Deep Fried Turkey - How To Fry Perfectly Every Time

It may sound strange at first but believe me, deep fried turkey is a taste that you will not forget. In my opinion deep fried turkey is much more tender and delicious than any other method in my book.

Where else would a deep fried turkey originate but the south, the deep fried capital of the world? Not surprisingly this tasty method is rapidly gaining popularity worldwide. I have my entire family hooked on these delectably fried birds.

You will need besides the turkey, a 60 quart pot with a large basket or a specially made turkey deep fryer. You will also need a propane tank with burner, a deep fry thermometer, meat thermometer and a ton of oil. Be sure to use oils that have a very high smoke point. Ideally what you want is canola, peanut or corn oils. Hopefully you won't need it but you should also have a fire extinguisher and some super heavy duty pot holders standing by.

If you want to go all out I would also purchase an injector to add special marinades and seasoning to your turkey but this is totally optional as you can make an exquisite turkey without one. For the turkey always remember that bigger is not necessarily better. Turkeys over 15 pounds do not work well with frying.

Oil is of course flammable so never ever fry a turkey inside your home! Always fry your turkey on a level dirt or grassy area. Never fry on or near anything that is flammable such as your wooden deck. Always have that fire extinguisher at the ready.

Before frying the first thing you are going to need to do before you begin cooking is determine how much oil you are going to need by placing the turkey in the basket and put it in the pot. You are going to add water until it reaches roughly two inches above your turkey. Take out the turkey and note the water level. Use a ruler to measure the distance from the top of the pot to your water line. Dump the water and dry the pot thoroughly. Add enough oil to equal where the water level was without the bird in the pot.

Use your deep fry thermometer and watch the oil until it reaches 325°F, be careful not to get the oil any hotter than 350°F. Normally this will take about 30 minutes. When the oil reaches 325°F place the turkey in the basket and very slowly lower it into you pot. Now let that beautiful bird cook. A whole turkey will take about 4 minutes per pound to cook. Take out your turkey and check the meats temperature with your meat thermometer. You are aiming for 170°F for the breast meat and 180°F for the thighs.

John is a self proclaimed "technerd" that mostly write about networks and technology. But you can also check out his web site on turkey deep fryers and home deep fryers in general.