Well turkey week has arrived and your wondering how to cook that ‘ol bird you have stuck back in your freezer. Never fear I have the answer here for you, DEEP FRY that little bugger! 

     There is nothing better than a good deep fried turkey for Thanksgiving! Now before you go off to try this technique there are a couple of things you need to know so you don’t ruin your Thanksgiving dinner or burn your house down!     I’m going to give you a few pointers to help you along the way, so don’t fret over this, it is going to be easy. So easy as a matter of fact that once you do this you will not use your oven again for cooking your bird unless your bird is better than the one your mother-in-law cooks, I will explain this later.

First your equipment:

Deep Fryer, 30 qt. for turkeys around 10lbs.

                 40 qt. for turkeys around 15lbs.

Deep Fryer burner w/stand and propane tank

Deep Fry Thermometer & Meat Thermometer

 

Fire Extinguisher, This is a MUST!

 

     This should be done outside on level ground away from anything flammable!

     Do NOT cook on a patio, deck, or wooden porch. Stay away from overhanging trees or bushes. Remember if you put this on a concrete surface, splashing oil will stain the concrete. Keep away from house, it will melt your vinyl siding.

     Now that we have the equipment and cooking area covered, you need to make sure your bird is thawed. You CANNOT deep fry a frozen bird!  It takes about 24 hours for every 4lbs to 5lbs a bird weighs to refrigerator thaw it completely, with the refrigerator set at 40 degrees or under.  It can safely remain in the frig for up to 2 days after it is completely thawed.

     Once you have your bird thawed, you need to measure the amount of oil needed for the job. You do this by placing the turkey into the frying pot and filling the pot with water until it reaches about 1 – 2 inches above the top of the bird. If the water level is over the recommended filling line on the pot you need a bigger pot or a smaller bird. Then remove the bird from the pot. Once this is done, mark the water level inside the pot and pour out the water.

     Make sure you dry out the pot completely along with the bird. Water and hot oil DO NOT mix!

     You then need to fill the pot with the oil your going to use to the same level as the water in the previous step. You can choose many types of oil depending on what you like to use, such as corn, canola, sunflower, or my favorite peanut oil. Check with your guests for peanut allergies before using this oil.  You want to choose an oil that has a high smoke point to make sure it cooks fast and all the way through.

     Light the propane burner and then place the fryer with the oil in it on the burner to start warming it. You want the oil to reach a steady temperature between 350 – 375 degrees, you can check this with your deep fry thermometer. It will take about a half hour or so for the oil to reach the recommended temperature. DO NOT leave oil unattended. This is why you need more than one person to do this job.

     While the oil is warming, prepare the bird. Some people like their bird plain, but not me! I want a marinaded bird! You can use a marinade injector to fill your bird with what ever flavors you like. Or you can place a rub on the bird with the spices you prefer. Either way, just flavor to your liking. Once this is done, place the bird on the basket hanger with the legs pointing upwards. Your bird is now ready, let the cooking begin!

     Once your oil has reached the correct temperature, you can begin to place the bird in the oil. Turn down the flame and begin to slowly dunk your bird into the oil with the basket hanger suspended from the basket hook. By allowing it to slowly lower into the oil, it will reduce the chances of the hot oil from splattering. Now that the bird is in the oil, turn the flame back up and maintain the 350 – 375 degree temperature.

     Your bird should cook for about 3 to 3 ½ minutes for every pound the bird weighs. So a 10lb bird should take about 30 to 35 minutes to cook. You can check to see if it is done by lifting it out of the oil and checking the temperature of the bird with the meat thermometer. The center of the breast should be at least 170 degrees to be considered done. I like to try and get mine to around 180 degrees. Once it is finished turn the flame off and remove the bird, then let it cool for about 15 minutes. Now carve that bird and get to eatin’!!!!

     If you want to reuse your oil, make sure you filter it before storing it. This stuff is a little pricy so I like to reuse my oil when I can.

     As a side note, the first time I deep fried a turkey for Thanksgiving I was at my mother-in-laws house. She didn’t think my brother-in-law and I could pull this task off. So she bought us a small 10lb bird and she prepared her usual 18lb gigantic turkey for the family. She slaved over that bird all morning long and kept asking when we were going to get started. We kept telling her to let us know an hour before dinner and we would get it going. She just knew that we were going to screw up big time. Well, we finally got our bird going and out of the pot just before dinner. When she saw our bird she was upset. When everyone ate every bit of our bird and very little of hers she was really upset! We are now not allowed to ever deep fry another bird at her house! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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