Recipe

Mark Waldo’s Deep-Fried Brined Turkey

An outdoor fryer cooks the best bird, says the Nashville restaurateur—and also fires up the party

By Steve Russell
Recipe by Mark Waldo

November 13, 2024

Photo: Jamie Bochicchio

Mark Waldo pulls a turkey out of his outdoor deep fryer.

“Turkey is like potatoes—pretty bland and boring on its own,” says Mark Waldo, founder of Nashville-based Waldo’s Chicken & Beer. “So when it comes to putting something on the table for Thanksgiving that matches up to the rest of the spread, you don’t stand a chance unless you are deep-frying your turkey.”

Waldo holds equal faith in the power of brining. “We brine all of our chicken in our restaurants, so why would I do any different on Turkey Day?” he says. “Don’t skip this step! Marinating a turkey will set your bird apart from the rest.”

For Waldo, firing up an outdoor deep fryer yields benefits beyond just a tasty main course. “I started frying turkeys when I wanted to find a reason to get out of the house on the holiday,” he says. “Then one year I fried up oysters as appetizers, and before long we had a full Bloody Mary bar and music blaring, which had everyone gravitating toward the show. Now everyone feels invested in the process and the thrill of ‘Will Mark burn down the house this year?’”

Ingredients

Deep-Fried Brined Turkey
For the brine
- 2 gallons water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1 cup molasses
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- 3 oz. garlic
- ½ cup red pepper flakes
- ½ cup dried oregano
- ½ cup peppercorns
- 4–5 lemons, halved
- 2–3 oranges, halved
- ¼ cup onion powder
For the turkey
- 1 whole turkey (about 12 lb.)
- 16 oz. butter, melted
- Preferred seasoning for butter
- 2 gallons peanut oil

Preparation

Prep the fryer: Test the fill line by placing the still-packaged turkey into a 30-quart outdoor fryer pot and filling the pot with water until the bird is fully covered. Remove the turkey and note the level of water because that is the point to where peanut oil will be filled when you’re ready to fry. (Note: The fryer should be placed on a flat, non-flammable surface at least 20 feet from any structure.)

Brine the bird: Add the salt and molasses to 2 quarts of the water in a pot on the stovetop and heat until dissolved. Cut off heat and add the rest of the brine ingredients. Let mixture fully cool, then transfer turkey and brine to a large brine bag (available from Amazon). Add the rest of the water and seal the bag. Place into a cooler and cover with ice. Let sit for 24 to 48 hours, draining melted water and replacing ice as needed.

Butter the turkey: Remove the turkey from the brine, drain and dry the cavity with stuffed paper towels to remove excess moisture, and let it rest in the refrigerator for several hours until fully dry. Melt the butter and stir in your preferred seasoning. (Waldo uses a Cajun spice.) Fill a meat syringe with the melted butter mixture and inject all areas of the turkey with as much as possible. (It’s best to do this awhile before frying so that the butter can settle in.)

Season the turkey: Pat the bird again with paper towels, then rub on just enough seasoning to cover the bird, a nice light dusting. Place the turkey onto the fryer’s poultry rack, legs up.

Fry the bird: Fill fryer pot to the noted fill line with peanut oil. Turn on the burner and heat to 325°F on a digital thermometer. Cut off the burner and slowly lower the poultry rack and turkey into the oil, wearing an oven mitt in case the oil splatters. Turn the burner back on and bring the oil temperature back up to 325°F. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes per pound. To remove the bird from the fryer, wear an oven mitt and use a grab hook to pull up the rack slowly, letting the oil drain off the bird. Stick a meat thermometer into the center of a breast to make sure it has reached 165°F. Rest bird for 20 to 30 minutes before carving.

Steve Russell is a Garden & Gun contributing editor who also has written for Men’s Journal, Life, Rolling Stone, and Playboy. Born in Mississippi and raised in Tennessee, he resided in New Orleans and New York City before settling down in Charlottesville, Virginia, because it’s far enough south that biscuits are an expected component of a good breakfast.