Turkey: Cut,Brine, Rub, Fry, Rock and Roll?


 
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jeff lowe

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I am thinking of cutting up my turkey in parts, brining it, rubbing it, then frying it. The reason for this is that the turkey fryer is broken and I will have to use a stock pot (12 quart) inside. I think I will fry each piece one at a time.

What do you think? Will it rock and roll? Or not a good idea?
 
I'll jump in here.

Yes, you can fry turkey just as you described. My extremely frugal (pronounced "cheap") brother-in-law started frying turkey parts a couple of years ago as a way to cut back on the amount of oil he needed to fry the bird. He brines for 3-4 hours then uses a basic rub of seasoning salt and black pepper.

In fact, sometime within the past couple of weeks on FoodTV, there was a segment where Ming Tsai fried a cut up turkey after a short brine and a rub with oriental spices.

Hope this helps.

Ken
 
Jeff,
I haven't fried a turkey yet but am planning on doing a few next week to try to oofset the expense of the peanut oil. I have done a lot of research on the net and the only problem I can see in what you want to do is knowing when the various parts are done enough but not too much. Everything I have read talks about time and/or temps in relation to a whole turkey of about 10-12 lbs. Don't know how this would translate to a cutup bird. This isn't much help,I know.
Good luck
 
Well Ming Tsai says about 10-12 minute per piece so I will go with that. I usually go on the low side when I cook because I like things juicy.
 
Jeff
Use temp to be safe, white meat 160?
dark meat 180?. The meat will be moist, using time alone doesn't get the job done.
Jim
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jeff lowe:
[qb]Well Ming Tsai says about 10-12 minute per piece so I will go with that. I usually go on the low side when I cook because I like things juicy.[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Not to take anything away from Ming Tsai, but I have first hand experience with his "fried chicken" recipe that is a total disaster from a cooking time and temperature standpoint.

This recipe had not been tested and does not work (for reasons that have to do with the sugar in his marinade and his particular breading). A closer look at the very brief close-up of his frying when he prepared this dish on his TV show reveals that he encountered exactly the same failure (huge chunks of blackened crust rimming the fryer), but glossed over it.

I wouldn't use Ming Tsai as an reliable expert on frying poultry. This is the guy who, on the same show, admitted that he thought chicken-fried steak was called that because it was fried in chicken fat! His version of chicken fried steak was about ugliest, most god-awful thing I've ever seen. Looked like those frozen salisbury steak TV dinner entrees.

By the way, it takes 10-12 minutes to deep fry a batch of Buffalo Chicken Wings in 375 degree oil. I would be very surprised if you could adequately cook a turkey drumstick in that time.
 
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