It’s Thanksgiving and you know what time it is – it’s turkey time! Deep fried, not baked! Want to know how long to cook a deep fried turkey?
I’ll admit, I have never heard of anyone deep frying a turkey before, but boy was I in for a surprise. With the collective help of some amazing food blogs, we’ll show you how to properly deep fry a bird in no time at all!
=
Luckily for Homemade Recipes readers, our good friends at the Food Network have some great BARGAINS to be thankful for!
How To Deep Fry A Turkey For The Outdoorsman (if you’re not afraid to die)
***DISCLAIMER***
Deep frying a turkey is for someone with lots of cooking experience and someone who knows how to handle hot oil especially at that temperature!
A gentle note from our friends over at Food52.com (I honestly couldn’t have said it better myself…)
Remember this is for outdoors. Not in a garage or under a carport, not under the dry pine tree, not close to the house. This turkey fry business has splattering oil, is messy and is enjoyable from beginning to end.
My neighbors set theirs up one year atop of their glass-topped outdoor table. The oil splattered on the glass, the glass shattered, the 4-1/2 gallons of oil and turkey ended up on the ground amidst the shattered glass. Another friend, not clear on the concept, put her still-frozen turkey in the pot of hot oil on top of her stove inside her house. It was your basic turkey bomb. If you want real entertainment go to Youtube and enter in “Deep Frying T….,” you’ll get about that far and you’ll have Deep Frying Turkey Explosions as an option. Lots of good pointers on what not to do.
Find a spot away from things that’ll catch fire. Cover the ground in tarps, old carpets, cardboard or whatever else may absorb the oil that comes splattering out. There’s a significant 5’ radius of splatter and you should have a 8’ radius covered to protect concrete from acquiring permanent oil.
So folks, with that being said, please proceed with caution and use the right ingredients to take proper precaution before deep frying a turkey. You don’t want a turkey stuck through your ceiling and you certainly don’t want to get hurt! Here are a bunch of recipes for deep frying a turkey and first you should really listen to William Shatner and his thoughts on deep frying a turkey…
Step 1:
Grab your turkey from a local market. We recommend a Whole Foods or central market. Start by making a simple brine.
You will need:
- a gallon of vegetable broth
- a gallon of ice water
- a cup of sea salt
- and one tablespoon each of sage, rosemary, thyme and black pepper.
Recipe compliments of Food52.
Step 2:
Remove all excess giblets and the neck of the turkey. Get rid of any plastic or metal parts holding the legs together or a pop-out thermometer. Seal the turkey in an oven bag over night. On the following day, make sure to dry the turkey inside and out by gently patting. That is important – you don’t want the water droplets shooting out and hitting you in the eyes!
Step 3:
Roll the turkey in a plastic bag of flour and pepper and place it on spindle. Take twine and tie the legs and wings to the body. Now you’re ready to bathe your bird in piping hot oil!
For the whole scoop on this amazing outdoor turkey roasting adventure, please visit this post and check out all their fantastic recipes here.
How To Deep Fry By Injecting It With Rich Goodness
Here’s how to deep fry a turkey without needing a huge deep fryer. If it’s just you and your family this year, and you want to get it over with the quick and easy way.
Check out how they did it over on taste with the eyes’ blog. Original recipe here.
You Will Need:
- 1 (8 to 12 lb.) turkey, completely thawed
- cooking spray
- 2 gallons peanut oil
Rub:
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Spice Injection Mixture:
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- Several dashes hot pepper sauce
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Step 1:
Grab a sauce pan and combine all of the ingredients for the spice injection mixture.
Step 2:
Cook and stir over medium heat until butter is melted.
Step 3:
Once done, let the mixture cool until barely warm. Inject the mixture using a turkey baster into several spots on both sides of the turkey breast and thighs. Make sure not to inject too much into one side. Cover and chill overnight.
Step 4:
Dunk the turkey into a vat of boiling hot oil – proceed with caution. We recommend wearing oven mitts for this and to use something to balance the turkey.
Cook time:
45 minutes
4 to 8 servings
Step 5:
Enjoy the goodness that is deep fried turkey!
How To Deep Fry A Turkey The Easy No Fuss Way (if you’re Sam Sifton)
You Will Need:
- 1 12 to 16 pound turkey, thawed with giblets and neck removed
- 3 tbsp. kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
- a 5 gallon container peanut oil
Recipe compliments of bon appetite – please visit their site for the full recipe and all the preparation instructions!
Step 1:
Heat oil to 350 degrees. Add the dry rub to the turkey.
Step 2:
Lower the bird into the hot oil!
Step 3:
Sit back and relax…and grab a beer while you’re at it. You’ve earned it. Check on your bird and cook it for approximately 3 1/2 minutes per pound!
Step 4:
Bask in the glory that is your homemade deep fried turkey.
That’s all folks. Did you enjoy our deep fried turkey recipes? Let us know in the comments section below what you think of our homemade deep fried turkey recipes. Do you have a favorite way to fry turkey that’s been in your family for ages? Share it with us and we’ll give it a shot!
Related Posts:
- 16 Leftover Turkey Recipes To Extend Your Thanksgiving Celebration
- 15 Healthy Ground Turkey Recipes
- How To Make a Cake That Looks Like A Real Thanksgiving Turkey
Don’t forget to keep in touch, foodies!
Sign up for our newsletter here!
Also, make sure to follow us on social media too:
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter
Tumblr
Before you place the bird in the oil… put in water into the pot and then place the bird into the water. Remove enough water so you have a few inches of empty space at the top. Remove the bird and dry it completely. Mark on the outside of the pot the water line and then remove the water and dry it completely. Bring the oil slowly up to the correct temperature. Before you lower the bird into the oil turn off the flame… let me repeat myself… turn off the flame before you lower the bird into the oil…slowly cook the bird and enjoy. Also it is best if you have a fire extinguisher on hand at all times.
YO WILLIAM your great! Tanks for da great video! we do enjoy DEEP FRY TURKEY, yummy in my tummy! have a great TURKEY DAY EVERYONE!
The caution about not placing the fryer near anything combustible cannot be stressed enough. That, and making sure the bird is completely thawed. If you wouldn’t put a frozen Pork Chop into a skillet of very hot grease, why on earth would you put a frozen Turkey into the extremely hot oil in the fryer, Use your heads people!