It’s a southern tradition: a cajun-injected turkey fried in peanut oil. And firefighter Chris Blanchard has perfected his recipe: “I put it in a brine for 24 hours, the brine is brown sugar, kosher salt, garlic, worcestershire sauce.”
He’ll inject it with some cajun butter, then use a mix of cajun spices on the skin. “Coat it real good, put it back in the refrigerator while you’re waiting for your oil to heat up, then dunk it in, that’s it.”
It’s got to be fully thawed and patted dry for safety reasons: water and oil don’t mix. For a safety demo on the proper technique, the New Hanover County Fire Department had a pot set up outside. And when it came time to dunk the bird into the oil, Blanchard wore long sleeves and long pants with fire-safe gloves — the turkey on a long metal hook…