Anyone deep frying their turkey? I wanted to do it this Thanksgiving but figured I would hold off for Christmas, do a little more research so I can get it right the first time. I have tasted it before one thing is for sure, there is nothing like it, best turkey I have ever had. Wanted to know who does it, how they do it, AND IF THEY WILL SEND ME THE LEFTOVERS....

 

just make sure you thaw it out before you drop her in...LOL>>>we still do it the old fashion way...the oil can get expensive just to deep fry 1 bird...but no more expensive than 8 qts of Mobil 1....

 

I have a fryer and have fried several turkeys. They are awsome. I inject them with cajon flavorings first. The key is to make sure you don't overfill the bucket of oil. That's how most fires start. You also must lower the turkey very slowly into the hot peanut oil.

Come on over, we'll be watching the Cowboy game afterwards.

 

Cowboys, blah. Makes me wanna hurl. <------- GO STEELERS!!!!!!

As for deep frying a turkey there are several things you can do.

First off, ALWAYS THAW THE TURKEY!!!

of every step you will ever take for deep frying a turkey this is by far the most important.

second. make sure you have a good frying thermometer. temperature control is crucial to moistness.

as for flavors, there are a couple different ways to go about it.

you can either:
a) use some fancy shmancy injector gizmo, inject the bird with a concotion of spices and such (however, you get pockets of flavor and not much else)
b) you can simply rub the turkey with spices, cross your fingers, and hope for the best.

or

*******c) make a brine, and let the turkey soak. this is by far the best way to keep the turkey moist as well as distribute flavor evenly.******

From here on we shall discuss brining, in brief:

My recipe for brine is fairly simple. Start with stock (chicken or veggie), bring to a soft boil, add 1 cup salt (kosher preferred), and one cup brown sugar. mix til everything is incorporated together. then add a handful of peppercorns (or a whole heap of cracked pepper if you dont have whole peppercorns). mix it all together. refrigerate. once cooled, add the turkey and refrigerate.

couple of side notes: you can add whatever spices you want to the brine (cayenne, garlic powder, etc) but add it to the brine dont rub the turkey with it. ideal temperature is between 35-40 degree farenheit. (pretty standard refrigerator temp). anything over is a bacteria farm and anything under slows the brining down. also, a good measurement of how much you will need is roughyl 1gallon stock for every 5-7 lbs of turkey. 2 gallons generally works for most turkeys.

another note: the turkey must be completely submerged the whole time. i suggest using a 5-gallon bucket. works the best i have found. also, while brining you need to keep cool (35-40) still...

once your turkey is in the brine. 1hr per pound is about what is needed for brining. you do the math.

after time period is up take the turkey out of the brine (it probably looks swollen ) RINSE IT OFF with cold water... to help make sure the salt is off of the outside...

now you can either drop it in the deep fryer (i suggest toweling the water off of it as to avoid grease burns... while those do make for good scar stories, they hurt like hell) 3min per pound cook time... 375degrees is when the oil is ready though with the bird in should be right around 350.

when you take it out... WAIT TO EAT OR CARVE, or else you will have no taste buds to taste your deliciousness... and no fingerprints to identify you...

let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes.. then carve, but it will still be hot.

on another note you can brine a turkey like this and just go about your normal oven baked method.

ENJOY.



***All cooking times are approximate from personal and professional experience during my time as a chef. As always tastes vary and you know what you like to take it and make it your own. Deep-fried or baked, delicious either way.

*EDIT: I generally do not use peanut oil for deep-frying, unless I am 100% positive of the audience that will be eating. A good number of people are allergic to nuts, so i generally just use vegetable oil.

 

JUST got through eating fried turkey!
We fried three of them for lunch today at work.
VERY juicy!

I'm sooooo full. Must find place to hide and close my eyes....

 

now thats cool...nice post...get her done Jonny...

 

One last thing. The most important rule is to make sure the turkey is dead first! It can be a real mess if it's not.

 

Good Luck!!


Just don't burn down your house and/or Crossfire.


That's the only advice I can give but I do make a mean chicken and broccoli casserole......lol

 

I have never tried fried turkey, I need to give it a shot.