Looking for something a little different to serve at Thanksgiving this year? Try a fried turkey, along with homemade cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, corn pudding and green beans almondine, for a memorable meal that will earn you rave reviews.
Deep Fried Turkey Ingredients
This fried turkey recipe calls for a batch of my homemade turkey brine, a turkey and oil for frying such as peanut oil. After you make this delicious turkey try some of my leftover turkey recipes like turkey casserole, turkey noodle soup, turkey tetrazzini and turkey salad.
How Do You Make Deep Fried Turkey?
Remember to read all the instructions and safety tips in this post and in the recipe card. To deep fry a turkey first make make a good brine that will infuse the turkey with flavor before it cooks. Make my favorite turkey brine which is savory, sweet and flavored with herbs and citrus notes. Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey. Place a thawed 12-15 pound turkey in the brine for 18-24 hours and place it in the fridge. Remove the turkey from the brine, rinse it off and take off any ties on the drumsticks. Pat the bird dry. Make sure to remove any herbs and peppercorns. Cut off any excess neck skin. Select a flat outdoor location for frying away from vegetation and structures. Place the bird (and frying basket if you are using one) in your cold, empty frying pot. Fill the frying pot with water until it covers the bird by about 1/2 inch. Remove the bird and pat it dry with paper towels. Mark the level of the water in the pot without the turkey in it. Pour out the water and completely dry the inside of the pot with paper towels. Pour oil into the cold pot up to the mark in your pot. You want the oil to just cover the turkey when it goes into the pot, just like the water previously did. Heat up cooking oil to 325 degrees F in your frying pot. Use a frying thermometer to monitor the oil and make sure it doesn’t get higher than 400 degrees F. Make sure to have the proper amount of oil that covers the bird without spilling over. Place the turkey carefully in the hot oil with the burner off. Turn the burner back on and let the turkey cook until golden brown. Turn off the burner, pull the turkey out of the deep fryer and check the internal temperature of the turkey to make sure it’s cooked through. After the oil has dripped off the bird and it rests for a few minutes, the turkey is ready to carve and serve.
Safety Guidelines For Deep Fried Turkey
Follow all the steps in the instructions and recipe to make sure you cook your turkey safely. Make sure the turkey is completely dry when you place it in the oil. Lower the turkey slowly in the oil to avoid splashes. If the oil looks like it is going to overflow when you are lowering the turkey, be ready to pull the turkey back out of the oil. Any time you place the turkey in the oil or remove the turkey from the oil, turn off the heat to make sure that spilled oil doesn’t catch on fire. Only fry a turkey outside on a flat surface. Do not fry a turkey on a deck or in a garage. Make sure that you fry the turkey at least 10 feet away from any structures and that there are no plants nearby that could catch on fire. Never try to fry a frozen turkey. Keep a fire extinguisher handy just in case. Keep an eye on the temperature of the oil. Don’t let it get over 400 degrees F.
Tips For The Perfect Turkey
Fry the turkey neck side down and make sure to drain the oil from the interior cavity of the turkey when you remove it from the oil. If you have breast skin that looks tight, short or that might pull back during cooking, insert 2 or 3 wooden toothpicks into the bottom of the breast to hold the skin in place before frying the bird. Have questions about brining? Be sure to check out my guide on how to brine a turkey. This deep fried turkey is so good, you won’t need to inject it with anything.
Deep frying turkey is a way to cook tender, delicious turkey in lightning fast speed. Everyone will be impressed by the golden brown color of the turkey and the savory taste. Get a turkey fryer and give it a try!
