Wondering how to deep fry a turkey? Maybe you're mildly obsessed with Southern cooking or have a weakness for culinary gadgets. Or, perhaps the inherent excitement of cooking a whole turkey in several gallons of hot oil in your own backyard is just too much to resist. No matter the reason, we're fully on board with the deep-fried-turkey craze and here's why: Not only does deep frying produce a juicy, flavorful bird, but the whole process takes less than 2 hours
That means no overnightbriningor obsessively checking your oven. And about that oven: deep-frying allows you to free it up for all those sides you need to churn out.
Deep-frying a turkey does require specific tools and you will need to follow a few safety precautions. But with our equipment checklist and step-by-step instructions—ourdeep-fried turkey recipeis right here—you have everything you need. So go ahead and fill the oven withsweet potatoes,green beans, andpecan pie, then head outdoors for this quick and easy, guaranteed-to-please way to cook a bird.
What You'll Need
To deep-fry a turkey, you'll need aturkey-frying kit,可以在硬件和家里,我找到mprovement stores, some big-box retail stores, as well as online. Make sure your kit is of sturdy construction and includes the following items:
- 30-quart or larger aluminum pot
- Propane burner with a hose that connects to a propane gas tank and a gauge for regulating the flame
- Poultry rack with a hook for lowering and raising the turkey in the pot
- 12-inch deep-fry thermometer that clips to the side of the pot to monitor the oil temperature
Most turkey-frying kits are for use with propane gas, though there are a limited number of natural gas andelectricmodels. In addition to the kit and a full tank of propane gas, you'll also need:
- a12- to 14-pound turkey
- 4 to 5 gallons of cooking oil
- anapron
- long heavy-duty oven mitts (thekind you might use for grilling)
- aninstant-read thermometerfor checking the internal temperature of the turkey
- and a fire extinguisher,in case of emergencies
How to Deep Fry a Turkey in Six Steps
Step 1. Measure the Oil Level
To determine how much oil is needed, place the turkey in the fryer pot and fill the pot with water until the turkey is fully submerged with water rising about 2 inches past the bird. Remove the turkey from the pot, pat it dry with paper towels, and set it aside at room temperature. Mark the water level on the inside or outside of the pot with a waterproof marker so you know how much oil to put in the pot, then discard the water, and wash and dry the pot thoroughly.
Step 2. Set Up the Turkey Fryer and Heat the Oil
For safety reasons, always deep-fry turkey outside. Arrange the burner on a flat surface far away from the house, garage, swing set, backyard patio, or any other combustible structure, and make sure children keep a safe distance from the fryer at all times.
Place the pot on the burner and clip the deep-fry thermometer to the side of the pot. Fill the pot with peanut or canola oil up to the mark you made earlier—you'll need 4 to 5 gallons to fry a 12- to 14-pound turkey in a 30-quart pot. Turn the burner on, adjust the heat to moderately high, and heat the oil until the thermometer registers 375°F. Starting with the slightly elevated temperature of 375°F allows you to briefly shut off the flame while the turkey is lowered into the oil.
Step 3. Prep Your Turkey
While the oil is heating, make yourherb or spice ruband spread it underneath the skin. Starting at the neck end of the bird, slowly and carefully slide your fingers between the skin and meat of the breasts, thighs, and drumsticks. Once you've loosened the skin, spread the rub over the meat of the breasts, thighs, and drumsticks. Next, spread the rub inside the turkey cavity and on top of the skin. To ensure good oil flow, make sure the neck cavity is wide open and cut a small slit through the skin where the leg meets the breast.
Keep in mind that deep-fried turkeys cannot be stuffed. Instead,bake your stuffing in a casserole dishin the oven.
Step 4. Slowly Lower the Turkey into the Oil
Place the turkey on the poultry rack, with the breast facing down and the legs facing up. Once the oil reaches 375°F, turn off the burner. Wearing an apron and long heavy-duty oven mitts, use the hook that attaches to the poultry rack to slowly lower the turkey into the oil using a stop-and-go method: lower the turkey 1 to 2 inches into the oil then pull it back out a bit, repeating until the bird is fully submerged. This gradual approach keeps the oil from bubbling up too much and overflowing.
