO INSURE THE TURKEY IS NOT OVER OR
UNDER COOKED. Do NOT depend on those STUPID and non-dependable
popup timers.
Insert the instant-readng meat thermometer in the deepest part
of the thigh next to the  breast.  We remove from the fire at
160 degrees. Others prefer 165 degrees.  These temps make not
difference whether cooked in the oven or on a grill or smoker.

NOTE: Poultry and pork normally get over cooked and are therefore
      * TOUGH * & *DRY *
      If you cook pork to 150 and poultry to 160 in the thickest
      part, they will be safe, tender and juicy.

5. REMOVE EXCESS SKIN AND FAT BEFORE COOKING. You can use it
in the making of stock or gravy.

6. We HIGHLY RECOMMEND INJECTING THE TURKEY !
   Many of y'all won't want to do this.  Shame, shame.
   It makes your turkey so Good Tastin' !

            FERGY's KICKASS INJECTION RECIPE

      4 - FERGY'S INJECTION RECIPE

     1 stick         Unsalted butter
     1 can           Low salt chicken broth
     3 tablespoons   Texas Pete hot sauce
                     THIS brand only !
     Garlic powder   To taste
     Onion powder    To taste
     Black pepper    To taste

Melt on low heat.
Mix all ingredients together.

Let cool before injecting !
"I dont like to shoot a hot liquid into a cold bird.
I think that part is just personal preference (growing bacteria)."

"Cool" means I can stick a finger in it."


   But to save space here, we have put the instructions about
               HOW TO INJECT
         at the end of this article !

6. ALLOW EXTRA TIME FOR A STUFFED TURKEY.  Stuff loosely.
Don't cram it in.  If you need more stuffing, do the rest in
a baking dish.

7. SEASON THE BIRD THE EVENING BEFORE SO YOU WILL NOT BE
PRESSED FOR TIME ON THANKSGIVING.  Slide your fingers between
the skin and the meat on as much of the bird as possible.
Make sure you place the seasoning under the skin.  You will be
surprised how much skin can be separated.

        FERGY'S SOUTHERN KICKASS TURKEY RUB
                 (Award Winning)

Sprinkle the turkey inside and out with a mixture of:

Garlic powder                   1 teaspoon
Onion powder                    1 teaspoon
Celery seed, ground             1 teaspoon
Sage                            1 Tablespoon
Thyme                           1 Tablespoon
Fresh ground black pepper       1 Tablespoon
Salt                            1 Tablespoon


8. INSERT SECRET INGREDIENT'S INSIDE TURKEY
   BEFORE YOU START COOKING !

     INSERTED INTO CAVITY BEFORE COOKING

1 apple quartered
1/4 grapefruit
1/2 medium onion
1 celery stalk



9. COVER THE BREAST WITH FOIL TO HELP KEEP IT FROM COOKING
   AS QUICKLY (THUS DRYING OUT) THAN THE DARK MEAT.
   Remove foil for the last several hours of cooking.

10. BASTE REGULARLY - ABOUT EVERY 30 MINUTES.
   Two recipes Below ...

                   (1)

      Mikey's Barbie's REDNECK SPECIAL

    1/4 Cup Melted margarine or butter &
    2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce.
    Make up more when needed.
    You can add a little Sherry - or simply drink it
    if you'ld rather.  The Key is a "little" !

    Baste your turkey every 45 mins.

    You can't beat this for getting a great Golden Skin !

                   (2)

    A More elaborate one ... We do NOT feel that this results
    in a better end product.

        1 cup mild oil
        1 cup apple juice
        1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
        2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
        1 Tbs garlic powder
        1 Tbs onion powder
        1 Tbs salt
        1 tsp thyme
        1 tsp ground bay
        1 tsp ground mustard

10. IF YOU HAVE A SIDE PIT (HEAT COMING FROM ONE SIDE,
    ROTATE THE TURKEY EACH TIME YOU BASTE.
    (Not applicable if cooking in an oven or on a gas grill).

11. FOR PRETTIER MORE EVEN CARVING, REMOVE EACH PIECE OF THE
    TURKEY FROM THE CARCASS AND SLICE ON A CUTTING BOARD !

    Since this is the best part, choose your favorite wine
    (or beverage) and enjoy the process !

Barbie & I hope each of you have a wonderful holiday weekend &
look forward to seeing you again soon!

                    Good luck !

                   Mikey & Barbie

     ============================================

             HOW TO INJECT A TURKEY

In a skillet or pot, melt the butter until half melted. Add your
Injection ingredients.  Cook about 3 minutes, stirring and scraping
pan bottom frequently.

Rinse and drain turkey well. While puree is still hot, pour it into
the food injector and inject the puree into the turkey:  Insert to
the bone or to the depth of the injector needle, without piercing
through to the cavity. To fill the injection hole with the puree as
much as possible, from bone to surface of bird, begin to draw the
needle out as you inject the puree. Make holes about 2 inches apart
and use most of the puree in the meatiest areas; be sure to inject
some of the puree in the upper joint of the wing, too. Pour any
remaining puree (the part that won't go through the injector) into
the cavity of the turkey and rub it over the inner surface. Set
turkey aside.

Sprinkle the reserved seasoning mix evenly over the bird and inside
the cavity, rubbing it in by hand and using it all. Close the legs
and tail together with the metal prong (or fold legs back into skin
flaps, or tie legs together with kitchen twine).

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

mml - 2001

=x=x=x=x=x=x=x

11/11/02
Wendy H
BBQ List

Hey EZ Ed, welcome to the wonderful world of fried turkeys!  My $.02:  I 
brine for 2-3 days, let it "tack up" in the refrigerator overnight, inject, 
and let it rest again overnight in the refrigerator, bring to room 
temperature (IMPORTANT, otherwise you could have a fiasco when you dip it 
into the oil).  Take your time immersing it in the oil...in other words, 
submerge it a little, lift back up, submerge a little further, lift, repeat 
probably 3-4 times.  Use peanut peanut oil.  Make sure you have appropriate 
filters on hand so that you can filter the oil for reuse when you are 
through.  There are special long stemmed thermometers available made 
specifically for turkey fryers.  You only need enough oil to completely 
cover the bird.  How long for oil to come to temp is going to depend on the 
ambient weather conditions...use the thermometer...but it does take at LEAST 
1/2 hour (that was in summer).  Rather than trying to use a minutes per 
pound formula, use an instant read thermometer...lift the bird partially out 
of the oil and stick the thermometer in it.  When done, yes, place it on the 
serving platter or carving board, tent LOOSELY with foil and allow to rest 
for 10-15 minutes.  Additional thoughts:  If you're entertaining, you can 
use the oil for battered appetizers, such as steak strips, onion rings, 
chicken livers, shrimp, etc...watch closely, they only take a minute.  You 
can also toss in some potatoes or canned biscuits after removing the turkey. 
  Also, since you have that oil all heated up, consider doing two or three 
turkeys...believe it or not they freeze very well.  Thaw, bring to room 
temperature and reheat in a 350 degree oven to heat through and recrisp.  I 
deep fried one at Thankgiving in Utah a few years ago, froze it, and brought 
it to Wisconsin when I came home for Christmas...my Dad proclaimed it the 
best turkey he'd ever had.  My BIL was too busy chowing down to talk, but 
later put dibs on the leftovers.  Lastly, just for fun sometime, consider 
smofrying...follow the same brining and injection procedure, but give it a 
couple hours in the smoker before deep frying.  Mighty tasty.  If you've got 
any more specific questions, let me know.  ~W


