Sweet Tea Brined Fried Turkey
Yield:
6 to 8 servings
Our Sweet Tea Brined Fried Turkey recipe turns an ordinary bird into a Southern legend. Soak it in a seasoned sweet tea brine for at least 4 hours, then deep fry it in easy batches for a platter of crispy, tender turkey full of classic Southern flavor. Let the turkey sit before frying so the coating can set and the turkey can reach room temperature, which aids in frying.
Ingredients
- 8 cups water
- 4 Luzianne® Family Size Iced Tea Bags
- 1 lemon, sliced into wheels
- 10 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
- ¼ cup + 2¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 4½ teaspoons ground black pepper, divided
- 6 pounds bone-in turkey pieces
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- Garnish: chopped fresh thyme, lemon wedges, flaked sea salt
Directions
- In a medium saucepan, bring 8 cups water to a boil over medium-high heat; add tea bags. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for about 10 minutes. Discard tea bags. Stir in the lemon wheels, thyme sprigs, brown sugar, ¼ cup salt, and 3 teaspoons pepper until dissolved. Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
- In a large bowl or resealable bag, place turkey and tea mixture; cover or seal and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- In a cast-iron chicken fryer or large Dutch oven, pour oil to halfway full, and heat over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325°.
- Remove turkey from brine. (Do not pat dry.) Reserve the lemon wheels and thyme sprigs; discard remaining brine.
- In a shallow dish, combine flour, remaining 2¼ teaspoons salt, and remaining 1½ teaspoons pepper. Dredge the turkey in the flour mixture, shaking off excess. Place on a wire rack; let stand for 5 minutes. Dredge in flour mixture again, shaking off excess. Place on wire rack; let stand for 10 minutes. Dredge the reserved lemon wheels and thyme sprigs, shaking off excess. Fry the turkey in batches, turning occasionally, until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 165°. Let drain on paper towels. Fry the lemon wheels and thyme sprigs until golden brown. Arrange the turkey pieces and fried lemon and thyme on a large serving platter and garnish with the fresh chopped thyme, lemon wedges and sea salt.
