it pretty easy to deep-fry a turkey. But you should be aware that open flames, splattering boiling oil and deep-fried foods are all pretty dangerous. After mishaps with dried-out Christmas trees, deep-fried–turkey disasters are the most common cause of holiday fires.

Luckily for you, we've put together this handy guide so your deep-fried turkey is not only delicious, but safe.

This article is part of a wiki anyone can edit. If you have advice to add about frying that bird, log in and contribute.

What you'll need

• A small to medium size turkey. Under 12 pounds works best. Any larger, and the skin will likely burn before the inside meat is fully cooked, ruining one of the best things about a deep-fried turkey: delicious crispy skin.

• A very large stock pot. You need a pot large enough to completely submerge your turkey in oil. Generally, something in the 40-to-50-quart range will work. Head to your local restaurant-supply store to find large, cheap pots.

• A fryer basket or handle. While you're at the restaurant supply store, pick up a fryer basket or turkey brace large enough to hold your bird, yet small enough to fit inside your pot. Instructions for making one yourself are in the next section.

• An outdoor burner. Don't even think about doing this inside your house.

• Thermometers. Both an oil/candy thermometer with a long probe and a meat thermometer would be ideal. An infrared thermometer for checking your oil temperature is even better, since you can check it from a distance.

• A lot of oil. Head to one of the big-box stores and stock up on peanut or sunflower oil (or another oil with a high smoking point)

• Protective gloves, goggles and jacket. Cover up good to prevent any splattering oil from sending you to the emergency room.

• You can use a turkey fryer if you want. They're sold at camping stores and big-box hardware stores. But you can probably find everything you need for less money -- especially if you already own a propane grill, a large pot or both.

Preparation

The first thing to do is make sure your turkey is completely thawed and defrosted -- water (from ice or melting ice) and hot oil make a very dangerous combination.

Remove the neck and giblets if there are any, along with a pop-up thermometer if your turkey came with one.

You'll need a metal basket or handle to submerge the turkey into the oil. Many companies make fryer baskets big enough to hold a turkey, because of the popularity of these deep-fried holiday treats.

If you don't have a deep-frying basket large enough to hold a turkey, you can make your own handle. Place the turkey on its shoulders (where the head was) and run some heavy gauge wire through the body, just beneath the breast (by the wings). Pull the wire through and loop back around, pulling it through several times to make a handle. Twist up any excess wire so you don't cut yourself and be sure to test your handle to make sure it is strong enough to pick up your turkey.

Now it's time to get your burner ready. Find a flat, stable surface outside to hold your burner. Make sure the area is dry and well ventilated and that there's nothing flammable in the vicinity.

Tip: If you're brining your turkey, use the same pot for both brining and frying. Just measure the displacement using brine instead of water.

Find out how much oil you'll need by performing a quick displacement measurement. Fill your pot with water and immerse the turkey. The water level should cover the turkey completely, but still be five or six inches below the rim of your pot. Remove the turkey and note water level -- this is how much oil you'll need in the pot. Aren't you a little Archimedes?

Now wash your turkey inside and out, and pat it dry. Make sure it is very dry. Then season it however you would like.

Thoroughly dry both the pot and the turkey before continuing

Cooking

Deep-frying a turkey is a really a two-person job. You need one person to always be with the turkey -- keeping an eye on the pot, making sure the oil isn't smoking and that the turkey is cooking properly -- and another person to help out.

To get started, fill your completely dry pot with oil up to the point you noted earlier when you took your volume measurement.

Light your burner and let the oil heat up to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or 175 degrees Celsius.

Put on the protective gloves, goggles and jacket. Using a metal hook to hold your wire handle, pick up the bird. Have the person helping you turn off the burner while you put the turkey in the oil -- this will prevent one of the major source of deep fryer accidents, spattering oil hitting the open flame.

Turn off the burner and gently, slowly lower the bird into the oil. The reaction -- even with a completely dry bird -- will be violent. Oil will probably bubble up and spray on your gloves. Be extremely careful and lower the turkey into the oil slowly to minimize splattering. Don't ever just drop it in -- this is the No. 1 mistake first-timers make.

Once your bird is in the oil, the hard part is over. You can relax a bit and set the timer -- generally allow between three and four minutes of cooking time per pound of turkey. A 15-pound turkey will take around 45 minutes.

Never leave the turkey fryer unattended.

Once the turkey has cooked for the allotted about of time, check to make sure it's an even, golden brown. If it passes the visual check, remove the bird and check the internal temperature with a food thermometer. The internal temperature should be 165 degrees to 170 degrees Fahrenheit in the breast and 175 degrees to 180 degrees Fahrenheit in the thigh.

When your turkey is done, allow it to cool, and remove the wire handle.

Safety Tips

• Always keep a grease–fire extinguisher handy, make sure your extinguisher is rated for grease fires.

• Make sure other people — especially children — and pets stay away from the cooking area.

• Allow the oil to cool completely before disposing or storing.

• Immediately wash hands, utensils, equipment and surfaces that have come in contact with raw turkey.

This page was last modified 02:13, 18 November 2010 by ralfred. Based on work by howto_admin.

Authors: How-To Wiki

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