Deep Fried Turkey Preparations

I've been frying turkey for 7 or 8 years and Wednesday afternoon I prepared a 13 lb. bird for frying on Thanksgiving Day. I've written a few posts about how I like to do it in the past. Shake's Honey Brine is my favorite brine injection recipe. Lots of honey, salt, picking spice, cloves and Morton's Tender Quick do the trick.

I started thawing the turkey in the refrigerator on Monday and it was still a little bit frozen on the inside when I pulled it out this afternoon for injecting, but it turned out fine. It continued to thaw while the marinating process started. I finished injecting the thighs and breast; then I set the bird into the leftover brine and placed it back in the refrigerator.

I placed the Tupperware container in a plastic bag and return it to the refrigerator overnight.

These are not "food grade" plastic bags, but at least they are not "scented". I would have used clear plastic if I had some large enough, but as Clint Eastwood once said, "improvise, adapt, and overcome".


The things I do in the name of good food.

We had a light dusting of snow overnight and temps were in the mid-20's at turkey frying time.



Warming the oil

Almost ready

Into the oil

I heat the oil to 275 degrees, turn off the fryer, and then lower the turkey into the oil. I continue heating the oil to 300 degrees and then cut the heat back to maintain 300 -325 degrees consistently for about 1 hour or 4 minutes per pound depending on the size of the turkey. If you prefer to heat the oil to 325 degrees prior to putting the turkey in the oil, then something closer to 3 minutes per pound would probably work too. For safety I always prefer to undershoot on the front end and cook it a little longer on the back end.

Crispy skin close up

Sometimes the skin turns out darker than others. I think it depends on the type of oil that is used. I don't eat the skin anyway. I have used sunflower oil, safflower, and peanut oil in the past. I usually settle for whatever is available without searching all over town looking for it and this year it was safflower oil.

Slicing the turkey breast

I like to use an electric knife for slicing. It's quick, easy and efficient for me and usually turns out very well.

Drumsticks, left and right breast, and dark meat complete and ready to eat.

Fried turkey always turns out well. I've never had a bad one. I can't say the same for oven baked turkey. And besides the fool-proof nature of fried turkey, it's hard to beat Thanksgiving Dinner ready-in-an-hour versus the cook-all-morning-oven-baked-method.

Turkey breast, stuffing and peas. The deviled eggs and cranberries wouldn't fit on the plate,
but that didn't stop me from eating them the second time around!

 

Linda made an apple pie for desert

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Smoking a Turkey on the Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM)

I usually deep fry our Thanksgiving turkey, but a few years ago I decided to learn some new tricks. The goal was to smoke the bird low and slow at 250 degrees or less and prevent it from drying out to compete with the moist and tender deep fried birds we've been eating for the past several years.

I started out at Publix and purchased a Fresh Not Frozen turkey.

Next stop...Ace Hardware for some Cherry Smoking Chips.

The turkey was injected the night before smoking with Shake's Honey Brine and refrigerated.

I started by making a "smoking pouch" for the chips and placed them on the charcoal resulting in instantaneous smoke. Tip: Soaking them in water overnight will help them burn a little slower and the smoke will last longer.

Another tip: If you have access to cherry wood "chunks", you'll achieve more smoke flavor. I had to settle for the cherry wood "chips" this time.
After reading a few of the posts at The BBQ Bretheren, I decided to drape some bacon on the bird for a little insurance, but I was hopeful to avoid a turkey that tastes like bacon. Tip: If I do this again, I'll start the cooking process without the bacon, which will help achieve golden brown skin on the bird. Bacon is effective, but could be added after the turkey has been cooking for a couple of hours.


I started the water pan with a 1/2 gallon of apple juice mixed with a 1/2 gallon of water. I stuffed the turkey cavity with five or six apple halves and smoked the bird on my WSM at temperatures hovering consistently between 240 - 250 degrees. I pulled the turkey off the smoker when the temperature in the breast reached 170 degrees. I've read a lot of "guides" recommending cooking the birds to 180 degrees as measured in the inner thigh as well.

After looking back through my pictures tonight, I noticed that I failed to take a picture of the finished product.

My smoked first smoked turkey was a semi-success. I achieved tender and moist white meat, but the bbq turkey was not quite as satisfying for me as the deep fried turkeys I'm more accustomed to.

Will I do it again? Definitely yes. I love a bbq challenge.

Fried Turkey Time

For the past 6 or 7 years I've been frying a turkey for Thanksgiving Day dinner and for the past 3 years I've also been frying 2 for potluck lunch for about 35 co-workers.  A fried turkey is so much better than oven baked turkey.

For the uninitiated, fried turkey retains moisture better than oven baked, but even though it's cooked in peanut oil or cottonseed oil the turkey is not greasy.  Simply heat the oil to 300 degrees, turn off the heat source, and slowly lower the turkey into the oil.  Relight the heat source and cook the turkey 3 1/2 to 4 minutes per pound.

A 13lb. turkey is the perfect size for deep frying. Any bigger and you risk a boil over or undercooking the bird. For a smaller bird, you simply have less turkey goodness to enjoy, and who would want that?

I use Shake's Honey Brine from The BBQ Shack and brine my turkeys overnight prior to cooking. You can still use the brine for a baked turkey or even a slow cooked bbq turkey. You can also stuff the turkey with mango, peach, apples, organges, etc. - or something else - to get creative and add a little something extra to the flavor profile.

Here's a video I did back in the summer for a recipe contest where I used mangoes. The video is for a smoked turkey, but the brining process is similar. It goes without saying, but if you decide to deep fry, stuffing the bird with fruit is not a good idea (insert smiley thing here).



And here's a word of final advice, because fried turkey does add an extra element of risk....Think Safety.

Deep Fried Turkey

During the past five or so years, I've been using Shake's Honey Brine for deep fried turkey and don't think I'll ever cook a turkey in the oven again. If you don't have a spare refrigerator or room in your current refrigerator to brine the whole bird, you can also inject the honey brine the night before and obtain similar results.

Advantages of Deep Frying

• cook your turkey in less than an hour (3 1/2 minutes per pound)
• nice crisp bark on the outside and juicy meat on the inside
• you don't have to spend all day in the kitchen
• more time to visit with friends and family

Once you've had a deep fried turkey, you'll never want to eat an old fashioned roasted turkey again, especially if you're doing the cooking. However, there are some pre-cautions you should take when using this cooking method.

Safety Pre-Cautions

• keep small children and pets away from the fryer
• set up on a firm surface to prevent tipping
• don't leave the fryer unattended
• don't allow the grease to boil over, it will ignite
• keep a fire extinguisher close by
• wear gloves and long sleeves to prevent grease burns
• pre-measure the fill point with water before putting in the oil
• follow the manufacturer's instsructions for use

This article from Underwriters Laboratories (UL) outlines some additional safety considerations.
If you're thinking of purchasing a turkey fryer, Bayou Classic makes a nice 30-quart unit.

You can use your turkey fryer all-year round for fried fish, low country boils, making gumbo, cooking corn on the cob, chili, etc. The possibilities are only limited by by your own imagination. When cooking for large groups of guests, you can take the cooking outside and leave more room in the house to entertain.

Thanksgiving Leftovers

Fried turkey is faster, easier, and tastes better. After taking two turkeys to work for a department lunch, the third of the week was pretty easy.

I injected them with Shake's Honey Brine and fried them 3 1/2 minutes per pound at 325 degrees. I used cottonseed oil for the first two and peanut oil for ours. Cottonseed oil is about $15 cheaper (and I couldn't taste any difference).

Linda made rhubarb pie for desert.