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Recipe by Lee Redick
First you need to pick out a turkey. Get just a plain 'ol bird. Don't get one with the word "butter" on it. 12 to 14 pounds works best.
Now the easiest way to thaw it is to put the turkey (unopened) in a big ice chest filled with cold water overnight. After the turkey thaws, open it up and place on a big plate (breast-side up). Be sure to remove the neck and all the innards. There also may be one of those pop-up thermometers. Remove that too. I like to wash the turkey, so rinse him off pretty good.
Now it's time to make the sauce to inject into the turkey. There are many recipes, but the easiest and my favorite is to strain a bottle of Italian dressing. (Be sure to strain it, because all those pits will clog up the needle and you'll get quite frustrated!)
You'll need one of those big hypodermic needles, which they sell at the grocery store.
Take the strained Italian dressing and start injecting it into the meat of the bird. You should see the turkey swell up with the juice. Try not to make too many holes, but shoot it up all over. I like to use the whole bottle! It's really juicy that way!
The best part is the skin. Most of the time I've used cayenne pepper, but today I used Greek Seasoning, and I liked it much better. Sprinkle the seasoning all over the bird. Coat it good, now. Cover the turkey up with aluminum foil and place in the frig until you're ready to cook. It's good to let the juices soak in at least 12 hours before cooking.
You'll need a big, tall pot with a turkey holder, thermometer, a stand with a burner, and a propane tank. Fill the pot with 4 to 5 gallons of peanut oil. You can use lard and it works just fine, but lard is harder to clean after it cools. However, lard is a lot cheaper than peanut oil!
Make sure you leave about 8 to 10 inches to the top of the pot with the oil. The level will rise after you drop the turkey in and you need several inches of "boiling" room on top of that.
Ok, fire up the gas and turn it up high. You need to get the oil to 400 degrees. Once there, turn the gas down.
It's time to drop the bird in. Please use gloves and a lowering hook! Lower it very slowly. The oil will boil up pretty violently when the turkey first hits it. It could take as much as a couple of minutes before you get the whole bird submerged. You want the turkey to be completely covered with a nice rolling boil. Just by putting the turkey in, the temperature will drop about 50 degrees, and that's where you want to keep it - 350 degrees.
So, for a bird 15 pounds or less, you want to cook 3 minutes a pound. If it's over 15 pounds, make it 3 1/2 minutes per pound. I always leave it in a couple extra minutes just to make sure it's done. Don't worry, it won't dry out! After 45 minutes or so, you're done! I like to drop the bird in about 45 minutes before all the other fixins are done. That way you can serve the turkey pipping hot! It should be nice and juicy and don't forget to try the skin! Enjoy.
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