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Frying a Turkey - Need Tips!

Nate

Nate

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I am venturing into the fried turkey arena this Thanksgiving but want to give it a test drive first before the big day. Being that this is the place of endless knowledge of all things food and not to mention plenty of THP'ers from the south, I thought this was a no brainer to ask it here.

For those that have this process down.....give me your tips! Your do's and don'ts! What to put on the turkey for prep? What do you do with the peanut oil when your finished? How long to fry per pound? Can't wait!
 
I've done it a number of times. I'd recommend looking around for some info on frying times and different rub/injections/etc. We always just used a thermometer to decide when to pull it, but that was in restaurants.

Be careful dude. It's freaking dangerous! Don't over fill it and wipe the bird down well before you put it in the oil.
 
I don't have much advice, but I do enjoy to eat them. Usually we have a hierarchy in my family on who gets to fry the turkey for Christmas. Right now it's my uncle, but I won't complain as he does a fine job.

I'd imagine you can't go wrong with doing it, but it's always great to pick up some of other people's "secret" recipes and tips.
 
Hawk said:
I've done it a number of times. I'd recommend looking around for some info on frying times and different rub/injections/etc. We always just used a thermometer to decide when to pull it, but that was in restaurants.

Be careful dude. It's freaking dangerous! Don't over fill it and wipe the bird down well before you put it in the oil.
Click to expand...

The things I've been told are make sure the tukey isn't frozen (or your in for a big surprise) and measure the turkey in the fryer with water so you know how much oil to use.
 
Nate said:
The things I've been told are make sure the tukey isn't frozen (or your in for a big surprise) and measure the turkey in the fryer with water so you know how much oil to use.
Click to expand...

+1
A frozen turkey will cause a huge explosion.
 
Yep, those are both pretty good tips. The oil will bubble a lot at first, even if it's thawed, so give yourself some wiggle room and do it away from anything that could burn.

A lot of people like to inject and they make products for that. Another thing you could do is brine the bird, which will give it a smoky flavor and make it stupidly good. There is plenty of info on the web on how to do it if you want to.
 
Nate said:
The things I've been told are make sure the tukey isn't frozen (or your in for a big surprise) and measure the turkey in the fryer with water so you know how much oil to use.
Click to expand...

Ding ding ding. This is exactly what you need to make sure of, and how most fires start (oil overflows). As far as rubs or seasonings I will ask my FIL, as he has fried a couple turkeys for us and they were wonderful. You may check the Food Network's website as they always have great recipes and tips.
 
Kill it and pluck the feathers first.

Good luck!
 
Man this is making me hungry! Good luck man can't wait to try it :D
 
Make sure it's really thawed. It takes about 4 days to completely de-thaw a turkey in the refrigerator. And putting it in the meat drawer is a bad move, since most meat drawers are too cold to allow it to de-thaw.
 
Nate youve got it pretty well down. Make sure its completely thawed and measure with water is a good tip! Also inject or brine it beforehand to bring some more flavor. Fried turkeys are absolutely phenomenal
 
Another rule: ALWAYS post pictures of the end result!
 
But thanksgiving was a week ago...
 
I'm just curious, how do you de thaw something? Is that like freezing it again? If you thaw it, you are taking it from a frozen state to an unfrozen state so I guess de thawing it is doing the reverse. Okay, now that I have that off of my chest we can get on to the real advice.

As mentioned, put the turkey in the fryer and pour water to the level that you need to cover the bird. Pull the turkey out and that is the level you need to pour your oil to to safely fry it. Second as has already been mentioned as well THAW the bird out completely. Wipe down the cavity and outside of any moisture, any water droplets will quickly flash to steam and cause oil spraying all over the place. Lastly do not deep fry your turkey on a wooden deck or in your garage. It's a good way to get up close and a lot more personal with your insurance agent than you want to. Take it out in your yard, or better yet on your driveway or concrete/stone patio away from the house. Leave yourself some room to stand at arms length when lowering the bird and drop it in S-L-O-W-L-Y. There are tons of recipes and what not on line and that's personal taste, so I'll leave you on your own for that. This should make it so that you can fry it safely. Enjoy your bird with your loved ones and closest friends!!
 
Nate said:
The things I've been told are make sure the tukey isn't frozen (or your in for a big surprise) and measure the turkey in the fryer with water so you know how much oil to use.
Click to expand...


^^^ this.

watched my brother in law screw this up one Christmas. Fortunately he had the sense to not set the fryer up on the deck, or near the house but rather, in the driveway. He got the bird 2/3rds of the way in the pot and the oil was up to the brim and he let er' go. Flames shot up a good 15 feet. He lost his basketball net and scorched the backboard because he'd set up underneath it. Wish a had a video of it.
 
What others have said. Let it thaw completely, make sure the fryer is sitting on flat, non-flamable surface such as concrete, make sure it's away from the house, and do not leave the damn thing until it's done.
 
Nate said:
The things I've been told are make sure the tukey isn't frozen (or your in for a big surprise) and measure the turkey in the fryer with water so you know how much oil to use.
Click to expand...

Yes, make sure to account for the fluid displacement of the bird.
 
Well first you got to catch that fat little rascal. It's not an easy task however my Uncle Ben used to tell us young bucks to put salt on his tail. I ran for about two miles one day trying to put salt on that suckers tail. I'm too chicken to fry a turkey :bulgy-eyes:
 
The good thing about brining is you know it's thawed. Make sure you dry it well, and it's best to not fry it in your house. The drawback to frozen turkey in my opinion is you don't have the drippings for making gravy. I like turkey gravy like Lee Westwood like's gravy. Like Charles Barkley likes gravy. Like White Rhino likes gravy. I like gravy.

Kevin
 
Nate said:
I am venturing into the fried turkey arena this Thanksgiving but want to give it a test drive first before the big day. Being that this is the place of endless knowledge of all things food and not to mention plenty of THP'ers from the south, I thought this was a no brainer to ask it here.

For those that have this process down.....give me your tips! Your do's and don'ts! What to put on the turkey for prep? What do you do with the peanut oil when your finished? How long to fry per pound? Can't wait!
Click to expand...

First thing, make sure it's thawed and you remove the gizzard bag from the cavity( I know that sounds simple, but you would be surprised.

Prior to opening the package place the thawed turkey in the pot and fill it with water until its submerged....remove the turkey and mark the water level on the pot.....now that's the amount of oil to put in your pot..that way when you add the turkey to the boiling oil it doesn't overflow.

I use Tony's to coat the outside of the turkey and I use Tony's injectable marinate to"shoot up the bird with juices"

Bring your oil to a boil and then add the turkey....fry it for 3.5 minutes per pound, that means a 10 pound turkey will be ready in 45 minutes. Be sure to drain all oil from turkey and let it sit about 10 minutes prior to carving.

Good luck!
 
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