Originally Posted by Gerald
This should help give you a good idea on how to fry a turkey. Last Thanksgiving, my sister bought a Turkey for me to fry. I told her to get one no bigger than 17 lbs. because that is about as big as I thought I could cook in my "fry pot". I got there and she has a 20 lb bird. It fit in the pot.... but not much extra room. After an hour and 15 min cooking.... it turned out great. But I really had to watch the temperature and make lots of adjusments.
Tips for frying a turkey
1. Get a pot of the right size and shape. If the pot is too large in diameter, it will take a lot of extra oil to cover the bird. If the turkey barely fits into the pot it will not cook evenly.
2. To determine how much oil is needed? Before doing any preparation...place the turkey in cooking pot. Using a clean gallon size container, start adding water and count the amount of water needed until the bird is just covered. This will be the amount of oil needed. If the Turkey is frozen with neck, heart, etc still inside the bird, about 1 pint more oil will be needed. This is also a good way to unthaw a frozen turkey....in water. But be sure the water is cool....Bacteria grows at room temperature. Do not add "a little extra oil"; the oil will expand some when heated. The pot should be at least 5" taller than the oil level to keep it from splashing out. I cover my pot while cooking, but watch the temperature closely. If you don’t have a lid.....some grease will splash out and make a mess. Cook on the ground or put something under the cooking burner.
3 Heat oil to 375 F. (need a cooking thermometer that is about 12" long), and while wearing gloves, very slowly add turkey to the pot. This may take 30 seconds or more to keep the oil from "boiling" too much. The oil will cool down quickly after the turkey is put in the oil while some of the excess water is boiling off. When buying a turkey frying pot, they usually come with a metal T - shaped piece to hold the turkey and it will have a hook shape to the top for lifting the bird. If you do not have this ....something must be improvised for lifting the bird! I also use a wire coat hanger so my hand is even farther from the splashing oil.
4. After the turkey is put in the pot, the oil will cool down some. Adjust fire to cook at 350 F. Cook turkey for 3 ½ minutes per pound. [I.e. 12 lb. turkey = 42 minutes.] This time will vary a little depending on how close to 350 F the bird is cooked. If the oil is about 360 F a lot of the cooking time, it may be ready a couple of minutes sooner. If you are not sure it is done....cook it a little more.
5. As the turkey cooks, the water inside the bird is boiled off. The oil will start to get hotter [after say 5 minutes of cooking] and the fire MUST be turned down to maintain the 350 F cooking temperature. Fire must be adjusted (just a little) often to keep it close to 350 F.
6. Peanut oil is great, but vegetable oil is ok to use. After oil has cooled, it can be strained and saved.
7. When injecting marinade into the bird after injecting the first spot, pull the needle part way out and push it back down at several different angles to inject different areas. It is better to inject small amounts in a lot different places....this gets the marinade evenly spread out better. Doing this, you will have fewer holes in the skin for the marinade to come back out. After injecting the bird, allow bird to marinade for at least 30 minutes [One or two hours is better] before cooking.
8. On the marinade....I make my own with a blender using melted butter, onions, garlic, salt, Tony's, lemon juice and anything else you might like. If you buy a marinade, check carefully to see what is in it and taste it to see if you like. I find some store bought marinade BAD.
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9. Be sure the turkey is completely unthawed. If not, the thicker parts may not get cooked properly. Take the bagged stuff (neck, heart, etc.) out of the chest cavity as soon as you can so it can unthaw better. But don’t allow the turkey to sit at room temperature too long.
10. If only half of the turkey is going to be eaten........Don’t slice it all up. Cutting it into slices allows the meat to dry out faster and it will not save very long. Cut the meat off in large chunks and freeze it for later use. Turkey meat is cheep.....buy a larger bird and freeze the extra. But see item one above.
Good eating!
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