Frying a turkey for the first time on Thursday. Does anyone have any good recipes? Thanks in advance.
OT. Frying a turkey
- Thread starter PearlRiverCoDawg
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Make damn sure it’s thawed. I love to inject with creole butter and shake. Go ahead and fry 2 while you are at it. Damn 3 gallons of oil may as well
And make sure you DO NOT overfill your cooker. Almost burnt my deck down first time I cooked one.
Inject it with creole butter, 3 to 3 half minutes per pound at 325. I use a chicken rub and coat the outside, hand rub it. Use peanut oil and as mentioned make damn sure it is thawed. I also prefer a stainless steel pot over an aluminum one. I would suggest hand protection, heat gloves or something and some kind of stick thermometer to check the internal temp
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I’m sure some will not like this but we use an air turkey fryer. We inject it with creole butter and then fry. Turns out great. No expensive oil and easy cleanup.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/37952/deep-fried-turkey-marinade/
You’ll think it’s burnt but it’s glorious.
You’ll think it’s burnt but it’s glorious.
Done plenty of them.
I always inject with Cajun butter and sprinkle with Tony’s. I don’t go heavy on the rub though. I usually inject a day or 2 before I plan on frying.
Couple safety things:
Absolutely make sure the turkey is thawed completely. Ice and hot oil don’t mix.
Before you season and inject the bird, test it out with water. Put the turkey in the pot and pour water in until the bird is covered. Take the turkey out and mark that spot on the pot. That is where you’ll need to fill the oil to.
I always get the oil up to 350 (it may be 325 - I always have to remind myself and look it up) then kill the fire while I put the bird in. This way, if for some reason you did put to much oil, you won’t burn your house down (but do it away from your house and not in your garage). Once the bird is in the oil relight the fire.
It’s really an easy process and the best way to cook a turkey.
I always inject with Cajun butter and sprinkle with Tony’s. I don’t go heavy on the rub though. I usually inject a day or 2 before I plan on frying.
Couple safety things:
Absolutely make sure the turkey is thawed completely. Ice and hot oil don’t mix.
Before you season and inject the bird, test it out with water. Put the turkey in the pot and pour water in until the bird is covered. Take the turkey out and mark that spot on the pot. That is where you’ll need to fill the oil to.
I always get the oil up to 350 (it may be 325 - I always have to remind myself and look it up) then kill the fire while I put the bird in. This way, if for some reason you did put to much oil, you won’t burn your house down (but do it away from your house and not in your garage). Once the bird is in the oil relight the fire.
It’s really an easy process and the best way to cook a turkey.
Don’t do a whole turkey. Try two 7-9lb breasts. Buy the blended oil from Sam’s or just get the cheap stuff and use a thermometer. Inject with creole butter. Rub down with Tony’s or whatever you have. Heat oil to 350. Add turkey and set the temp to 325. Cook 6 min per lb until the breast reads 160. Once you take it out the temp with go up another 5 degrees. If you do a whole turkey the dark meat will burn before you can get the white meat done.
Put it in slowly. There’s more moisture in that bird than you think and best to ease into it. As others have suggested, use some form of protection.
Forgot to mention. Use two men. One on each end of the broom stick. Hook the hanger or basket on that broom. Slowly lower in the oil. I have some welding gloves I wear also. No joke
Creole butter and garlic and herb injection, make sure it’s thawed, peanut oil, and make sure the bird isn’t too big. I usually like to stay around 15lbs. I used to do 4-5 for work every year for thanksgiving and 2-3 for the family. I do more in oil less now. Not near as good but a whole lot less prep and cleanup.
One thing I started doing that helps that fry taste is spraying it with Pam or something like that. Just be careful with the spray and flame
My son fried one last week. He coated skin and inner cavity with salt and tobasco. Thought it sounded a little odd but turned out great.
Turn the burner OFF when you put the bird in. As others have said, don't overfill the cooker, but just in case you do, you definitely do NOT want the oil spilling down to an open flame. You can relight it after the bird is in. I just rub it with salt, pepper and whatever seasonings you like the night before and it comes out fine. But injections work well too. Someone mentioned the cost of oil and that's a big reason I've quit frying and just started smoking the turkey. When the oil costs more than the turkey, I just refuse to spend the money. One other thing, no matter how you cook it, don't overcook it. Go about 3 to 3-1/2 minutes per pound and then check the internal temperature and go from there. If you cook it to the right temp, you'll have a delicious turkey.
Not completely fried, but I smoke mine first. Did one Sunday like this and it was one of the best birds I’ve ever had. I also don’t like injecting because it tastes like the injection. Brine it. Put it in brine ASAP tomorrow and it will be the juiciest bird you’ve ever had. I had 16lber.
Put half a bottle of simply peach juice with your brine solution and however much water you need to submerge your bird in your brine container. The brine was 2 cup of salt and cup of brown sugar, bay leaves, sprigs of thyme, peppercorns, 2 lemons, 2 oranges. Dissolve the brine solution over heat and let it cool.
Brined for 24hrs then let it air dry on a wire rack in the fridge. Rubbed it with peanut oil then applied my bbq rub. Stuffed it with a lemon and a green apple cut up. Smoked it until it got a good color and what I thought would be a smoke profile, about 110 degrees internal I think, then finished it in the oil-less fryer for a smokafried bird. Caught the drippings in the smoker in an aluminum pan with some bone broth and the neck and giblets. Strained it all to make the smoky gravy.
Put half a bottle of simply peach juice with your brine solution and however much water you need to submerge your bird in your brine container. The brine was 2 cup of salt and cup of brown sugar, bay leaves, sprigs of thyme, peppercorns, 2 lemons, 2 oranges. Dissolve the brine solution over heat and let it cool.
Brined for 24hrs then let it air dry on a wire rack in the fridge. Rubbed it with peanut oil then applied my bbq rub. Stuffed it with a lemon and a green apple cut up. Smoked it until it got a good color and what I thought would be a smoke profile, about 110 degrees internal I think, then finished it in the oil-less fryer for a smokafried bird. Caught the drippings in the smoker in an aluminum pan with some bone broth and the neck and giblets. Strained it all to make the smoky gravy.
To add, monitor the temperature of the oil at all times. You want to fry at 350-375. I like to stay on the low end of that range. Heat it to 375, turn the flame off, put the turkey in slowly, then relight. It won’t take much propane to maintain the temperature.
I've done 15+ turkeys over the last 5 years, so I've tweaked things around and settled on this method-
1. Brine the turkey for 12-24 hours in a cooler filled with water/ice and a pound each of salt/brown sugar. I warm up a pot of water to try to dissolve all the salt and sugar before dumping it in the cooler.
2. Pull the turkey out of the brine at least 30 mins before cooking. I usually pull it out before assembling the cooking apparatus and filling the pot with oil.
3. Light the burner to start heating the oil. I usually target 350F because it will drop 50-100 degrees when you drop the turkey in (depending on how much it has warmed up). Anything over 400F will burn the skin.
4. Optional but recommended- remove the legs and wings from the rest of the turkey. This will keep them from burning.
5. Pat the whole thing dry with paper towels, and check the cavities to make sure there is no linger ice/giblet bags/neck bones.
6. Rub the whole thing down inside and out with the cajun seasoning of your choice.
7. Slowly lower the large part of the turkey into the oil. I usually cut off the fire to ensure there is no oil fire if any overflows. Don't forget to relight the fire once the turkey is in the pot and the top is on.
8. About halfway through the cooking time, drop the legs and wings into the pot. For a 14 lbs turkey I did over the weekend, the main part cooked for 20 mins before I dropped the legs/wings in for the final 25 mins. Most recipes say to cook for around 3-4.5 mins/lbs, and cutting off the legs/wings lets the rest of the bird cook faster.
9. Once you pull the turkey out, let it rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. I try to put it on a wire rack in a baking sheet so any residual oil drips off without making the skin soggy.
This will result in shatteringly crispy, salty/spicy spin, and a very juicy turkey.
1. Brine the turkey for 12-24 hours in a cooler filled with water/ice and a pound each of salt/brown sugar. I warm up a pot of water to try to dissolve all the salt and sugar before dumping it in the cooler.
2. Pull the turkey out of the brine at least 30 mins before cooking. I usually pull it out before assembling the cooking apparatus and filling the pot with oil.
3. Light the burner to start heating the oil. I usually target 350F because it will drop 50-100 degrees when you drop the turkey in (depending on how much it has warmed up). Anything over 400F will burn the skin.
4. Optional but recommended- remove the legs and wings from the rest of the turkey. This will keep them from burning.
5. Pat the whole thing dry with paper towels, and check the cavities to make sure there is no linger ice/giblet bags/neck bones.
6. Rub the whole thing down inside and out with the cajun seasoning of your choice.
7. Slowly lower the large part of the turkey into the oil. I usually cut off the fire to ensure there is no oil fire if any overflows. Don't forget to relight the fire once the turkey is in the pot and the top is on.
8. About halfway through the cooking time, drop the legs and wings into the pot. For a 14 lbs turkey I did over the weekend, the main part cooked for 20 mins before I dropped the legs/wings in for the final 25 mins. Most recipes say to cook for around 3-4.5 mins/lbs, and cutting off the legs/wings lets the rest of the bird cook faster.
9. Once you pull the turkey out, let it rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. I try to put it on a wire rack in a baking sheet so any residual oil drips off without making the skin soggy.
This will result in shatteringly crispy, salty/spicy spin, and a very juicy turkey.
First and foremost, good luck with your first turkey. Don't become your username.
I've fried countless turkeys over the years and have always enjoyed how they turned out. Several years back I switched from deep frying to using an oil-less infrared fryer and it is fantastic. It takes a little longer to cook than deep frying but the trade-off of no messy cleanup is absolutely worth it. Check it out here: https://www.charbroil.com/the-big-easy-oil-less-turkey-fryer-17102065
For the turkey prep I usually keep it simple with an injection and a rub. I used to buy the Tony's Creole butter injection but have been making my own for the past several years. Start with 2-3 sticks of butter, a little bit of white cooking wine (or any dry white wine), Tony Chachere's to taste, hot sauce to taste. For the rub I use a mix of Tony's and no-salt Tony's but you you can pretty much use whatever suits your taste. I use the rub pretty liberally but also try not to overdo it.
Hope that helps!
I've fried countless turkeys over the years and have always enjoyed how they turned out. Several years back I switched from deep frying to using an oil-less infrared fryer and it is fantastic. It takes a little longer to cook than deep frying but the trade-off of no messy cleanup is absolutely worth it. Check it out here: https://www.charbroil.com/the-big-easy-oil-less-turkey-fryer-17102065
For the turkey prep I usually keep it simple with an injection and a rub. I used to buy the Tony's Creole butter injection but have been making my own for the past several years. Start with 2-3 sticks of butter, a little bit of white cooking wine (or any dry white wine), Tony Chachere's to taste, hot sauce to taste. For the rub I use a mix of Tony's and no-salt Tony's but you you can pretty much use whatever suits your taste. I use the rub pretty liberally but also try not to overdo it.
Hope that helps!
Had them all ways and if the cook has some knowledge and the turkey is of reasonable quality, it'll be very good to great.
You'll never see me blowing $30 or $40 on peanut oil to get a turkey cooked, but to each their own.
That's subjective, a 48 hour minimum Dale brine is required, whether or not you baste during the 30 minute microwave cycle is up to the end user.
Brine turkey as seen on the internet or in these posts. That's key.. Be sure to rinse thoroughly and dry at least 30 minutes before cooking.
I like to oil the exterior with olive oil and add this rub:
https://www.mastercook.com/app/recipe/WebRecipeDetails?recipeId=8903075
I am fond of my electric Smoker. It has thermometer that can be checked remotely which helps prevent overcooking. Just a few wood chips every 30 minutes for the first couple hours and that's it.
I like to oil the exterior with olive oil and add this rub:
https://www.mastercook.com/app/recipe/WebRecipeDetails?recipeId=8903075
- 6 tablespoons/90 mL salt
- 3 tablespoons/45 mL black pepper
- 2 tablespoons/30 mL MSG (optional)
- 2 tablespoons/30 mL garlic powder
- ground bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons/30 mL dry mustard
- 1 tablespoon/15 mL paprika
I am fond of my electric Smoker. It has thermometer that can be checked remotely which helps prevent overcooking. Just a few wood chips every 30 minutes for the first couple hours and that's it.
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