How to Fry a Cajun Turkey

So, normally for the month of November my newsletter story consists of a reflection and a list of all the things we’re thankful for here at the dealership.  This year however, I wanted to change it up a bit and share my favorite Thanksgiving turkey recipe.

Little background first. Yes, my last name is Chauvin (pronounced ‘Show-van’). Believe it or not, there is a small town about 70 miles south of New Orleans named… you guessed it, Chauvin, Louisiana. I personally have never lived there but my grandfather was born there and I have a lot of family in the area. Our Cajun roots run deep in the bayou country.

Due to these deep family roots, I have no recollection of NOT frying turkeys for Thanksgiving, a baked turkey didn’t exist in my family growing up. (Unless we spent that year with my mother’s side of the family but that was rare for this particular holiday).

Ok, let’s start with the “how” part:

The basics are simple, three (3) minutes per pound at 350 degrees (a 12 pound. turkey fries for 36 minutes).

Most turkey fryers come with a 30-quart pot and all the small parts needed including the stand/burner, grab hook, thermometer, etc. They DO NOT include the actual propane tank but will have the hose attached for easy hook up. Usually all for under $100.

If you buy a 12 pound turkey, you’ll need a 3-gallon box (with a plastic inside) of peanut oil. That 3-gallon amount of oil is the EXACT amount you would use assuming your turkey is at - or very close to, 12 pounds. If your bird is bigger, you run the risk of it displacing too much hot oil and splashing over, VERY DANGEROUS. The reason we use peanut oil is because it’s known for holding its temperature longer than normal vegetable oil.

Injection: Turkey injection is sold in a jar (liquid) and is usually for sale right alongside with all the other the items I mentioned above. The jar will also come with its own syringe. I actually stretch one jar of injection and make it last for four turkeys. One is plenty unless you’ve invited over a small army and are frying more than four turkeys.

VERY IMPORTANT: Thaw the turkey COMPLETELY. We’ve all seen the disastrous videos online of people catching their yard on fire. This is usually caused by dropping a somewhat or fully frozen turkey into hot grease. I thaw the bird in the refrigerator for sometimes 4-5 days in advance. Then I leave it on the counter at room temperature for another hour or two prior to injection.

The night before and once FULLY thawed, I pull out ALL the items the grocery store stuffs into a frozen turkey including the neck/gizzard bags and more importantly, that little plastic button some brands stick in the bird that pops when it’s done. That is for baking - REMOVE THAT. Then I grab whatever dry seasonings I have and mix them together in a side bowl. Tony’s, garlic salt or powder, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, whatever I can find that might have a Cajun flavor. I then carefully peel the top layer of skin away from the breast itself using my fingers (without tearing it off) and shove that dry seasoning between the skin and meat. After that, I’ll take whatever dry seasoning I have left and rub the entire bird with it.

The next step is the actual injection of the liquid. Fill the syringe from the jar and poke one hole in the top of the breast inserting only maybe a half-inch of what’s in the syringe. I then pull it out slightly (not all the way) rotate it in another direction and repeat. I do this 3-4 times in that one hole I made. I will then do the same at the bottom of the breast and continue to the other side when complete. This keeps the meat from having multiple holes and leaking out everywhere.

I then cover it with foil and put it back into the refrigerator overnight.

Thanksgiving morning: I cook 4 turkeys, so I start at about 9:00 am and finish around noon. Take your now marinated turkey out of the refrigerator and let it get closer to room temperature. You should have your stand set up outside somewhere with a table or countertop close by. Pour the entire 3-gallon oil container into your 30-quart pot and light the burner. Put the lid on while it heats up and insert that long thermometer into the little hole in the lid of your pot. Watch it until it reaches 350 degrees.

Your turkey will have to be on the little “star” shaped stand that came with your cooker. This stand is inserted in the bird to where the legs will be pointing up when dropped into the fryer (the star part will sit on the bottom of the pot). Once the stand is in place and your turkey is standing up on your cookie sheet, put on gloves, get the handle or hook, grab the bird and start lowering it into the hot oil. DO THIS VERY SLOW as it will snap, crackle and pop at first, you can never get all the water out of the turkey. Once it’s fully lowered and sitting on the bottom, unhook your grab hook and cover fast to reduce the spatter and place your thermometer back into that little hole in the lid. Good chance the turkey will lower your oil temperature below the optimal 350-degree mark so it’s okay to turn up the gas (propane) for a couple minutes to get the temp back faster. Keep an eye on it, as you get close to 350, slow the gas back down, it will keep rising but try to keep it as close to 350 as you can at all times.

If you have a 12 lbs. turkey, in 36 minutes, it’s done. Grab your gloves, hook, remove the lid and start to slowly pull the turkey out. Have someone close by with a cookie sheet to help you once it comes out.

I then let it cool for a few (while I’m prepping to put in my next turkey). When it’s cool enough to touch, I remove the stand. Then carve out the entire breast, turn it sideways and slice it thin. I then put all the slices into a foil pan. When I’m finished with the breast, you can move on to remove the drumsticks and turn the bird over to pick off as much dark meat as you can putting all into the foil pan. When I’m done, I cover with foil and put it into a warming drawer until I’m ready to carve the next one.

Now the WHY part (this part is short): A Cajun fried turkey tastes AWESOME, it’s very moist and flavorful. Many who have tried it say they will never bake another turkey again. Plus, it keeps you outside and away from the kitchen where all the other preparations are going on. For me, I’m just in the way anyway so being outside is easier, not to mention, being that you cooked the main dish, you’ll get credit for the entire meal, winning!

As for clean up, I wait until the grease has FULLY cooled, pour it back into the container and dump it into our waste oil bin here at the dealership. Obviously, most of you don’t have access to something like that, so if you need a place to dump your oil, come see us, we’ll recycle it for you.

I know this was long but hopefully, it was educational. As always, feel free to call or email, I will be glad to give you other pointers and answer any questions if you'd like to fry a turkey.

Thank you for your business and I hope you and yours enjoy a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

John Chauvin

General Manager and Resident Turkey Chef at Hewlett Volkswagen

512-681-3526  |  john@hewlettvw.com