Several years ago I read a recipe for submerging an entire turkey in a large vat of boiling oil to produce exquisitely delicious Deep Fried Turkey. Sharing the recipe with my wife produced a dismissive, ãyouâre nuts!!!ä Periodically Iâve tried to figure out the logistics of getting a 22 pound turkey in and out of the vat in one piece. Most friends have sided with my wife by pushing this turkey to a very back burner.
Then last month a friend of mine met a vineyard owner in California who raved about Deep Fried Turkey. Having heard me mention the fantasy of Deep Fried Turkey, he inquired if I might in fact have the recipe. While I had nothing on paper, a quick search of cyberspace fulfilled our needs. I had found a partner in crime.
Email flowed. I ccâd another friend who in a previous life was one of New Yorkâs top chefs. He in turn mentioned it to one of his friends who had heard rumors but had never had the pleasure. ThenThe New York Times ran not just a recipe for Deep Fried Turkey but an article with a first person account of what its like to do the deed. Coincidence or fate? We were legit!!!
While I contemplated the warning that my chef friend made about the dangers of bringing five gallons of peanut oil to a boil anyplace other than in a specially equipped professional kitchen, his friend called to alert me to a Saturday radio show on the sport of Deep Fried Turkey. Besides raving about the end product, they suggested cooking in the middle of a parking lot. Safety before supper!!!
The stars are obviously in alignment. We are moving from the cookbook to the dining room table with a stop at Rube Goldbergís for equipment. On an upcoming Saturday, AFTER Thanksgiving, we are all going to trek to the suburbs and turn the fantasy of Deep Fried Turkey into reality.
Enjoy.
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