send to friend | print Deep Fried Turkey

First things first - this may be one of the best turkeys you'll ever have - but be aware that 4 or 5 gallons of 350 degree oil is a very dangerous thing. Caution is the word of the day. That having been said... Once you try a deep fried turkey, there's a good chance you'll never go back. The are two main reasons for this - one is simply taste: you get an unbelievably juicy bird, with a delicious crispy skin. And the other is that it takes less than an hour to cook a whole bird - yes - I said less than an hour. Read everything all the way first:

Ingredients

The right equipment for the job. To do this right, you'll require a 26 to 40 quart pot, a turkey stand, a lifting hook & fry thermometer, and a heavy duty burner. The burner must be capable of bringing a large amount of oil to temperature and maintaining that temperature once the turkey is put in the pot. You'll also need a marinade injector - this is basically a large syringe that allows you to inject marinade into the breast, thighs and legs of the turkey. My set-up came as a complete kit from Barbeques Galore. You can see a similar one online by clicking here. And while you're there, check out their Deep Fried Turkey Cooking Tips. In fact, print one of their Bar-B-Bucks and they'll give you $5 off anything - just click here. I used the Lemon Garlic Butter marinade and Cajun Rub from Barbeques Galore - and I must say it was awesome. How big? The ideal size for a turkey to deep-fry is between 10 and 15 pounds. You can, of course, choose a smaller turkey if you like, but a bird that's any larger than 15 pounds will be very difficult to handle in a deep-frying situation. The turkey should either be fresh, or completely thawed, before beginning. If the turkey has a plastic pop-up doneness indicator - remove it. How much oil? The size of the bird you choose will determine exactly how much oil you are going to need. The most accurate way of measuring this is to place the bird in the pot you intend to use for frying. Pour in cold water until the turkey is covered by a couple of inches. There should still be several inches between the surface of the water and the top of the pot. If there's not, you need a bigger pot. Now remove the turkey and pat it dry with paper towels. Measure the water that's in the pot -- This is how much oil you'll need, so make a note of it. You'll want to use peanut oil for the frying - it's a little more expensive but has a higher smoking point, and will also give the best flavor.

Steps

Seasonings inside and out. In preparation for frying, the turkey is traditionally injected with a marinade, then the outside is rubbed with a dry seasoning blend (dry rub). To properly season your turkey, place it in a pan and load your favorite marinade into a meat injector. Inject the marinade into the breast, thighs and legs of the turkey. You injector will have instructions. I used 2 cups of marinade for my 12 pound turkey. Then massage the dry rub onto the outside of the bird and all around the cavity. This can be done as much as 36 hours in advance, but you should allow at least 12 hours in to give the flavors time to mingle and penetrate the turkey while it's kept in the refrigerator. Do not stuff the turkey. Frying Time. Because there is some oil splatter involved - you might not want to wear your best clothes. Making sure the injected and seasoning rubbed turkey is completely dry (it should be, but there's no harm asking as water and oil do not mix) Put the turkey on the vertical rack or stand or basket or whatever you're going to use and allow it to come to room temperature. Pour the right amount of oil into the pot and fire up the burner. Stick a thermometer in the pot and watch it closely. Allow at least 30 minutes to get the temperature right. Once the temperature reaches 400 degrees F, you are ready to go. Get the turkey, some long heavy oven mitts and get someone else to help you. Turn off the burner momentarily so that any splattered oil will not cause flare-ups. Very slowly lower the turkey partway into the oil. The oil will bubble up fiercely. Hold the turkey suspended partway into the oil and gently dunk it up and down a few times. Lower the turkey a little more each time. Keep doing this until the turkey is completely submerged and resting on the bottom of the pot. Now you can turn the burner on again. If the oil had a chance to cool down to below 350 degrees F, turn the heat up until the oil returns to 350 degrees F again, and then turn down the burner to maintain the temperature. You want to try to maintain between 325 and 350 F. Now you wait - but don't go away; you should never, ever leave a pot of boiling oil unattended. How long? Different people will tell you different times, but I like 2 1/2 minutes a pound. That means a 12 pound turkey cooks for only 30 minutes (if you are unsure of its doneness - you can turn off the burner and get some help to pull the turkey partway out of the pot and insert a meat thermometer into the thigh. If it reads 180 degrees F, it's done). Turn off the flame, and as carefully as you put it in the pot - pull the turkey out of the oil allowing it to slowly drain as you do. The cavity may be full of hot oil, so use extreme caution when handling the turkey. Put the turkey on a platter with several layers of paper bags or newspapers on it. Let it drain for a few minutes longer and make sure that cavity is drained and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes. The oil will remain very hot for some time, so make sure no one goes near the turkey fryer.