Do you want to fry a turkey, but aren’t sure how to do it? Check out this post for all the equipment, preparation, and safety tips you need to fry a turkey!
How To Fry a Turkey
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The very most important step in frying a turkey is to get your turkey ready. Once you’ve picked out the perfect turkey, it is essential that your turkey is completely thawed. Seriously. Give yourself plenty of time to get that turkey thawed (allow 1 day for every 5 pounds of turkey). We are going to be dealing with a lot of very hot oil here… and dropping a frozen turkey into all that hot oil is going to make for a big mess, and probably a fire. No one wants a fire!
Once the turkey is thawed, make sure you take out the giblets. Then I highly suggest that you brine your turkey. It’s not necessary, but it makes the turkey taste so much better!
Here’s your set up. You are going to need a turkey fryer – complete with an outdoor propane burner, a propane tank, a large frying pot, an oil thermometer, a turkey holder, and a handle to lift the turkey out of the oil. Most turkey fryer kits will come with everything (except the propane tank). Or you can visit your local hardware or farm store and collect all the pieces to make your own. You will also want an oven mitt and an instant-read meat thermometer.
You are also going to need a place outside to do this. Not in your garage, not in your garage with the overhead door open, not in your barn, not under your covered porch. Outside. It’s a safety thing. Remember, we’re dealing with 3-4 gallons of hot-hot-hot oil here!
We live on top of a hill, and get a lot of wind. John built a windbreak (from some old metal barn siding) to keep the wind out of the burner. We also use an old piece of plywood under the fryer to catch any mess. These parts are not necessary, but make cooking and clean up a little easier for us.
Place your turkey on the turkey holder, breast side down. Do all your propane tank hook ups and put the pot on top of the burner. Pour the oil into the pot, and turn on the heat. (We use peanut oil to fry our turkeys. Here’s a good summary of some other other oil options out there.) Over high heat, heat the oil to 250 degrees F. Once the oil gets to 250 F, carefully lower turkey into the oil – be sure to use the turkey holder and the handle!
This is what the pot looks like right after you put the turkey down in the hot oil. The oil will bubble up. It could bubble out and over the top if:
- the oil is much hotter than 250 F, or
- if your turkey isn’t thawed, or
- if you have too much oil in your pot.
This makes an oily mess (also another good reason to do this outside on a grassy area), but can also be very dangerous. Hot oil on an open flame can make a serious fire, and one that is hard to put out. So remember… safety first!
Once the turkey is in the oil, keep your heat on high until the oil gets to 350 F. Then lower the flame so the oil stays at 350 F for the rest of the cooking. If your burner has a automatic shut off timer on it (like ours does), you’ll need to keep an eye on the timer and the burner. When the timer gets close to turning off, just add more time so you can keep cooking.
After your turkey has been in the oil for 35 minutes, check to see if it is done. This is easiest with 2 people. Carefully pull the turkey out of the oil (using the handle and an oven mitt) and check internal temperature of the breast meat. You want to take the turkey out when it gets to 151 degrees F.
Yes, I know this is lower than the recommended internal temperature of 165 degrees F for turkey. You’re going to let this turkey rest for at least 30 minutes in a quiet place. While it’s resting, it will still be cooking from the carry over heat. This carry over cooking is going to bring the breast meat up to 165 degrees F, which is where we want to be for food safety (and tastiness, too!).
There is really nothing that looks quite as pretty as a golden brown fried turkey!
After your turkey has rested for 30 minutes, you’re ready to take out the turkey holder and carve the bird! (Check out this video for some carving tips.)
In all seriousness, safety while you are frying your turkey is very important. Check out Alton Brown’s video (from the “Fry Turkey, Fry” episode of Good Eats) for some more turkey frying safety tips.
We love fried turkey, and we’ll fry at least 2 turkeys (sometimes 4!) every holiday season. The biggest bummer about fried turkey is that there aren’t any drippings to make gravy with. Try this No-Drippings Gravy recipe instead!
Take the Fear Out of Turkey
Do you want even more tips about turkey? Check out these Top 10 Turkey Tips and never be afraid of cooking turkey again!
Will you fry your turkey this year? Let me know how it goes!
Enjoy!
3 Ways to Take the Fear Out of Your Kitchen
3 More Recipes to Try
Printable Recipe Card for How to Fry a Turkey
How to Fry a Turkey
Ingredients
- 1 turkey 12-14 pounds, thawed with giblets removed
- 3 to 4-1/2 gallons peanut oil
- Turkey fryer kit
Instructions
- Brine your turkey overnight.
- Remove the turkey from the brine, rinse, and pat dry. Set the turkey aside at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.
- Pour the oil into a turkey fryer and heat on high on an outside propane burner.
- Bring the oil temperature to 250 degrees F (measure with an oil themometer).
- Carefully lower the turkey into the oil.
- Continue to heat until the oil reaches 350 degrees F. Then lower the heat to maintain the temperature at 350 degrees F.
- After 35 minutes of cooking, check the temperature of the turkey breast, using an instant-read meat thermometer.
- When the breast meat temperature reaches 151 degrees F, remove the turkey from the oil and allow to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes. Carry-over cooking will bring the turkey to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Carve turkey.
Pecan pies are my family’s favorite fall food