Deep Fried Turkey Preparations

I've been frying turkey for 7 or 8 years and Wednesday afternoon I prepared a 13 lb. bird for frying on Thanksgiving Day. I've written a few posts about how I like to do it in the past. Shake's Honey Brine is my favorite brine injection recipe. Lots of honey, salt, picking spice, cloves and Morton's Tender Quick do the trick.

I started thawing the turkey in the refrigerator on Monday and it was still a little bit frozen on the inside when I pulled it out this afternoon for injecting, but it turned out fine. It continued to thaw while the marinating process started. I finished injecting the thighs and breast; then I set the bird into the leftover brine and placed it back in the refrigerator.

I placed the Tupperware container in a plastic bag and return it to the refrigerator overnight.

These are not "food grade" plastic bags, but at least they are not "scented". I would have used clear plastic if I had some large enough, but as Clint Eastwood once said, "improvise, adapt, and overcome".


The things I do in the name of good food.

We had a light dusting of snow overnight and temps were in the mid-20's at turkey frying time.



Warming the oil

Almost ready

Into the oil

I heat the oil to 275 degrees, turn off the fryer, and then lower the turkey into the oil. I continue heating the oil to 300 degrees and then cut the heat back to maintain 300 -325 degrees consistently for about 1 hour or 4 minutes per pound depending on the size of the turkey. If you prefer to heat the oil to 325 degrees prior to putting the turkey in the oil, then something closer to 3 minutes per pound would probably work too. For safety I always prefer to undershoot on the front end and cook it a little longer on the back end.

Crispy skin close up

Sometimes the skin turns out darker than others. I think it depends on the type of oil that is used. I don't eat the skin anyway. I have used sunflower oil, safflower, and peanut oil in the past. I usually settle for whatever is available without searching all over town looking for it and this year it was safflower oil.

Slicing the turkey breast

I like to use an electric knife for slicing. It's quick, easy and efficient for me and usually turns out very well.

Drumsticks, left and right breast, and dark meat complete and ready to eat.

Fried turkey always turns out well. I've never had a bad one. I can't say the same for oven baked turkey. And besides the fool-proof nature of fried turkey, it's hard to beat Thanksgiving Dinner ready-in-an-hour versus the cook-all-morning-oven-baked-method.

Turkey breast, stuffing and peas. The deviled eggs and cranberries wouldn't fit on the plate,
but that didn't stop me from eating them the second time around!

 

Linda made an apple pie for desert

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Slawsa, Recently Featured on ABC's Shark Tank

I am an avid fan of Shark Tank on ABC. For many years, it was my dream to start a food business. Originally I was hoping to vend bbq, then cater it, and eventually open a bbq restaurant; but my dream has changed over the years.

I tested the viability of selling bbq sauce and bbq spice rub at bbq competitions and from my bbq blog. My story has been well documented in a previous article, so I won't rehash it all again in this post.

When I learned that Slawsa would be featured on Shark Tank in the November 15th episode I watched with a lot of interest.

I bought a jar today my local Kroger supermarket

As luck would have it, the Sharks didn't share the same vision for the possibilities for making Slawsa a household name. But Julie Busha should certainly hold her head high and be proud for the way she told her story and represented her brand in the prime time national television spotlight.

You win some, you lose some; but I think Slawsa is already a big winner. The product is sold in more than 5,000 stores at this point and is available in more than 1,000 Kroger locations. I actually bought some today at my local Kroger in Canton, MI.

Julie wrote a guest blog post for SharkTankBlog.com providing more insight about what it takes to start, grow and profit from a niche food product business. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did. If you like what you read, I urge you to support a fellow food-preneur and give Slawsa a try.

Here's a clip from her segment on the television show:


 

Julie has written other articles providing insight into the food business also available on Slawsa.com at the following link: Click here.

The following quote from Slawsa.com kind of sums up the Slawsa philosophy quite succinctly:

SLAWSA breaks the mold of modern condiments, boldly creating a whole new category of food, and standing alone in its realm of flavor. A delicious cross between a slaw and a salsa and far healthier than other toppers, more versatile and is a must-have for your pre-game tailgate, grilling at your backyard barbecue or to spice up your mid-week family dinners. We beg you, don't serve your guests boring condiments.

Cast Iron Skillet Fried Potatoes

This time of year I like to pull out the dutch ovens. Here's a recipe for some potatoes I made today for lunch.


Cast Iron Skillet Fried Potatoes

Ø  8 – 9 small/medium sized red skinned potatoes

Ø  1 medium sized red onion

Ø  2 cloves minced garlic

Ø  3 stems fresh rosemary

Ø  Salt and pepper to taste

Ø  Olive oil to cover the bottom of the skillet

Directions:

·         Pre-heat cast iron skillet on low heat. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

·         Slice potatoes, onion and rosemary. Mince garlic.

·         Add potatoes and remaining ingredients.

·         Turn the potatoes every 5-7 minutes.

·         Cook until potatoes are soft.

I used about 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the skillet.

Close up of the finished potatoes.