Let’s Deep Fry The Thanksgiving Turkey

If you’ve never cooked or tasted a deep fried turkey, you should definitely give it a try for three simple reasons:

1. It just tastes better- it’s juicy and tender and retains all its moisture- yummy!!
2. Deep frying the turkey takes less time than oven roasting it.
3. When you deep fry the turkey, your oven is free for all your sides and desserts, which makes the logistics of serving Thanksgiving dinner a lot easier.

There are of course some safety procedures to take into consideration when deep frying but with the right equipment and preparation, you can be a deep fried turkey expert and the hero of Thanksgiving.

In this blog, we will be offering tips on how to use a propane turkey fryer that is intended for OUTDOOR USE only. You should ensure that you have enough propane fuel from a supplier like FSI Oil and Propane before starting the preparation. As always you should read the Owners Instruction Manual for your particular fryer before you use it. We currently have the Masterbuilt 30 Qt Propane Turkey Fryer featuring the turkey pot and lid, turkey hanger hook, wide-handled lifting hook, electronic timer with automatic shut off, stainless steel thermometer, manual ignition, and black solid steel stand. The following deep frying turkey tips are courtesy of Masterbuilt and this specific models’ owner’s manual.

Cooking Instructions For Vessels Without Fill Lines

STEP 1 – Place food product (turkey) on or in the holder (basket).

STEP 2 – Place food product and holder into the empty cooking vessel.

STEP 3 – Fill the cooking vessel with water just until the food product is completely submerged. For large pots only, there must be 3 in (8cm) between this level & the top of the vessel.

STEP 4 – Remove food product from the cooking vessel and either mark the water level on the side of the cooking vessel or measure the amount of water in the cooking vessel.

STEP 5 – Remove water and completely dry cooking vessel and food product.

STEP 6 – This is the amount of cooking oil (use peanut or frying oil) the cooking vessel needs to be filled with to cook your food product. Alternatively, you can check out these Gundry MD Olive Oil reviews and see if you would rather use that as a healthy option for your cooking oil!

IF THE INFORMATION IN ITEMS 1-6 ABOVE IS NOT FOLLOWED EXACTLY, OIL OVERFLOW MAY OCCUR RESULTING IN SERIOUS INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE.

How To Properly Deep Fry Turkey

STEP 1 – If a fill line is stamped on the pot then STEP 1 is not needed. Fill the pot with oil to the fill line and go to STEP 2. If there is no stamped line, place thawed turkey, up to 18 lbs (8kg) MAX size, into basket and lower turkey into empty pot. Fill pot with water until the butt of the turkey is covered. There must be 3 in (8cm) between this water level & the top of the pot. Remove the turkey from the pot allowing all water to drain from the turkey. Once turkey has been removed, mark the waterline. Empty the water from the pot and fill with oil up to the marked line.

STEP 2 – Insure that turkey is completely thawed and free of excess water and ice. Inject turkey with a marinade of your choice. Cover the outside of turkey with cajun dry rub reasoning or a mixture of simply salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a dry rub of your choice. Replace the turkey in basket with legs pointing up. Ignite burner and bring oil temperature to 350 F (177 C).

Turn the burner off before placing the turkey into oil. Wearing cooking gloves, and being sure to stay away from hot steam, lower the turkey into the oil very slowly and cover with lid. Re-light the burner. Using the thermometer keep the oil temperature at 350 F (177 C). Cook turkey for 3 minutes per pound and then add 5 minutes to total cooking time. Turkey may float before cooking time is complete. Continue cooking turkey for the total amount of time calculated. When cooking is complete, turn burner OFF and remove food slowly.

Example: Cooking a 16.5 lb (7.48kg). turkey; 3 minutes x 16.5 = 49.5; 49.5 minutes + 5 = 54.5; Total cooking time: 54.5 minutes

STEP 3 – Turn the turkey fryer OFF and remove the basket slowly. Hook basket to the side of pot. This is a safe and easy way to allow turkey to drain and cool at the same time.

Thawing a Turkey in Cold Water

Thawing Times

8lb (3.6kg) to 12lb (5.4kg) 4 to 6 hours

12lb (5.4kg) to 16lb (7.3kg) 6 to 8 hours

16lb (7.3kg) to 18lb (8.2kg) 8 to 10 hours

Turkeys thawed by the cold water method should be cooked immediately because conditions were not temperature controlled.

For more information and before you begin to deep fry your turkey, please read the entire owners instruction manual. Be safe, have fun, and invite us over for some deep fried turkey. Happy Thanksgiving!!