Northwest Dive Club

I know someone has fried one, this will be my first try at it. So far I've been told 350 degrees and 3 minutes a pound. Any tips or tricks I should know?

Don't have the deep fryer inside your house.

Stay sober until the turkey is done cooking.

If it comes out like this, then you did it wrong.

They will have a better flavor if you fry them under the Christmas tree.

OK, I got relatives visiting so I don't know about the staying sober part, no tree until after Thanksgiving, so your saying a reg and mask then toss it into the hot tub?

+ keep it as close as possible to the vinyl siding

make sure that the turkey is completely thawed. if it is partially frozen you risk an explosion into some surprisingly large flames

I have done them pretty regularly.

Completely thaw the turkey. Brine it the way you want or inject it with flavorings (I have used Italian dressing injected but prefer the taste after brining it overnight.)

I have used peanut oil and Canola Oil and like the "crust" of peanut oil more. However, Canola Oil works good and is less expensive.

We have a gravel area off the our deck specifically made for frying turkeys. Safety first. Someone is always outside with the fryer from the time I fire it up to the time we shut it down.

If you haven't had a fried turkey try it...it is very juicy and in a word delicious! When I roast a turkey and fry one, the fried one is always gone first!

Enjoy!

I'd be much more willing to trust Alton Brown's advice than most other sources. He discussed turkey frying on the podcast he dropped last Friday. If your aren't familiar with him he used to host a show called Good Eats that was not your typical food network fare. Whatever you do make sure you don't end up on the news or in the burn ICU at Harborview.

Hi
I haven't tried deep frying a turkey, but if I did, I'd probably cut it up into pieces before frying it. You wouldn't deep fry a whole chicken, would you? No, you'd cut it up and fry the pieces. Deep frying turkey pieces seems much more manageable.

The only problem is that a cut-up turkey may have a lower "wife approval factor", for those wives that love a pretty whole bird on the table. Not sure if you're married or if your wife is like that, or if you already crossed that bridge by deep frying .

I say this from somebody that's a fan of roasting cut-up turkey -- it cooks much quicker and evenly, and you can cook the dark meat longer than the white. But my wife won't let me anymore.... sigh.

Have fun, let us know how it goes. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
-Eric

I have done several deep fried turkey. The keys are 1) make sure it's thawed and patted dry 2) make sure you inject it 3) it does have to be whole, the skin keeps moisture in 4) the oil should be several inches below the lid so it doesn't spill over when the turkey goes in. If you want extra precaution, turn the fire off right before putting the turkey in and then turn it right back on.

If you want something great try deep fried prime rib. That is amazing. Same process but you put on a dry rub and sear it in a pan before putting in oil so the rub doesn't come off and the inside is sealed. Have a good thanksgiving

I should have said rim instead of lid. Do not put a lid on it.

Is the temp and time per lbs (3 min) workable?

All good ideas, good input, I have the fryer, hanger thing, everything I need even the bird. Wife is on board with me, she just wants it done about 50 feet from the house out in the fire pit. Now to find a good recipe for my injector! I plan on documenting the whole event with my GoPro, stay tuned.

Btw Linedog, you are welcome to borrow my deep fryer so you don't have to go buy one. I will be away this year.

Must have posted at the same time. Looks like you are set

I have also deep fried turkeys several times. Occasionally do it at work. I use canola oil as I have a peanut allergy. There are many marinades made for injecting. One place to check is cabelas. Another tip, pay attention to how much oil you have in the pot. Remember your turkey will displace a lot of oil, and you do not want all that hot oil spilling down the sides and into your flame.

I found this on YouTube, could not stop laughing!

KneeDeep wrote:Is the temp and time per lbs (3 min) workable?

I did a 22 pound bird last time and I think it was closer to 4 min per pound. I always remove it and stick a thermometer in it.

The only time I ever did this, my bird turned out-breast perfect-delicious, legs and thighs way overdone, wings crispy cinderlike crunchy things. I never did it again as I don't like to waste anything. If I was to do it again, it would be cut up so I could get everything cooked just right.

I do them every year.. Number one rule... Turn the flame off before you put the turkey in the oil!!!!! Then put the bird in and let the bubbling calm down before relighting the burner. Lower the turkey in SLOWLY. If you screw up and some oil does come over the top you don't burn yourself and your house down.

3.5 minutes per pound @ 350 degrees. I inject mine with creole butter the night before. They are delicious.

Thanks everyone. It turned out great.

Looks perfect!!!