Do something a bit different this Thanksgiving and deep-fry your bird. Frying a turkey makes the meat tender and moist and gives it a crisp, delicious skin. You can also inject it with flavors to give your Thanksgiving dinner a little kick.
Fried turkey is one of the most succulent and delicious Southern Thanksgiving traditions around. It can be intimidating, though. While you should take safety seriously, deep-frying a turkey is actually really easy.
Deep-fried turkey recipe
What you’ll need:
- 15 pound (or less) turkey, washed inside and out and thawed
- Water
- Oil with a high smoke point (peanut, corn or canola)
- Marinade (your favorite)
- Turkey injector
- Fire extinguisher and burn kit (not optional)
- Turkey fryer
- Meat thermometer
- Candy thermometer
- Paper towels
Directions:
- Place the thawed turkey inside the turkey cold fryer. Add the water to the fryer until the water level covers the turkey by at least 3 inches. The pot should not be more than 3/4 full. Remove the turkey and measure the amount of water left in the pot. That's how much oil you'll need. (You can skip this step if your fryer has a level marking.)
- Fill the cold pot with oil in the same amount you measured the water (without the turkey in it) in step 1.
- Heat the oil to 350 degrees F according to your candy thermometer.
- This part is optional, but highly recommended: Inject the turkey with marinade in as many areas as possible. Make sure to get the legs and wings. Use a paper towel to wipe away any of the marinade that made its way outside the skin.
- Carefully lower the turkey into the oil, fully submerging it.
- Fry it for 3 minutes per pound plus 5 minutes or until the meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 165 degrees F.
Safety tips
- Having too much oil can cause a fire if it bubbles over. Make sure you don't overfill the pot.
- Keep that fire extinguisher and burn kit handy! If you're careful, you probably won't need them, but it's better safe than sorry, right?
- Make sure your fryer isn't on grass or anywhere else there could be a fire hazard. Don't put it on concrete unless you're OK with staining.
- Wear long rubber gloves when inserting and removing the turkey to avoid oil burns from splash-back.
More Thanksgiving recipes
Southern-style vegetarian stuffing recipe
Pumpkin toffee cheesecake
Gourmet green bean casserole
