Deep Frying a Turkey

If you are looking for a great way to prepare your turkey, then why not try deep frying it? Deep frying a turkey can help you create some of the most succulent, juicy, and tasty turkey that you have ever had in your life. Deep frying a turkey is a remarkably easy thing to do, but be warned: You need to be careful when you are doing this because you will be working with hot oil and grease, which can easily catch fire and hurt you or cause property damage. Here's what you need to do to deep fry a turkey to perfection.

Ingredients:

• 1 large turkey (10 to 14 pounds)
• 5 gallons peanut, canola, corn, or sunflower oil)
• Turkey fryer
• 1 pair protective gloves
• 1 fire extinguisher (for safety reasons)
• 1 protective apron
• 1 large bucket (at least large enough to hold the turkey)
• 1 large hook (if one doesn't come with the fryer)

Recipe:

1. Test fill the fryer. Before you do anything else, you need to figure out how high you need to fill your turkey fryer. The easiest way to do this is to fill your fryer with water to about three inches under the rim. Lower the turkey into the fryer and allow the water to overflow. This is normal so don't worry. After the water has stopped overflowing remove a little more water from the fryer so that there is about three inches of space (you don't want any overflow with the oil) and then remove the turkey. Make a note of where the level of the water is at, and mark the exterior of the fryer with a marker or crayon. Drain the water from the fryer and allow it to completely dry.
2. Thaw and dry the turkey. Before cooking the turkey in the fryer, you will need to ensure that you have allowed the turkey to completely thaw. You do not want any water (or ice) to be on the turkey whey you are frying it. Allow the turkey to thaw, and then be sure that the turkey is completely dried before cooking.
3. Season the turkey. Seasoning a turkey is always a good idea when you are looking to enhance the flavor. There are several ways that you can do this, one of which is to rub the seasoning onto the skin and under the skin of the bird. The best way though is probably to use one of those injector kits that you can get at your local butcher.
4. Prepare the fryer. After you have seasoned the bird, begin preparing the fryer. Pour some peanut oil, or similar high smoke-temperature oil (such as corn, canola, sunflower, etc.) up to the mark you made earlier. Once you have filled the fryer with oil, begin to heat it up. Usually your fryer will come with a temperature gauge, and a guide as to what temperatures you need to use. On the average though, you will want to heat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Cook the turkey. Once you heat your oil to the proper temperature, begin cooking your turkey. Use the basket that comes with the fryer to help lower the turkey into the oil. Place the turkey into the oil and allow the turkey to cook for about four minutes per pound. This means that for a ten-pound bird, you will be cooking for 40 minutes. Once the turkey has begun to float near the top of the oil, you only have another 15 minutes to cook.
6. Serve the turkey. After the time has expired and your internal temperature has reached around 165 degrees to 180 degrees Fahrenheit, you can stop cooking. Remove the turkey from the fryer and allow the turkey to drain of all oil before serving. Carve your turkey as normal and serve it to your friends and family.

Once you finish cooking the turkey be sure that you turn the heat off of your oil. Before you drain the oil though, you will want to be sure that you have allowed the oil to completely cool. You do not want to have anything get damaged or burned.