How to Deep-Fry a Turkey

eHow.com

Though many people have never eaten deep-fried turkey, those in the Bayou have known for ages that this is a marvelous way to prepare a moist, flavorful bird. So if you're looking to deep fry a turkey for a Thanksgiving dinner or any other occasion, just follow these step-by-step instructions that make learning to deep fry turkey almost as easy as making gravy.

Step 1
Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey cavity and rinse the inside and outside of the bird.

Step 2
Dry the turkey well, inside and out, with paper towels.

Step 3
Fold the wings of the turkey behind the bird's shoulders and then remove the hock lock. Place turkey on a large wire rack.

Step 4
Place a 10- to 12-gallon stockpot on a 12-inch propane gas burner with at least 100,000 BTUs and fill with
vegetable oil. Light fire and heat oil to 390 degrees F.

Step 5
Lower the well-dried turkey, breast first, into a deep-frying basket. Put on oven mitts and gently lower the basket into the oil.

Step 6
Lift up the turkey and dip it into the oil again three or four times so the oil adjusts to the temperature of the turkey.

Step 7
Fry the turkey while keeping the oil temperature as close to 365 degrees F as possible. Fry for about three and a half minutes per pound, until meat is golden and a deep-frying thermometer in the thickest part of the turkey thigh registers 175 degrees F.

Step 8
Lift basket out of oil and drain turkey, including the cavity, in a roasting pan. Carve and serve after the turkey has cooled for 20 minutes.


Tips & Warnings

  • The oil will splatter when you fry the turkey, so wear old clothes.

  • You can inject the turkey with marinade the night before by using a turkey injector kit. The kit and seasonings can be bought from most places that sell turkey fryers.

  • Buy the oil from a wholesale grocer to save money.

  • Make a baked stuffing on the side; you cannot stuff a fried turkey.

  • Use a turkey that weighs 14 pounds or less.

  • Season the carved turkey with salt, pepper, hot pepper sauce and lemon wedges.

  • Dry the turkey well, because a wet turkey will splash dangerously when placed in oil.

  • Do not deep-fry the turkey in an attached building, such as a garage, or on a wooden deck.

  • Make sure you have enough propane to last the entire frying time, about 40 to 49 minutes for a 10- to 14-pound bird.

  • Keep an eye on the frying bird at all times.


How to Deep-Fry a Turkey originally published on eHow.com

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