I am so full!

I have eaten so much turkey, I am surprised I am not growing feathers.

 Gobble….burp…..gobble….. oops, excuse me.

Yesterday on Turkey Day, aka, Thanksgiving,  my brother and I had our annual fried turkey throw down. We scheme and plot and try to beat each other, as we force our family to decide who made the better tasting fried turkey. We do this every Turkey Day. It is all in good fun, except if somehow, someone burns your turkey, cough cough……. that one time, a few years ago, was an accident….I think…: )

I already bought my turkey, I just had to send my son out to get my secret ingredients. I spent an hour rinsing, seasoning and injecting my turkey with taste busting flavors.

It is like pretending to be a mad scientist!

I think I have it already for the fryer.

Had to hunt up all the gizmos that go with the fryer. 2 claws to put the turkeys in the hot oil, thermometer to check the oil temperature and the hanger to pull out the turkeys. I also had to talk my son into cleaning the fryer. I ran back inside the house before he sprayed me with water!

Here is my turkey, hung up, ready for the fryer.

I never get to see my brother’s turkey before he puts his in the hot oil. He hides it in a cooler and when I have my back turned he puts his turkey in the hot oil. Is he afraid I will find out his secret recipe??? Maybe next year I need to a surveillance camera!

Here is my brother very slowly putting my turkey in the hot oil.

The turkey is all covered in hot peanut oil. You put a lid on it and watch it closely, keeping an eye out on the temperature of the oil and and the gas flame underneath. You fry the turkey for 3 1/2 minutes per pound. My turkey was 15 pounds, so it was fried for approximately 50 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 170 degrees. The internal temperature continued to rise after it was out of the oil until it reached 180 degrees.

There it is! The skin is all crispy, which keeps the meat inside all juicy.

Here is my brother’s turkey. It is a very pretty bird…. I wonder if it has any flavor….(this is a competition, you know.)

My turkey is in the front. Looks like everyone wanted to eat my turkey instead of my brother’s….sorry Robert! But, truthfully, mine was done when we were eating and Robert was still frying his. So, nobody had a chance to sample his….yet.

Robert’s turkey was really good (as always)….mine was the best testing one…that I have ever made, so far. : )

We let our Dad decide who the winner was…

We both waited in anticipation…..Dad tasted mine first…then Roberts…..

Our Dad was enjoying this!

He smailed and said,” he could not pick a winner.”

It was a tie!

Dad did take a second bite of mine….hehe….then a second bite of Roberts….

It was still a tie….as it should be!

Just want to give a word of caution if you try frying your own turkey. It is tons of fun and it smells and taste delicious, but you are dealing with a gallon and a half of hot oil and a wet bird. If you put too much oil in the pot and the oil boils over and hits the flames, it will catch on fire. I had the driveway free of leaves, but the wind was blowing on Turkey Day so a few leaves did start appearing . An adult was with the fryer the whole time the gas burner was on. I did have two cardboard boxes in the corner of the driveway that was ready for recycling and we were keeping an eye on those too.

Be safe and read all the safety tips when frying your turkey at home. It might become a family tradition, just like us!

Even if we tie every year!!

Hope you had a great Turkey Day!

Becky