Deep Fried Turkey Brine Recipe

I love being a school teacher. Even more than that I love being a teacher at the high school I teach at. My job is incredible and our principal spoils us! Every year at the Christmas party he gives us a huge turkey. Only problem is the last couple years me and my best friend never knew what to do with them since we were both single and they both couldn’t fit in our freezer.

In fact we couldn’t even fit one of the them in our freezer so we would end up giving them away. This year Matt and I talked my dad into getting a deep fryer so we could try deep frying the turkey. Well we feel like it was a huge success. We went with a simple brine and it was absolutely delicious!! Here is what we did!!

Deep Fried Turkey Brine Recipe

Ingredients

6 quarts hot water
1 pound kosher salt
1 pound dark brown sugar
2 cups light brown sugar
10 pounds ice
1 (16-pound) turkey, with giblets removed

Approximately 4 to 4 1/2 gallons peanut oil*

We tested how much oil we would need by placing the turkey into the pot that you will be frying it in, add water just until it barely covers the top of the turkey.

Deep Fried Turkey Brine Recipe

Directions

Place the hot water, kosher salt and brown sugar into a 5-gallon upright drink cooler and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve completely. Add the ice and stir until the mixture is cool. Gently lower the turkey into the container. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure that it is fully immersed in the brine. Cover and set in a cool dry place for 8 to 16 hours.

Remove the turkey from the brine, rinse and pat dry. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking.

Place the oil into a 28 to 30-quart pot and set over high heat on an outside propane burner with a sturdy structure. Bring the temperature of the oil to 250 degrees F. Once the temperature has reached 250, slowly lower the bird into the oil and bring the temperature to 350 degrees F.

Once it has reached 350, lower the heat in order to maintain 350 degrees F. After 35 minutes, check the temperature of the turkey using a probe thermometer. Once the breast reaches 151 degrees F, gently remove from the oil and allow to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes prior to carving. It takes about 3-4 minutes per pound to cook.