Frying a turkey

[Ronnie Garrison]

Fried a turkey yesterday and as always it boiled over bad when I first put it in. I had the peanut oil at just under 400 when I slid it in. I am sure the water in the Cajun seasoning I injected into the turkey was the problem although I let it drip dry as possible before putting it in. Anybody else have that problem and any solutions.

No fire and the turkey was great. I cook them under my carport on a cement floor and make sure nothing is nearby.

 

[Guest]

Ronnie I have been frying turkeys since 5 years before it was the cool thing to do. I have ruined many good birds and made many messes in my learning. I have a couple big commercial fryers now so it is no big deal anymore. If you are using the regular turkey fry pots that most use now there are a few simple steps to keep from any problems arising.
Place the turkey in the pot and use something like a half gallon pitcher and measure how much water it takes to just cover the raw turkey. Most 11 to 12 pound birds take about 3-1/2 gallons. Dump the water out and thoroughly dry the pot. Inject the bird and let sit in the fridge overnight if possible. Preferrably in a large roasting pan with some king of grate/rack in it. This way most of the water will drain out of the turkey and it will be relatively dry. Heat the oil to 375 and ease the turkey in just a couple inches. Lift it out when the oil bubbles real hard. Lower it and raise it up another time or two untill the oil behaves itself. I use welding gloves and the turkey fry hook for this process. After the bird is in the oil completely you can turn up the heat. The oil temp will drop to 275 to 300 at this time. I like to really watch the temperature close and keep it somewhere between 325 and 350. Fry the turkey at this temp for 3-1/2 to 4 minutes per pound.When it is done lift it out and put it on the rack in the pan that you have washed and dryed from draining the bird in the refrigerator. Let it "rest" for at least 20 minutes to keep all the good juices in before you carve it. Don't expect to get much meat from the wings. I have experimented with oils and temps and times and no matter what the wings are crispy critters. It is the price you pay for frying a turkey I suppose.
One more thing to think about. You DO NOT need expensive peanut oil to fry a turkey. Peanut oil is good for a few degrees more than regular clear fry oil but it will not improve the taste of the turkey one iota. It is not more healthy either. I think that is just a marketing ploy by the manufacturers of the peanut
oil. Clear fry like the restaurants use is as good as anything and is half the price.
Hope this helps.

 

[rsimms]

Cheez's instructions are good... we've never bothered with letting one sit overnight however. But it's important to pre-test oil level with water. I've got the "oil level" in my pot permanently inscribed. And I think pushing 400 degrees is a little too hot... like cheez said... I shoot for 350 and then try to maintain about 325 for 3 1/2 minutes per pound.

 

[Guest]

You don't necessarily have to let them sit overnight but when you do there will be several ounces of water drain out that you won't have to deal with in the hot oil.

 

[SpurHunter]

Sounds like all the good info has been given already. All I can add, it that I bought a turkey pot with a large lip around it, that seems to hold any over-flow (designed for that), and it also has the oil level lines built-in to it, so its real easy to get that part right

 

[Ronnie Garrison]

Thanks for the help - I am going to print this out and keep it with the fryer. I have a mark on my pot for oil level and have fried a half dozen turkey over the past four years. I think the oil was too hot was my main problem - it heated fast for some reason this time.

My peanut oil is four years old and still good. I have to add a pint to a quart or so each time. depending on how much I spill, but I keep it in a refrigerator and it keeps a long time.