1 1/2 cups kosher salt
2 tbs black pepper corn
1 tbs fennel seed
2 tbs crushed bay leaf
2 tbs whole coriander seed
2 c Chardonnay
2 tbs minced garlic
2 tbs thyme
1 tbs caraway seed
1 tbs savory
Pour all ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil stirring often. Almost all the ingredients are dry so make sure that you remove from heat as soon as the brine mix comes to a boil. We want to activate the dry seasonings not cook them down. We also want to make sure that all the salt has dissolved. Let the mix cool down to room temperature. Place your thawed cleaned turkey into the container of your choice, breast side down, and pour in brine then fill with ice water till turkey is completely submerged.
For my injection:
1/2 c Sauvignon Blanc
1 1/2 sticks butter
2 tbs minced fresh sage
2 tbs minced garlic
Simmer all ingredient together on low to medium heat for about 15 minutes to release all the full aromas and flavors of the sage then inject the turkey as much as possible.
Remove the turkey from the brine and place it in a clean sink for a couple hours (about 4 or so) before you fry your turkey to allow it to get to room temperature and to allow the bird to dry as much as possible. Please never be dumb enough to drop a wet frozen turkey into a hot pot of oil. It can kill you! I suggest using peanut oil for frying and so do all the experts. I always followed the rules of frying that stated 350-375 degrees, but when you drop your bird into the oil the temperature drops about 100 degrees. When that happens you have to crank up the heat and spend the 45 minutes that it takes to cook the turkey just to bring the oil back up to cooking temperature. I did a little research and found some experts who tempt danger by bringing the temperature up to about 450- 475 degrees so when they drop in the turkey the oil drops down to just the right cooking temperature. * Disclaimer- 440 degrees is about smoke point of peanut oil which is the most dangerous the oil can be so I, nor anybody, would never ever recommend that you try this at home. I do have to say that when I tried this technique it worked beautifully, and now that I have mastered the technique I will be using it every time. The turkey came out so amazing, the skin was crispy and full of flavor it was had to not eat it all before I was finished carving the turkey. The white meat was so moist everyone choose the white meat over the dark meat. It's pretty amazing when the white meat is actually more juice than dark meat. There was a wonderful buttery flavor to meat and every couple of bites you would get a burst of sage and garlic. This turkey was awe inspiring, I wish I had some left overs. Needless to say my turkey this year turned better then any turkey I have ever cooked in the past. Be adventurous, deep fry a turkey.