Let's Talk Turkey
It sounds like a lot of work, when you think about deep
frying a turkey but, it’s really not too bad. If you make preparations and have
the proper equipment, it’s really easy. Matt and I picked up a 30-quart Propane
fryer at Walmart® (minor assembly required) for around $50.00 and it came with everything we needed (pot
and lid, automatic timer, welded stand, cast iron burner, T-star and lifter, 10
PSIG regulator and 12” thermometer) minus the propane tank (and turkey).
Obviously, deep frying a whole bird should be done with
caution. The oil is hot and very flammable. You should never deep fry a turkey
indoors and you should place the cooker on a level dirt or grassy area, away
from buildings. Avoid wooden surfaces that can catch on fire and you also want
to avoid concrete surfaces that you don’t want oil stained.
The first thing we did was place our (13lb) turkey into the
pot and cover it with water - doing this helps determine how much oil is needed
for cooking. Once the water was about 2” above the bird, we removed the turkey and
marked the water level. After the pot was emptied and dry, we filled it up to
our mark with oil for cooking.
There are several ways to prepare a bird, from injecting
marinade to marinade rubs for the outside. We decided to prep our turkey with a
marinade rub, and we let the bird sit for a couple of hours before frying. Once
the turkey was ready for cooking, we heated up our cooking oil to about 350⁰ (this
took about 20 minutes). With the oil temperature ready for the bird, we lowered
the turkey into the oil (slowly) and waited.
You can estimate about 3 minutes per pound to deep fry a turkey. Checking with a meat thermometer, the temperature should be 170⁰F in the breast and 180⁰ in the thigh. After about 45 minutes, our turkey was done! With the hook provided, we lifted the turkey out of the oil (slowly) and let it cool for about 15 to 20 minutes. Once the bird was cool enough to slice, we dug in to some moist, delicious turkey meat.
Matt and I love to grill out and I think we’ve added deep frying
to our list of “favorite ways to cook meat”. It’s fun to try different
marinades and ways of cooking. Deep frying another turkey is definitely on our “to
do” list. We plan on frying a bird for our family on Thanksgiving this year
(wish us luck)!
Helpful Hints:
-Do not stuff a turkey that you plan on frying
-Be sure to measure for the amount of oil you need BEFORE you
marinate the turkey
-Wash hands, utensils, surfaces and equipment that have
come in contact with raw turkey
-Keep an eye on the timer, fried turkeys cook quickly
-Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking
-NEVER leave hot oil unattended
-Don’t allow children or pets near the cooking area
-Allow oil to cool completely before disposing or storing
Recipes
Deep-Fried Turkey Recipe - Allrecipes.comDeep-Fried Turkey Recipe : Alton Brown : Recipes : Food Network
Deep-Fried Turkey Recipe : Paula Deen : Recipes : Food Network
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