Sage Infused Oil for Frying (specifically Deep Frying a Turkey)

Intro: Sage Infused Oil for Frying (specifically Deep Frying a Turkey)

When Deep Frying a turkey (which there are plenty of great instructables here for) the icing on the cake of an amazing piece of poultry is a flavoured essence. Sage is widely agreed to be one of the best spices for such a raw material.

STEP 1: Acquire the Appropriate Spices

Fresh is always best (due to the moisture content) but dried will definitely work.
Sage is your primary ingredient here but definitely not the only one.
Basically you're replacing a bit of the frying oil with the infused oil you're making here. Each year we've fried a turkey we've used ABOUT 3.5-4 gallons of Peanut oil (Canola works too, but peanut tends to yield better overall results).
This "recipe" is for just shy of a gallon of infused flavored oil to replace that much peanut oil.

-4-5 LARGE Bunches of fresh sage
-1 large bunch of fresh rosemary
-1 bunch of fresh thyme
-7-8 Bay leaves
-tablespoon of peppercorns (doesn't matter what color)
-1-2 fresh Cayenne peppers (or equivalent weight in thai peppers or 1/2 a habanero)
-tablespoon of dried Basil or 4-5 large fresh leaves
-tablespoon of dried Oregano
-1 Gallon of Canola oil (yes, Canola - it tends to absorb flavors better).

STEP 2: Cook the Spices

Chop all the spices liberally and add into saucepan (including dry ingredients).
add a 1/4 cup of the canola oil and a splash or 2 of water.

On high heat saut� while mixing thoroughly until the sage leaves start to get a bit dark (this is completely subjective, really you only need to cook for about 3-4 min)

STEP 3: BLEND!

add all into blender (including another few cups of the oil).
Basically fill the blender jar about 1/2-2/3 with your spices and the canola oil.
Blend until paste-like.
add more and more oil until its full-ish (on very low blending speed).

Now funnel back into your 1 Gallon Canola oil bottle (or several bottles if you couldn't buy it 1 container).

it should now look like this pic.

STEP 4: Measure!

let it sit for at least a week (I made mine about 2.5 weeks before Thanksgiving) and shake it every day or so to keep the blended leaves in suspension.

the day of thanksgiving, you want to filter out the detritus spice particles.

After your measure out the EXACT amount of oil you'll need using water (see other instrucables for full instructions) in your deep frying metal bucket (BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THE AMOUNT OF OIL YOU USE, YOU COULD EASILY BURN DOWN YOUR HOUSE), subtract about 1 gallon from that amount in order to fit the Sage oil.

STEP 5: Filter!

Locate a large bucket/Tupperware/Pitcher at least 1 gal in capacity this is what you'll be pouring into.

I usually use a wire mesh scooper (use for stir frying, etc) but you can use a colander + coffee filter, anything wire mesh, ideally a $40+ Williams Sonoma wire mesh splatter preventer but this can be easily substituted with any number of things.

STEP 6: Add to Other Oil

Once your have your EXACT amount of oil, (marked on the side of the bucket RIGHT???!) minus the 1 gallon, add your filtered Sage oil.
Top off with the rest of your Peanut oil to the exact marking.

Don't worry about the little bit water on top, itll boil off very quickly.

Cook like normal! the Turkey will be MUCH more flavorful, in addition to the Zucchini Sticks, Blooming Onion, Mozzarella Balls/Sticks, Tater Tots, Tempura Broccoli that you SHOULD be frying as long as you have several gallons of oil available!

Don't forget to deep fry a good portion of your leftovers too, then recycle the oil...

Comments

[Thaddius]

OK, Yall, I tried it per the instructions, to the letter ! I understand the positive and constructive comments guideline, but I was disappointed with the result. What I think happens is that the hot oil sears and seals the surface of the bird, as it should, to retain the internal juiciness. However, this same process prevents the seasonings in the oil from penetrating into the meat and thus limits the flavoring effect.. Can anyone elaborate?

[Batness]

This sounds delicious! I've never fried a turkey, but sage oil sounds nom.

[u2beal999]

It really should be noted that you shouldn't add water to heated oil since it will cause dangerous spattering. I would recommend adding the water to the infused oil after the herbs and spices are infused and the oil has cooled to avoid any accidental oil burns.

[DWFMBA]

its not necessary to note that, because you're adding the infused oil to the rest of your "regular" oil before you light the flame anyway... adding ANYTHING to heated oil is dangerous. adding the water to the infused oil (we're talking about a tablespoon or so of water here) after the herbs and spices are infused defeats the whole purpose of the water helping to pull the flavor out of the spices.

[u2beal999]

I suppose I'm just confused about the addition of water "and a splash or 2 of water" before heating the oil. In my culinary arts studies and my years in restaurant kitchens I haven't heard of adding water to infused oil because it would dilute the flavor. By keeping a steady, medium-low heat for five minutes should be sufficient to draw out the wonderful sage flavors. And the reason I mention the warning is I don't like to assume that everyone is as knowledgeable and you or I about the dangers of cooking. I assume that each person reading has no prior experience to anything and so needs to be instructed in safety procedures.

[DWFMBA]

the water is the first thing to boil away, its added in the very beginning when everything is room temp. Its no big deal if you want to skip it though.

[jimmiek]

Cool! Thanks .... great instructable ;)

[canida]

Mmmmm, sage-flavored deep-fried leftovers. Which ones turned out the best?

[DWFMBA]

the blooming onion is out of this world... however the zucchini and mozz sticks were very good too.