To fry or not to fry?
That is the question. This thanksgiving thousands of American families will make the choice to roast or fry a Turkey.
I have gone through the arduous task of frying a turkey at home. You have to keep in mind several preparatory tasks.
1. Call insurance company and up home owner’s policy by the actual amount you need to replace not only your home but the entire contents of your home as well.
2. Buy flame retardant clothing AND a fire extinguisher (yes there is a strong chance that there will be a fire.)
3. Call Exxon and see if they have enough oil for this job.
4. Purchase turkey fryer (this is the part where you justify a totally one use pot by stating to your significant other “it’s not that much money, we can also use it to cook crabs and/or lobsters during the summer.)
5. Take trip to your local hardware store where you purchase tons of materials (at great expense) to construct some sort of “safe” lifting apparatus which will NOT prevent burns.
6. After filling pot with oil, you will realize that you should of measured the turkey in some water first because when you submerge your turkey the oil overflows causing the fire mentioned in #2 above.
7. Pull totally overcooked or half raw turkey from oil (after fire department has left) to guests who are ravenous because your dinner is 2 hours later than originally planned.
8. Take entire family out for local Chinese buffet because it is the only restaurant open locally.
I have too much invested in this one use pan to give up on it. I will give frying turkey another try. This time better planning is in order.
1. Buy turkey cooker – hopefully you purchase one with a lifting device included
*26-quart: for frying a 12- to 14-pound turkey
*34-quart: for frying a 14- to 20-pound turkey
*40-quart: for turkeys larger than 20 pounds
2. Get propane tank filled (try finding someplace open on Thanksgiving that sells Propane – good luck – enjoy your Chinese Buffet restaurant if you didn’t plan for this in advance.
3. Purchase turkey. I recommend a bird no larger than 3/4 the circumference of the pot or less than 16 pounds. It needs to either be a fresh bird or already defrosted and washed and dried thoroughly. I mean really dry. It also should not have anything left inside or pop up timers left in. In addition, I recommend tying the legs, wings and neck flap to ensure even cooking and this allows for safe removal of the bird from the oil. (Emergency room visits do not add to the holiday spirit).
4. Purchase good quality bulk peanut oil (yes I said peanut oil – if you have a nut allergy, my second recommendation would be good vegetable oil.)
5. Purchase Long-stemmed, clip-on deep-fry thermometer: This should be at least 12 inches long. Sometimes these are included in a turkey fryer kit.
6. Totally optional but if you want a flavor Injector: This is a syringe used for injecting flavored marinade into the turkey meat. You don’t have to inject a turkey to fry it, but it adds flavor. You could also add an optional rub for the bird as well.
7. Purchase Heavy-duty leather work gloves: A must, since equipment gets skin-blistering hot, and grease may splatter on your hands. Cotton gloves and kitchen hot mitts don’t work!
8. Purchase accurate Instant-read meat thermometer.
9. Look around the house for a couple of old towels and several trash bags..
10. Make sure (if at all possible) you do this chore outside. DO NOT do this on your deck or if there is a problem prepare to meet your local firemen again. (Hospitality rules require that if the fire department has to visit your house more than once you owe them dinner which will definitely tack on to the tab at the Chinese restaurant.)
11. Set turkey inside pot and fill with water until turkey is submerged. Remove turkey. Mark line with tape on the outside of the pot at the top of where water remains. Dump water and dry pot. Fill with oil to fill line.
12. I like to brine my turkey and then apply a dry rub. Another option is to inject a flavor marinade (many are available at every mega-mart grocery store in the country.) Whichever is your personal preference is great, but MAKE SURE TURKEY IS DRY BEFORE SUBMERGING IN OIL – WATER CAUSES OIL TO SPLATTER! Which subsequently can result in that aforementioned fire department/ambulance crew again!
13. Heat oil (use oil thermometer in pot) to 350 – 360 degrees. This usually takes approximately 30 minutes to come to temperature. I recommend using the following lifter if your pot did not come with one: turkey lifter
I also recommend lifting with a strong man if available (lure him with the promise of turkey) and SLOWLY drop in the turkey (I recommend cutting the propane off temporarily in this step in case the oil splatters to avoid a fire). The oil temperature will drop at this point, but it will return to 350 degrees after a few minutes.
Cooking times vary based on the length of time for the oil to return to temp again, but the average rule of thumb is minimally 3 – 4 minutes per pound, but the only real way to test is an accurate instant read thermometer. Unfortunately, once the skin is brown it is impossible to know. I know some of you will say the old poke the turkey with a fork routine and see if the juices run clear, but unless you are planning on poking this thing every 6 1/2 minutes – this will lead to missing the mark. Basically if you are cooking a 10 pound bird, approximately 30 minutes at 350 degrees for doneness (this is only a guide) .
14. Since I allow for carryover cooking, I normally pull the bird (or actually I have strong man pull the bird) at 152 – 155 degrees on the instant read. I shut off the burner and SLOWLY pull the bird out. I let the bird rest a minimum of 20 minutes but up to an hour. The turkey should read at least 160 degrees in the breast meat after 20 minutes.
15. Take turkey to platter, carve and enjoy. Despite what you might think if you’ve never tried fried turkey, the meat will not be dry. The turkey will be crispy, juicy and delicious!
16. Don’t forget the oil in the pot stays hot for a LONG time. Don’t forget about kids or pets outside after you have removed the bird. After the oil cools, you can recycle it if you care to take the trouble to filter it for another turkey/chicken fry (since we are talking about gallons of oil here).
All in all, It’s definitely worth the effort. My family enjoyed the turkey immensely. Our first attempt felt like a lot more work than the second and third. As with anything, once you have the basic steps down, it is really quite easy. The downside would definitely be the cleanup. After the exhaustion sets in Thanksgiving afternoon, having to face recycling oil and cleaning an oily pan as big as this one isn’t exactly one of life’s greater moments. And, truth be told, I’m a traditionalist at heart. While I love fried turkey and will cook one again, I think I’ll leave this delicious meal for a day other than Thanksgiving. Some people believe this to be the ultimate Thanksgiving meal and if it works for your family, then fry on!
Bottom line, if you’re tied of the same old, same old – and you are looking to mix it up this Thanksgiving, I recommend you try a fried turkey.
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