Deep Fried Turkey Recipes

Myself | 11/19/2001 | Randy Larsen

[Randy Larsen]

Since thanksgiving is almost here, I'm always looking for new ideas on cooking my turkey. This year I've decided to try deep frying one. I've heard they're good but I'm not sure how this is done. I'm looking for recipes, and techniques others have used that are worth trying.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Deep frying the bird is the only way to go.
1. Use peanut oil.
2. Get a proper setup to do this, i.e. LARGE deep fryer pot that comes with the wrought iron stand and burner that connects to a 20lb. propane bottle.
3. Instructions come with these kits (approx $70) cook time is approx 1 hour for a 20lb. bird.
4. Keep the kiddies away form the oil when it's hot. (DUH!)
5. Before starting, put the prepped bird in the pot and fill with water to just cover bird. Remove bird and note the water level.Mark the outside and inside 1" below this level. Pour out the water and place pot on beurner, fill with oil to mark and turn on the heat. Use long deepfry thermometer (should come with kit) to determine temp of oil (375 degrees typically). Takes about an hour to bring up to temp.
6. Use gloves and lower bird into oil slowly. The less water on/in the bird the better. Do not panic when the oil boils over. It will boil over.
7. Do this whole procedure outside on the lawn. It will be messy.
8. No seasoning should be necessary. It tastes great by itself.
9. Enjoy.
10. And contrary to other replies I've seen here, you get back 99.5% of the oil you cook it in, so all this "heart smart" crap is just that.
11. Oh, and lastly, wait until Friday the 23rd to pour the oil back into the container it came in (approx. 4 gals.)It won't be cool enough until then.

[Ol' Sox]

It seems like deep frying a turkey is the thing to do this year

Any bets we'll be reading about burned-down houses on Friday morning?

[LoneGOPinCT]

I hear that the peanut oil can cost more than the turkey, and then what do you do with it?

I haven't deep fried one yet, but from what I understand, one can filter the oil (Cheese cloth?) and re-use it.

You can reuse the oil 3 or 4 times before discarding it. The key is to fry some potatoes (either quartered or chips) between turkey fryings. The spuds will remove the turkey taste out from the oil and are quite tasty themselves. If the oil is not spudded, the flavor build-up can get pretty fowl, er... foul.

[Space Wrangler]

I use the "Cajun Injector" on all the birds I fry. I use about 3 oz. of injection marinade for a 13-14 lb. bird. They are available at your grocery store (at least at the one I shop at anyway) and come included with the injector (looks like a HUGE hypodermic needle). I'm thinking about doing some experimenting on my own marinade, so I'll let you know how it goes.

Both mine and my wife's family no longer bakes a turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I'm the man when it comes to the turkeys now! No one even wants a baked turkey anymore. There are so many upsides to that too. First, I can buy the cheapest frozen turkeys at the store. Second, cooking time is cut by 75%. And third, the TASTE!! I love 'em!!

[Doomonyou]

MMMMM......Beer can Turkey..

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

"It depends on where you are for the seasonings. In Houston Texas there are plenty of pre-made seasonings available............................"

If you live in Houston, drive 10 minutes SW to Missouri City. Exit HWY 59 at Kirkwood, turn left (south) and drive one mile until it turns into Dulles Ave at HWY 90. Drive three more miles and on the SE corner of Dulles and Cartwright you will find Cajun Stuff Market. For $40 they will sell you the darn thing! I pick up 5 at noon tomorrow.

[Cagey]

Asbestos Gloves are a must!

[Space Wrangler]

Relax, have a beer.

Ah, and thus is the reason I do so love to fry turkeys! I can head out to the back yard, pack a few beers in the cooler, call the dog out, and escape all the silliness of being inside with the relatives! Turkey frying is as much fun to me as it is eating the thing!

[Randy Larsen]

Thank all of you for taking the time to reply to this thread, I'm learning alot just from the suggestions. I have a feeling that this is going to be my best turkey yet!

[Ol' Sox]

Here you go - George Gobel and the EEs of Purdue light a charcoal grill...the fast way!

HKN/ACM (EE/CS) Picnic

[LoneGOPinCT]

turducken can't be deep fried - no way! do you know what a turducken is?

Before yesterday, no. However I watched it being made on the Home Channel last night. I'd really enjoy trying it.

If you're too lazy to make it, you can by a pre-fab Turducken from The Gourmet Butcher Block in Gretna, LA.

[Askel5]

Bump to an Expert for his Opinion.

[riley1992]

They look awfully uncomfortable. Maybe they need footstools.

[bluesagewoman]

Hey, you have my recipe for "chicken squatee`" My husband invented it and let me name it. I named it that because it is a bunch of chickens squatting on cans. If you have 5 of them arranged in a circle on a barbeque grill, looks like a Friday night poker club. Cook 'em slow with woodchips. Yummy.

[jws3sticks]

Here is the Junior Senator from New York (Communist), the dishonorable Hitlary Queen of the Skaggs Klintton, all roasted up for turkey day.

Looks like turkey, taists like $hit!!

[CholeraJoe]

Thanks for the bump, Askel5. I'm frying five birds this year tomorrow night. All of the recipes posted thus far are pretty genuine.

[cajun-jack]

3 minutes per pound and 350 degrees in PEANUT OIL ONLY!!!! get some friends..peanut oil is too expensive to fry just one bird..get 4 or 5 friends and chips in on the price of the oil. also, you will need an injection kit and some cajun marinade...shoot the bird up like he was a heroin junkie, fry him up, eat him down to the bone!!

[Born to Conserve]

"tell me how I can get the area where the drumstick joins the carcass fully done without burning the rest"

I think you mean where the thigh joins the carcass?

Anyway, if you stick a short metal skewer into the area that doesn't cook enough, you should get good results. Silver, tinned copper, and aluminum are better than steel, but steel should be fine. Stick one skewer though both joints. The skewer should have a inch or two exposed to the oil on each side.

This technique is great for roasting pigs.

Cooking longer and cooler would also probably work fine.

I've never deep fried a turkey, sounds good, but what do you do with the leftover oil?

[glorgau]

What do you do with the oil after you are done cooking. It seems like a waste to pour it won the drain. Also, who knows what it is going to clog up?