The Guild - The Wonders of the Fried Turkey

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[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

A Deep Fried Delicacy: The How-To on Deep Frying Turkey

Deep-fried turkey, a concept that started in the south, is gradually rising in popularity nationwide. It's a perfect twist for barbecues, block parties and holiday feasts. In fact, since deep-frying turkey requires special equipment and lots of oil, families and groups of neighbors often get together to share the costs and the feast. To get you started, we have several deep-fried turkey recipes for you. For a Deep-Frying Turkey experience that is fun and produces delicious results follow these guidelines:

Equipment

You'll need a 40 or 60 quart pot with basket, burner and propane gas tank, a candy thermometer to measure oil temperature and a food thermometer to determine doneness of turkey. For added safety, have a fire extinguisher, oven mitts and pot holders nearby. To add flavor with different marinades and seasonings, you may want to purchase an injector.

Location
Place the fryer on level dirt or a grassy area. Never fry a turkey indoors, in a garage or in any other structure attached to a building. Avoid frying on wood decks, which could catch fire, and concrete, which can be stained by the oil.

The Turkey - Size Matters
Smaller turkeys, 8 to 10 pounds and turkey parts such as breast, wings, drumsticks and thighs, are best for frying. Size does matter as a 12-14 pound turkey is the maximum size bird that can be successfully deep-fried. In addition to the obvious safety concern of lowering and lifting a big turkey into a vessel of boiling oil, larger birds simply cook longer. The extra cooking time results in over-exposure to the skin, which will likely be over cooked.

If a larger bird (over 15-pounds) has been purchased, follow these steps for the best results. Detach the dark meat (leg and thigh portions) from the breast and fry the two turkey parts separately. Fry the leg/thigh sections first in oil that has been preheated to 365-375 degrees F. Cook to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F. Remove the dark sections and reheat the oil to 365-375 degrees F. Then fry the turkey breast to an internal temperature of 170 degrees F.

Other Ingredients
You'll need approximately 5 gallons of a high-smoke point oil; more for larger turkeys. The turkey may be injected with a marinade, coated with breading or seasoned with a rub. Check our list of recipes:

Cajun Deep Fried Turkey
Ginger & Rosemary Deep Fried Turkey

Southern Deep Fried Turkey
Louisiana Fried Turkey Breast

Cooking Preparation

• To determine the correct amount of oil, place the turkey in the fryer basket and place in the pot. Add water until it reaches 1 to 2 inches above the turkey. Remove the turkey and note the water level, using a ruler to measure the distance from the top of the pot to the surface of the water. Pour out the water and dry the pot thoroughly. Be sure to measure for oil before breading or marinating the turkey.
• Heat the oil to 365-375 degrees F. Depending on the amount of oil used, this usually takes between 45 minutes and 1 hour.
• While the oil is heating, prepare the turkey as desired. If injecting a marinade into the turkey, puree ingredients so that they will pass through the needle. Even so, you may have to strain the mixture to remove larger portions. Remove skin if desired. If breading the turkey, place the turkey in a gallon-sized food safe storage bag with breading and shake to coat.
• Do not stuff turkeys for deep frying.

Frying the Turkey Once the oil has come to temperature, place the turkey in the basket and slowly lower into the pot. Whole turkeys require approximately 3 minutes per pound to cook. Remove turkey and check internal temperature with meat thermometer. The temperature should reach 170 degrees F in the breast and 180 degrees F in the thigh. Turkey parts such as breast, wings and thighs require approximately 4 to 5 minutes per pound to come to temperature.

Additional Safety Tips Never leave the hot oil unattended and don't allow children or pets near 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. Turkey should be consumed immediately and leftovers stored in the refrigerator within two hours of cooking.

The oils used to fry turkey are critical to the success of the product.

Oil Selection
Only oils that have high smoke points should be used. Such oils include peanut, canola and sunflower. Peanut oil has abundant flavor and is the top choice of many cooks. Canola oil is low in saturated fats and would be appropriate to combine with peanut oil if fat and cholesterol are a concern.

Oil Filtering

These high smoke-point oils allow reusing the oil with proper filtration. Depending on the recipe used, remember to filter the oil...not just strain it. The first step is to strain the cooled oil through a fine strainer. If a breading, spice or herb rub are used in the preparation of the turkey, it will be necessary to further filter the oil through fine cheesecloth.

Oil Storage
The oil should be covered and refrigerated to prevent it from becoming rancid. The oil may be stored in the refrigerator for several months or until signs of deterioration begin. The oil will thicken when it is chilled, but will return to its original consistency when reheated.

Oil Shelf Life

According to the Texas Peanut Producers Board, peanut oil may be used three or four times to fry turkeys before signs of deterioration begin. Such indications include foaming, darkening or smoking excessively, indicating the oil must be discarded. Other signs of deteriorated oil include a rancid smell and/or failure to bubble when food is added.

For more information on deep frying turkey with peanut oil, visit www.louana.com.

© 2004 National Turkey Federation 1225 New York Avenue NW • Suite 400 • Washington, D.C. 20005 EMAIL: info@turkeyfed.org • TEL: 202.898.0100 • FAX: 202.898.0203

[Timeout]

Maybe W will go to Afghanistan this week....Kewl!

[BigWaveBetty]

It is noteworthy that the custodians of this artwork have now deemed it safe enough to return to the Afghan people. It shows their trust in the international community and the Coalition in particular that Afghanistan will not be allowed to slip back into anarchy. We cannot betray that trust. We have become the key-holders.

And I thought my pride in President Bush and our military couldn't swell anymore than it had already. Thank you for the story!

Oooo, I hope W goes to Afghanistan, the troops would really like that and probably could use the morale boost.

[BigWaveBetty]

Pick up some gravy from your local grocery store deli, more than likely they have real turkey gravy. When we'd get the prepared turkey dinners from the grocery they'd give us a bag of gravy w/giblets with each package of mashed potatoes.

That way you can fry your turkey and have gravy too!

[William Terrell]

It wouldn't be possible that the saying, "You are what you eat." applys to this topic, would it?

[Timeout]

I hope W goes to Afghanistan, the troops would really like that and probably could use the morale boost.

And just think...he could meet with the newly-elected President Karzai!

[Argh]

Fried turkey ping.

[tet68]

Where do you find something large enough to hold the batter?

Mmmmmmm, Indiana State Fair Cornbirds!

[Timeout]

My BIL makes turkey gravy using packaged country gravy mix as a base. I miss my Mom's "brown" turkey gravy, but his is good (even if it is white). He cooks the giblets for broth and cuts them up...just like you would for regular gravy.

Only warning: He's in the food brokerage business and has access to very good restaurant brands. So his gravy mix may be better than what you can get in the store.

[BigWaveBetty]

I like the idea more and more. I should call Karl. ;-)

I remember last year so well. I learned of the president's arrival in Iraq in the car on the way to grandpa's house. I hadn't heard any such reports before we left and had been listening to that station and their news reports since we left home so I knew it was breaking news. Could hardly contain myself and quickly called HLL on my cell phone to share the glee!

I was thankful for cell phones in addition to all the other things to be thankful for that Thanksgiving.

Ugh, I hate Chris Matthews. Just now at the opening of his show he asks because congress didn't pass the intel bill, who will President Bush blame if we get attacked again. How about we blame the TERRORISTS?

Like some little nugget of a plot couldn't or wouldn't ever slip by, even with a new fangled intel system. Will these truckload of clucks (MSM) ever tell the truth?

Let me add Shelia Jackson Lee is part of that truckload.

[Timeout]

Rush cracked me up today talking about how funny it is watching the libs howl and scream as all their sacred cows come crashing down around their heads.
Welfare. Separation of church/state. New Deal programs. Coalition politics. "Peace" and appeasement. Going, going, gone.

My favorite was when he talked about their old stand by: anti-war demonstrations. Apparently voters now see them as anti-American...their 60's style protests backfired. Isn't it fun imagining liberals trying to figure out how to be relevant if they can't stage demonstrations?! What WILL they do at the inauguration? LOL!

[BigWaveBetty]

They'll protest anyway! LOL!!!

You know how annoying crack pot conservatives are, well the libs have their own crackpots and near as I can tell there's more of them and they're much louder. An added bonus, they'll protest at the drop of a hat! :-)

Don't forget, the Kerry girls on LKALive at 9:00 eastern. Hoo boy, this is gonna be fun.

[BigWaveBetty]

Check it out!

President Bush approval at 55%!

Wait til the news of W taking charge in Chile has a chance to get around. Haven't heard a word about this today on the tellie. I wonder why.

[JRandomFreeper]

Cooking to an internal temperature of 165F is plenty of safety margin, even when cooking for those with depressed immune systems. Carry-over cooking will take the temp up to 170-175. Cooking until the internal temp is 180 just hammers the meat and reduces the quality. More is NOT better.

As credentials for this food safety opinion, I hold a Texas Retail Food Managers Certification, and USAF Food Safety Certificate and am a culinary school graduate.

Do your family a favor and don't overcook the turkey. ;>)

/john

[They'reGone2000]

Is anyone familiar with a brined turkey?

It's news to me, but I may give it a try.

Here's the S.F. Chronicle's recipe in case your bird is from a blue state.

[JRandomFreeper]

Brine only fresh turkeys, self-basters are pre-brined.

I use a marinade for large birds that includes water, beer, salt, sugar, and several spices. The goal is to change the osmotic pressure within the cells of the meat and increase the amount of juice within the cell structure. Adding the flavoring ingredients allows them to travel with the liquid into the cell structure.

I think McGee has a section in his book on this technique.

/john

[lodwick]

Whoa!

House of Pies...the closest to us is in Houston: three hours away.

What great glop.

[Cloverfarm]

Where do you take the bird's temperature? I get different readings in different spots ... should I average them out? As a newly-wed I almost killed DH with food poisoning from an undercooked chicken. Thus some caution ...

Ann

[Timeout]

Where do you take the bird's temperature?

Funny mental image there. :)