Deep Fried Turkey Brine

Ingredients: 

6 quarts hot water

1 pound kosher salt

1 pound dark brown sugar

5 pounds ice

1 (13 to 14-pound) turkey, with giblets removed
5-gallon upright drink cooler or other container to brine.

Approximately 4 to 4 1/2 gallons peanut oil

Directions:(make sure you plan about 5 days in advance to defrost and brine the turkey)

1. Place the hot water, kosher salt and brown sugar into a 5-gallon upright drink cooler and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve completely. Add the ice and stir until the mixture is cool. Gently lower the turkey into the container. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure that it is fully immersed in the brine. Cover and set in a cool dry place for 24-48 hours.
2. Remove the turkey from the brine, rinse and pat dry. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking.
3. Place the oil into a 28 to 30-quart pot and set over high heat on an outside propane burner with a sturdy structure. Bring the temperature of the oil to 250 degrees F. Once the temperature has reached 250, slowly lower the bird into the oil and bring the temperature to 350 degrees F. Once it has reached 350, lower the heat in order to maintain 350 degrees F. After 35 minutes, check the temperature of the turkey using a probe thermometer. Once the breast reaches 151 degrees F, gently remove from the oil and allow to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes prior to carving. The bird will reach an internal temperature of 161 degrees F due to carry over cooking. Carve as desired.

Chocolate Pudding Pie

Ingredients

• 1 (5 ounce) package Jell-O Cook & Serve Chocolate Pudding & Pie Filling
• 1 ounce unsweetened Baker’s Chocolate
• 3 cups milk (I used 1%, but 2% or whole milk will also work well)
• 1 prepared graham cracker crust (a store-bought crust is perfectly fine, but a homemade crust is easy and extra special!)
• Whipped cream or Cool Whip for serving

For a homemade Graham Cracker Crust:

• 12 full-size graham crackers crushed or processed into fine crumbs
• ¼ cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter melted

For a Homemade Graham Cracker Crust:

1. If you’re making your crust from scratch, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a large bowl. Toss until all of the crumbs are evenly coated in butter. Set aside about 1-2 tablespoons of crumbs to garnish the top of your pie, if desired.
2. Press crumbs into a pie dish and bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown.
3. Allow pie crust to cool.

For the Pie Filling:

1. Stir together dry chocolate pudding mix, milk, and Baker’s Chocolate in a medium saucepan.
2. Bring to a full boil on medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk. Make sure that all of the chocolate is completely melted and incorporated into the pudding. The mixture should be completely smooth.
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat. The filling will thicken as it cools, so wait about 5 minutes, whisking regularly so that the filling stays nice and smooth.
4. After about 5 minutes, the filling should have thickened nicely. Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Sprinkle with reserved graham cracker crumbs, if desired.
5. Refrigerate the pie for at least 3 hours, or until set. Slice and serve with whipped cream or Cool Whip on top.