Kerry Gogreve prefers Cajun Land brand seasoning. He uses a four-pound jar of dry seasoning and a cup of the liquid crab boil, which makes a seriously spicy turkey. You may want to lower the amount of seasoning the first time you try this, especially if guests do not have a high tolerance for picante flavors.
"I taste the water as I go," Kerry says. "You make the water taste like what you want the food to taste. Stir it, and stick your hand in there and taste. I play with it."
Size: Be sure to choose a turkey that will fit in the boiling pot you have and that the water line will stay above the turkey for the entire cooking time. (Kerry's unmarked pot is 30 or 40 quarts, plenty big for a 13-pound turkey.)
Timing: Kerry cooked a 13-pound turkey for 40 or 45 minutes, then let it soak for 20 minutes in the boiling water, "just like seafood," he says, to absorb flavors; this gives the meat a reddish cast. A 16-pound turkey would need to be boiled about an hour to hour and 15 minutes at a rolling boil.
Vegetable notes: Kerry leaves heads of garlic whole and adds them with the onions (halved or whole) at the beginning of the boil. The onions dissolve into the water after about 20 minutes. New potatoes are added about 20 minutes before the end of cooking.
Boiling Pot Turkey
Makes 15-20 servings
1 (13-pound) turkey, defrosted if frozen
1 (3 pound) bag onions, peeled, halved and/or whole
10-15 heads garlic, tops cut off
3 to 5 pounds new potatoes (use as many as you like and what will fit in the pot)
4-pound container powdered crawfish boil seasoning mix (or less if you can't take very spicy)*
1 cup liquid crab boil (or to taste)
Prepare a boiling pot with water as for a seafood boil: Add powdered and liquid seasoning; stir well. Add onions and garlic.
Taste the water for seasoning and adjust accordingly. The water should taste like what you want the food to taste like. When water has come to a hard rolling boil, submerge turkey in the water.
Add potatoes after the turkey has boiled about 20 to 25 minutes.
After about 45 minutes, remove turkey from water and check the thigh joint to see if the turkey is done. There should be very little or no redness. The turkey can be left in the water to soak up additional seasonings. Kerry recommends at least a 20-minute soak.
Remove turkey from water, and remove potatoes and garlic. Keep potatoes warm. Reserve boiling liquid until turkey is prepared for serving.
When cool enough to handle, cut turkey into large slices, removing skin and bones. Put the slices on a large shallow platter or bowl. Arrange potatoes and heads of garlic around the slices. To keep the turkey moist, pour a cup or two of the boiling liquid over the turkey. Serve with a meat fork as well as a big spoon for the liquid.
*As noted above, this amount of seasoning makes a very spicy turkey. Adjust the amount to your taste. .
