The Basics of Frying Turkey

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I recently fried my first turkey. The end result was the best poultry I have ever eaten. The breast meat was spectacular, it literally had a texture and moisture similar to watermelon. I was stunned. It was the definition of juicy and tender.

Here are some basics I learned:

• To fry a turkey safely, invest $50 to $100 in a turkey fryer. Choose a model with a pot that is marked with a maximum fill line to protect from over-filling with oil. When using the fryer, do it outside away from buildings - grease fires aren’t good for holiday parties.

 • Do not fry a whole turkey that weighs more than 12 pounds. For a larger turkey, cut it up and fry the parts separate, kind of like a chicken, for best results.

 • Bird must be completely thawed. Frozen turkey + hot oil = explosion.

• Use thermometers to monitor the temperature of the oil and the internal temperature of the turkey. Keeping track of the temperatures is the real secret to cooking the perfect bird.

BEHIND THIS BITE
As I wrote in the intro, I had never fried a turkey before. I wasn’t sure how to document it or what the bird would look like once it came out of the oil. All I could do was move all of my photography equipment out into the yard and take the pictures as I went. A turkey is an awkward thing to photograph, especially after it comes out of the oil. The legs and wings just flail around as it cooks and they end up setting in random positions.

I decided that I would take a “frying basics” approach once I looked at the photos from the shoot. I contemplated redoing it, because the shots weren't ideal, but I thought it would be valuable to share what I had learned while cooking this bird. That is what many will end up doing themselves this Thanksgiving.

Next time, I am going to fry only a whole breast. The wings and legs had spots that got way over-cooked, the thick parts were magnificent, with the breast being like nothing I have ever eaten. Which is why a breast alone or even legs by themselves would be the most efficient method to frying turkey.

This year I was just learning, next year, I'll refine my recipe. The fry method is perfect for the large chunks of meat, I would really like to try frying a pork loin, then slice it thin for sandwiches. Maybe that will be what I make for Christmas.

Eat well, cook often ... 

THE RECIPE
Serves 8 to 10; 2 hours
1 10 to 12 lb. Whole turkey, completely thawed
1/4 C Salt and pepper (2 Tbs each)
1 Turkey fryer with propane tank
3 Gal Oil for frying

Heat oil, prepare turkey
Heat oil to 375°. Pat dry thawed turkey with paper towel, removing as much of the moisture as possible. Season turkey inside and out. Place turkey on frying truss.

Cook turkey
When oil reaches temperature, slowly submerge turkey in oil (wear oven mitts). Let turkey cook until internal temperature in the thickest part of the breast reaches 165° (Estimate approximately 3 minutes per pound cooking time)

Rest turkey
Once turkey is cooked removed to a paper-towel lined cooking sheet with a rack on it, let turkey drain and rest for at least 20 minutes. Internal temperature will rise to 170°. Remove frying truss, carve and serve.

Crispy Fried Chicken Wings

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A couple of weeks ago, I had planned to grill a batch of wings at our outdoor Halloween Party, but time got away and frankly it was just to cold to walk away from our beautiful camp fire. That left me with a huge package of wings. Rather than freeze them I decided to make a party snack - crispy fried chicken wings.

These are plain, originally I was going to toss them in a sauce like most chicken wing recipes, but I had to try one and the crispy skin and succulent juicy meat told me otherwise. These are just mini pieces of fried chicken. When it comes to food, mini anything seems to be a hit.

This recipe is perfect for the big game and a few friends. Fried chicken isn’t the healthiest dish in the world, but a wing or two as part of a party spread could really hit the spot.

BEHIND THIS BITE
This time I got smart when I fried this chicken. I threw open the window and closed the door to my kitchen studio! That way my entire place didn’t stink of frying oil. I have done this in the past and literally had to wash clothes to get the oil smell off them.

The last time I did it, I remember getting in my car the next day and thinking "why does it smell liked fried chicken in here." That’s when I realized the coat I was wearing had been in my studio while I was frying. It smelt like I had splashed myself with fried chicken perfume. It took at least a week to get the oil smell out of the room.

This time ventilating worked - it got a little cold, with high temps in the 40s, but the smell didn’t linger at all after everything was cleaned up.

Lesson learned.

Eat well, cook often ...

THE RECIPE
Party snack for 6 to 8;  45 minutes cooking;
4 to 24 hours marinating

4 lb Chicken wings
2 Qrts Buttermilk
2 C Flour
2 Tbs Baking powder
1 Tbs Smoked paprika
1 Tbs Onion powder
1 Tbs Garlic powder
1 Tbs Salt
1 Tbs Pepper
2 Qrts  Oil for frying

Marinate Chicken
Place wings in a large bowl and submerge in buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours and no more than 24. Drain buttermilk and rest wings at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Mix flour, seasonings, dredge chicken
Mix and sift flour, baking powder and all seasonings into a bowl. In batches, dredge chicken through flour, coating all over. Remove and shake off excess. Place on a rack over a baking sheet. Repeat until all chicken is coated.

Fry, drain chicken, serve
In a large fry pan filled half way with oil heated to 375° fry chicken in batches until golden brown and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove to a rack over a baking sheet lined with paper towel. Let drain, rest at least 5 minutes before serving on a towel lined plate.

SERVING SUGGESTION
An assortment of sauces can be served with the wings for dipping, such as barbecue sauce, buffalo sauce, ranch dressing or teriyaki sauce.

Battered Onion Rings

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When we were kids, my sister used to eat raw onions like they were apples.
She would keep a sandwich baggy in the refrigerator with a peeled raw onion in it, every so often she would take out her pungent little treat and sink her teeth in for a huge bite to chew on. It was a spectacle on par with watching a circus freak swallow a sword. Her breath would reek of onion so bad it would make eyes water and flowers wilt.

I love onions – not so much I’ll eat them raw like an apple – but enough to use them as a base flavor in almost every dish I make. When it comes to eating large pieces of onion, I prefer them breaded and fried so they’re sweet and crunchy.

 For this recipe, I make onion rings that are marinated in buttermilk, dipped in batter and deep fried. The coating for these onion rings is thick, fluffy and hardy – just a few are enough to make a great side for any sandwich. I’m sure my sister will approve of this onion ring as much as the raw ones she devoured when we were kids.

BEHIND THIS BITE
When I was kicking around the idea of writing about my sister’s unusual taste for raw onion for the print column this week, I told my uncle about it. Instantly he perked up and said, “Onions were just one thing. She would go into the garden, pluck a vegetable out of the ground and eat it like candy.” I was surprised by his response. It was immediate, and he said it with genuine amusement. Not only was I amazed by my sisters eating habits when I was a kid but so were the adults at the time.

She doesn’t eat anything off the wall or out of the ordinary today, but I wonder if she ever gets the urge to eat raw onions.

Her kids have some unusual eating habits – they love sardines. I don’t know if that is unusual for 6 to 10-year-olds but they do seem to go bonkers when Grandpa breaks out a can with some crackers to snack on. I have yet to acquire a taste for sardines and I don’t know if I ever will, I think I’d rather take a bite of a raw onion.

Eat well, cook often ...

The Breaded Cheeseburger

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I remember going out to eat with Mom and Dad when I was a kid and seeing a new item at a local diner that I had to try: The breaded cheeseburger. It was a beef patty and slice of cheese encased in a shell of crispy breading that was deep fried and served hot.

The breaded cheeseburger was delicious, but it was literally dangerous to eat. The cheese was inside the breading so it was molten hot when served. A huge first bite would send scalding cheese all over your mouth, so it had to be eaten with caution. My Dad learned this the hard way.

For this recipe, I make my own version of the breaded cheeseburger I discovered in my youth, but I add the cheese after the patty is breaded and fried to avoid third degree burns. I shallow fried this version in olive oil, so in order to cook it through I had to make the patty much thinner than a normal burger and I use extra lean ground beef to cut down on the amount of grease. The crunchy breaded patty creates a unique burger experience and I highly recommend any burger aficionado try it at least once.

BEHIND THIS BITE
I'm planning on revisiting this recipe in the future. It turned out delicious but I think this concept can be explored further. I presume that when these are made in restaurants the patties are frozen or pre-cooked. It was a challenge to cook the burger medium before the breading would burn. I overcame it by making the patties thin, which worked but made the beef less prominent in the overall taste of the burger. I think that could be improved greatly.

I made four sandwiches originally and topped one with just cheese, pickles and mayo. This brought out more of the breading flavor, but in the end I preferred the traditional LTO and decided it was best for the flavor of the overall recipe.

I did some browsing on the web and found that like the breaded tenderloin, the breaded cheeseburger is kind of an Indiana original. I guess us Hoosiers like breaded meat sandwiches as much as we like corn and basketball.

Eat well, cook often ...

Crispy Chicken Tenders

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When I started to cook gourmet recipes and entertaining people, I found that kids were not as receptive to the food as the adults. The kids where hesitant to eat a new concoction and preferred simple flavors that they were familiar with.

I learned this through cooking – most people learn it through parenting. I believe it takes being out on your own and cooking for yourself to truly appreciate fine cooking. Most kids just want to fill-up and go.

For this recipe, I keep things simple and make one of my all-time favorites – the very kid-friendly chicken tenders. I bread the tenders with panko bread crumbs which hail from Japan. They are small, crystal-like shards of bread that have tiny points that stick out in all directions. They provide an extra crunchy texture that is surprisingly lite. Most major grocery chains stock panko crumbs in the specialty food isle and I highly recommend them. They turn this child-friendly bite into a scrumptious feast for kids and adults alike.

BEHIND THIS BITE
I made these chicken tenders for a snack while I watched the Sunday slate of NFL games, I documented them, but I hadn't intended on using this recipe for the print version of my column. I soon changed my mind because I thought it would be a nice recipe for people running out of ideas to feed the kids while they were home on Holiday break. I decided to go with it. After I made the tenders originally, I stored the leftovers so that I could make a couple more recipes using the crispy chicken.

I made both the wrap and salad on the same afternoon. As usual, I took them to Mom and Dad for a taste test. They were going to go out to eat later, so I expected them to take a nibble just to try it. What I didn't expect was for Dad to eat the entire wrap and dinner salad before they went out to eat! I'm glad he enjoyed it but I was surprised that he devoured the entire spread! He's a big eater. I never thought of the crispy chicken wrap AND salad as an appetizer. They are, for most people, a sufficient Lunch or dinner - Separately.

BBQ Crispy Chicken Wrap

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What I love about this wrap is the barbecue sauce paired with the crispy chicken. Most of the time when I eat chicken and barbecue sauce combined, the chicken is grilled. The texture of the crunchy chicken is a nice change from the norm. The size and shape of the chicken tenders also made it natural to put these in a wrap rather than a sandwich.

I love the concept of the wrap.

It's like the American version of a burrito. I consider it a culinary present – you have to tear it open to find out what's inside. This can be equally fun and scary at the same time - especial when it is something your about to consume.

Crispy Chicken Salad

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My former girlfriend, Nicole, who I have mentioned here on my blog many times, thought it would be a good challenge for me to create a salad for one of my columns. I thought it would be a good challenge also, I just didn't have the right stuff to work with - Until now!

I love croutons on salad, the crispy chicken gives a similar crunch here and allows me a chance to use fried tortilla strips as well. I have always thought that tortilla strips and croutons together is almost a conflict of interest on a salad.

I'm glad I finally got to include an actual salad on this blog, it would have been nice to share with Nicole, but we have mutually (and peacefully) parted ways and live in different cities now. I do have to give her credit for the inspiration to this dish, one of the many things that she inspired in me. I dedicate this one to her!

Eat well, cook often ...