Cajun Deep-Fried Turkey

Didn't try the recipe yet, just thought I'd add a note. To measure for the oil, place the turkey in the cooking basket and lower into the pot. Add enough water until it is one inch above the turkey. Remove the turkey and basket from the pot. Measure the water level from the top of the pot. This is the amount of oil you will need to use to fry your turkey. If your water level is above the recommended oil level marked on the pot, the turkey is too big and shouldn't be fryed. 12 lb or smaller turkey is recommended. This is less messy than measuring the turkey in the oil. Remember to thoroughly dry your turkey inside and out and dry the pot too. Never leave your pot unattended. Happy eating!!

My first Fried turkey. The flavor was great but I didn't expect the wings and most of the legs to be inedible. I'm a dark meat guy and so I had a thigh and it was amazing.

Want to try this but...where the heck do you find onion juice these days? I don't think I've seen that since the 70's...

Warning! If this is your first time frying a turkey, you might want to avoid a Cajun rub. I used it on my first fried turkey. After the appropriate time had elapsed, I pulled the bird out of the oil and it was BLACK! Not dark brown, but the color of your car tires. My first thought was "I hope KFC is open today." I took it inside and put it on the table. Everyone looked at it with their mouth hanging open. Dinner was ruined. Finally, my teenage nephew cut off a piece and tried it and said, "This is really good." He was right. It was the best turkey I had ever had. I realized I had made 'blackened turkey'. A few years ago, the price of peanut oil went through the roof and the size of the container went from 5 gal to 3 gal. It would have cost me nearly $70 just for the oil and I said, no more. My wife bought me an oil-less turkey fryer made by CharBroil. Instead of using 5 gal. of oil, I now use about a handful to rub on the skin. It cooks just as fast and tastes almost the same, with no danger of spilling hot oil or trying to figure out what to do with it after it cools down. I love it.

I have fried well over one thousand turkeys since the eighties. It is a wonderful way to enjoy the bird, but it doesn't need to be so complicated. Oil heated to 350 F., 3 1/2 minutes per pound (the bird will float when it is nearly done). Peanut oil isn't necessary unless you plan on cooking a whole bunch of them. Nor is injecting anything. Take a THAWED turkey (remove neck/giblets - pat dry - water is NOT your friend), trim off any excessive skin or fat, shake salt and cayenne pepper all over the bird (for extra heat, cover the insides with cayenne as well. Drop slowly into the heated oil (upright)and keep everyone away while it cooks (you would be surprised how normally intelligent people would reach in to touch the bird while it is in HOT oil). I always like to cook 10 - 12 # birds. I used a gaff to lift the bird when it was done, let it cool before slicing it up. Always delicious. I used to have six cooking at once, as many as thirty birds a night.

Didnt get to deep fry it because no one brought me a fryer so I marinated for like 3 days then baked it in the oven it was so good it all feel off the bone it was excellent best turkey I ever had a lil spicy to some people but it was great even my kids ate it...

I usually purchase ready made injector but we have eliminated black pepper from our diet and reduced our salt, so I will be using this recipe from now on and just substitute white pepper. For those looking for garlic juice and onion juice, it can be found at most larger grocery stores, just ask where to find it. In addition to following another reviewers advice, I made only half which was enough for a 12 pound turkey. But I thought it would be too spicy with both hot sauce and cayenne, so I skipped the cayenne and it was perfect for adults and children alike. I found it needed some extras so I added a few shakes of nutmeg, 1 Tbsp of granulated onion and granulated garlic, 1 Tbsp of prepared mustard and 1 tsp of ground mustard, 1 tsp chili powder and 1/2 tsp chipotle sauce. We got rave reviews from the family!

We tried this on the turkey we fried for Christmas - it was the best flavor yet!

From all the horror stories I've heard about burning down houses and the severe burns from this deep frying technique that's a good idea of measuring by placing the bird in the fryer first and put enough water in to cover the bird by at least an inch and then remove it and mark or measure from the top so you don't over fill with oil, one of the biggest mistakes made with this style of cooking. To be on the safe side I would place the turkey in an oven at 200*-250* for 15-20 minutes to preheat and dry the bird out before lowering it in the super hot oil. I would even put on a rain coat and use rubber gloves and a clear full face shield to protect your face when lowering the bird in the cooker. Not only attend the frying often don't under any circumstances fire this cooker up anywhere near your house or even under a tree, keep it out in the middle of your driveway so even grass couldn't catch fire. I know this a lot of precautions but better safe than sorry.

Wonderful way to cook turkey. Don't go too cheap on the marinade injector.

Great flavor! I will probably cut this recipe in half next year as I had a lot left over.

Delicious, for this of you looking for the garlic/onion juice, I used the Howards Garlic and Onion juice, it was amazing. You can find it in some grocery stores but you can also get it online if needed. Defintely will be cooking this again

wow a must to try...

We've discovered frying turkeys in Austin, Texas ten years ago. When we came to the Florida Keys, we discovered Mojo Criollo, the Cuban marinade. Strain this and inject. It's soo much better than the commercial injectables! We spread a generous mixture of mustard, Tony Cachere's cajun seasoning and Worcestershire sauce between the body and the skin and let the turkey sit overnight. I agree, measuring the amount of oil needed by immersing in water rather than oil is much more economical. Just make sure it's dry before lowering it into the hot oil!

LOVE fried turkey. For Michael, I cut off the wings and legs and drop into the tub once the turkey is in. That way, you can remove when they are done. Hard to resist having a sample, though when they come out. Perks of being the cook.

Have used a very similar recipe for years. Some tips: to determine how much oil to use, place turkey in pot and cover with water. Remove the turkey and mark the water level; fill to this level with oil. Much less messy than submerging turkey in oil and removing. Also I have found that 3 1/2 minutes per pound is necessary due to fluctuation in the temp of the oil particularly with a gas fired fryer. Works best with 12-15 # birds. Hope there is no need to say this is to be done outside!

Haven't tried this recipe yet. I will for Thanksgiving this year. I did want to point out an electric fryer with a closing lid is much easier and safer than the propane kind. Another advantage is you can cook inside. When you're done there's a release valve to empty the fryer and put the oil back in its original container(s). I've fried turkeys for almost twenty years and this is by far the safest and simplest way to go!

great recipe! we use water to get the depth of oil we need and mark the side of the pot. Using oil to measure and having to remove the bird...makes it too messy.

I decided to purchase a "test turkey" before Thanksgiving to try this recipe. I followed the recipe with one substitution, I added 1 tablespoon of Tone's Cajun Seasoning instead of the cayenne and the results were AWESOME! Very flavorful, juicy and just a hint of spice. I also sprinkled a little of the seasoning on the turkey and in the cavity. The family loved the results. This will be the first Thanksgiving that I will be hosting for 12-14 people and I expect this to be a hit. -ChefPierre

Perfect...Fool proof!

I used this recipe last year and will again this year . Had about 20 family members and friends over, EVERYONE said best turkey they ever had!!!!! there were even a few who didn't like turkey and ended up eating more than their share. Needless to say we had no leftovers!

This is by far my fav recipe for holidays! I don't make anything else for thanksgiving and Christmas anymore!

We made this for the first time a few years ago. It’s the only recipe we use now. For the beer I typically use Sam Adams or Guinness for the flavor. We inject the turkeys (we do 2 every Thanksgiving) the day before and let them sit for no more than 24 hours. If you’ve never fried a turkey, make sure you use peanut oil, any other oil will change the flavor. Typically you want to fry the turkey 3 minutes per pound. Make sure it is completely thawed out as well and despite the scare tactic that the news and fire departments like use, just don’t dropped the turkey into the fryer. Just lower it slowly. A 14lb turkey will take about 43-45 minutes to cook. This recipe makes them crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

I've made this with 2 turkeys for each thanksgiving for the last 5 years and everyone always loves it and all the leftovers. I am VERY surprised this doesn't have more 5 star ratings. It is superb. DO IT IF YOU ARE PLANNING ON DEEP FRYING A TURKEY. there is no better way.

I do like this a lot, I altered between using it or Emiril's Cajun blend, but this was very good also.

Terrible waste of a $30 turkey and two days of prep

Best turkey I ever had, very juicy and flavorful

This was a good and flavorful recipe!

I haven't fried a turkey since 1999 and it turned out better than I thought. I injected the turkey with Toney Chachere's creole style butter marinade and rubbed creole seasoning under the skin. It was really juicy and flavorful.

I enjoyed this recipe, & my guests were happy with the bird. I felt like it was slightly overcooked, when I lowered the bird into the oil I noticed that the temperature of the oil dropped, so I turned the fryer up until the oil was back to 350, not sure if that was the right move???

A wonderful flavor. Better even 2 days later. Substituted 1 tbsp creole seasoning for cayenne due to kids/elderly. Finely box grated onion and elephant garlic then pressed to get juice. Took 1 large onion and 2 heads elephant garlic. Talk about fresh! Used white pepper. Injected 15 hours before cooking. Don't know if I would go much longer before cooking as the meat was very tender. Too long and it may get grainy. Loved Mr. Barnett's review. I cooked mine in charbroiled oil less turkey fryer as well. Awesome and very little clean up.