The Best Deep Fried Turkey Recipes

DEEP-FRIED TURKEY

Steps:

• Place the hot water, kosher salt and brown sugar into a 5-gallon upright drink cooler and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve completely. Add the ice and stir until the mixture is cool. Gently lower the turkey into the container. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure that it is fully immersed in the brine. Cover and set in a cool dry place for 8 to 16 hours.
• Remove the turkey from the brine, rinse and pat dry. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking.
• Place the oil into a 28 to 30-quart pot and set over high heat on an outside propane burner with a sturdy structure. Bring the temperature of the oil to 250 degrees F. Once the temperature has reached 250, slowly lower the bird into the oil and bring the temperature to 350 degrees F. Once it has reached 350, lower the heat in order to maintain 350 degrees F. After 35 minutes, check the temperature of the turkey using a probe thermometer. Once the breast reaches 151 degrees F, gently remove from the oil and allow to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes prior to carving. The bird will reach an internal temperature of 161 degrees F due to carry over cooking. Carve as desired.

DEEP-FRIED TURKEY

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine first 6 ingredients. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from turkey; rub salt mixture under skin, inside cavity and over outside of turkey. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together. Refrigerate 18-24 hours. Add oil to turkey deep fryer; preheat oil to 275°. Allow turkey to stand at room temperature while oil is preheating. Place turkey on deep fry rack, breast side down. Turn burner off; carefully lower turkey into oil. Turn burner on high and heat to 350°. Adjust heat to maintain 350°. Cook turkey until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°, (about 35-45 minutes total time in fryer). Remove turkey from oil; tent with foil. Let stand 20 minutes before carving.

SIMPLE DEEP FRIED TURKEY

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large stockpot or turkey fryer to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Make sure the fryer is located outdoors in a safe area, preferably on dirt or pavement, and far away from buildings, wooden decks, or other objects. Keep a fire extinguisher handy, just in case.
• Ensure that the turkey is completely thawed. Cut any extra skin away from the neck area and make sure neck hole is at least an inch in diameter. Pat the bird completely dry with paper towels, then rub liberally with salt and pepper on both the outside and the inside. Place the turkey into a drain basket, neck-side first.
• Working slowly and carefully, gently lower the basket into the hot oil to completely cover the turkey. Maintain the temperature of the oil at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and cook turkey for 3 1/2 minutes per pound, about 35 minutes.
• Carefully remove basket from oil, and insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh; the internal temperature must be 180 degrees F (80 degrees C). Once the turkey is done, remove from the oil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

THE BEST DEEP FRIED TURKEY RECIPE

Steps:

• Make sure turkey is fully thawed and drained. Use a paper towel to pat the turkey dry inside and out.season the turkey with kosher salt and let it sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes
• Fill your pot up to the fill line with peanut oil and place on your propane burner. Light the burner and bring the heat of the oil to about 325 degrees F.
• Place the turkey lowering attackment through the cavity of the turkey so it sits upright. Then use butchers twine to tie the legs together. Next make a loop around the wides part of the turkey and tie the wings so that the tips are held against the side of the bird.
• Once the oil has reached 325 degrees F. Cut the flame so that you can safely lower the turkey into the oil
• Use the turkey lowering attachment and begin slowly lowering the turkey into the oil. as soo as the bottom of the turkey touches the oil it will begin to sizzle and pop. Continue to lower the turkey about 1 inch at a time. This process should take about 30 seconds so dont rush it.
• Once the turkey is fully submerged you can raise the heat back up to medium high until the oil temp reaches 275-300 degrees F. Cook for about 20 minutes before checking the internal temperature of the turkey.
• Check the temperature in the thickest part of the breast as well as the thickest part of the leg. The turkey is done when the breast has reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. The leg will be much higher but thats a good thing becaause dark meat has a higher fat content.
• Once the turkey is fully cooked remove the bird slowly from the oil and let the excess oil drip off into the pot before tranfering to a sheet pan lined with paper towels. Let the tukey rest for about 15 minutes. the carryover temperatuire of the turkey will rise to 165 degrees F. or slightly higher.
• Remove the butchers twine and carfully slide the tukey off of the metal base. Carve the turkey up and enjoy.

DEEP FRIED CAJUN TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oil to 375 degrees F.
• Stir salt and seasonings together. Mix until well blended. Use 1/2 to 2/3 cup for a 10 to 12 pound turkey. May be stored for several months in an airtight covered jar.
• Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey. Rinse the turkey well with cold water and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels. Take care to dry both inside cavities. Place in a large pan and rub the interior and exterior of the bird with the seasoning mix. To allow for good oil circulation through the cavity, do not truss or tie legs together. Cut off the wing tips and plump little tail as they may get caught in the fryer basket. Cover pan and place in refrigerator overnight.
• Place the outdoor gas burner on a level dirt or grassy area. Never fry a turkey indoors, in a garage, or in any structure attached to a building. Do not fry on wood decks, which could catch fire, or concrete, which could be stained by the oil. (Safety tip: have a fire extinguisher nearby for added safety). Add oil to a 7 to 10 gallon pot with a basket or a rack. At medium-high setting, heat the oil to 375 degrees F.(depending on the amount of oil, outside temperature and wind conditions, this should take about 20 to 40 minutes).
• Meanwhile, place the turkey in a basket or on a rack, neck down. When the deep-fry thermometer reaches 375 degrees F. slowly lower the turkey into the hot oil. The level of the oil will rise due to the frothing caused by the moisture from the turkey but will stabilize in about 1 minute. (Safety tip: to prevent burns from the splattering oil wear oven mitts/gloves, long sleeves, heavy shoes, and even glasses. It is wise to have 2 people lowering and raising the turkey). Immediately check the oil temperature and increase the flame so the oil temperature is maintained at 350 degrees F. If the temperature drops to 340 degrees F. or below, oil will begin to seep into turkey. Fry about 3 to 4 minutes per pound, or about 35 to 42 minutes for a 10 to 12 pound turkey. Stay with the cooker at all times, as the heat must be regulated. When cooked to 170 degrees F. in the breast or 180 degrees F. in the thigh, carefully remove the turkey for the hot oil. Allow the turkey to drain for a few minutes. (Safety tip: allow the oil to cool completely before storing or disposing). Remove turkey from the rack and place on a serving platter. Allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving.

DEEP-FRIED TURKEY

Steps:

• Eight to 24 hours in advance, make the brine by sauteing onion, celery and garlic in butter until tender. Add hot peppers and Worcestershire, then stir in the salt, cayenne and black pepper. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
• Strain into a bowl, pressing the solids to extract as much juice as possible, to yield about 1 1/2 cups.
• With monster hypodermic, inject the turkey's breast in five places and each leg in one place.
• With your bare hands, rub the cayenne into the turkey's breast under the skin. Omit if you don't like the flavor -- though it's very mild in this quantity.
• Refrigerate, uncovered, for 8 to 24 hours. Or if you prefer, you may fry the bird immediately.
• On the day you plan to eat it, remove the turkey from the refrigerator, place it in the empty fryer pot and cover with water. Then empty the pot, measuring the water to find out how much oil you'll need (usually about 5 gallons for a 14 pounder).
• Dry the pot very thoroughly and fill it with the same amount of oil or lard, attach the extra-long thermometer and heat the oil to 350 to 375 degrees. Just before lowering the bird, turn off the flame to make absolutely sure that Mr. Peanut's essence won't start a fire. Then pierce the turkey with its holder and lower slowly into the oil. Boil for 49 minutes or longer (3 to 3 1/2 minutes per pound).
• Remove the turkey, drain excess oil and rest it on a platter for 10 to 30 minutes. Slice and dive in!