How To Deep Fry Turkey

Thanksgiving Recipe

Deep-frying the Thanksgiving turkey is gaining popularity as a delicious way to prepare a holiday feast. This method of cooking turkey originated in the souther US, but people all over the country are takie their birds outside to cook in large, outdoor deep fryers. Although deep-frying requires more care and attention than traditional slow roasting, it is faster, and the end result is just as juicy (sometimes juicier!) than a traditionally cooked Thanksgiving turkey.

Ingredients and Equipment:

3-5 gallons of oil with a high smoke point (peanut, corn, or safflower)
outdoor frying equipment (see products at right)
liquid seasoning injector to flavor the turkey
liquid flavoring blend
8-14 pound turkey

Step 1: Prepare a liquid flavor injection to season the turkey. Because spices and juices will not stay on the outside of the turkey if you deep fry it, the flavorings have to be injected into the raw meat. The injection needle is rather fine, so your marinade can only contain liquids and small spice particles. Minced garlic, rosemary blades, chives, etc are too large for the injector. Try a marinade of chicken broth, garlic and onion powder, mustard powder, and tomato juice. For a more southern flavor, use chicken broth, lime juice, and finely ground cajun spices. Many specialty food stores sell marinades for deep frying turkeys

Step 2: Inject about 50%-60% of the liquid into the breasts, and the rest into the legs, wings, and thighs. One or 2 cups marinade is sufficient. Inject as deeply into the turkey meat as possible. If it's too close the the skin, the water will spatter in the deep fryer.

Step 3: Set up the deep frying equipment outside. The deep fryer has prongs and a rack for placing the turkey in the oil and taking it out. Choose an outdoor frying location that is far from buildings and dry grass. If you deep fry the Thanksgiving turkey in the snow, there won't be any fire hazard.

DO NOT FRY A LARGE TURKEY INDOORS

Step 4: Determine the amount of oil to put in the deep-fryer. Do this by placing the turkey in the empty deep fryer so that it touches the bottom. Then, fill the fryer with enough oil so that there is 1 inch of oil above the turkey. Take the turkey out and wipe off the excess oil with a clean dry towel. If you deep fry the turkey in peanut oil, the oil can be reused for deep frying a couple more times so long as you purify it and store it an opaque container. Reuse peanut oil with one or two weeks.

Step 5: Heat the oil to 350^oF. Once the oil is hot enough, gently slide the turkey into the deep fryer using the prongs.

The frying time depends on the weight of the turkey. 8 lbs - 20 minutes, 9 lbs - 26 minutes, 10 lbs - 32 minutes, 11 lbs - 38 minutes, 12 lbs - 44 minutes, 13 lbs - 50 minutes, 14 lbs - 56 minutes These are estimates for whole turkeys. Another way to gauge done-ness is when the turkey floats to the top of the oil. Once the turkey starts to float in the deep fryier, cook it for an additional 10-15 minutes.

For small pieces of turkey, a 4-pound piece requires 15 minutes, and a 6-pound piece requires 18 minutes. Don't deep-fry a Thanksgiving turkey that weighs more than 14 pounds. The heavier the bird, the longer the cooking time, which means an increased risk of accidents.

Keep children and pets away from the deep fryer. Step 6: Bake the stuffing separate from the turkey. It absorbs too much oil when cooked inside the turkey in the deep fryer. Some people dip balls of stuffing in beer batter, then deep fry the balls quickly to make fried stuffing.

© Had2Know 2010