re: Question Re: turkey Frying

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Was not a question in the OP, but a few tips for your first fried bird...

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All good points and to add a bit of advice from someone who's done at least a couple hundred birds over the years.

Make sure the bird is dry as you can get it as far as any water on the bird. I will pat mine dry with paper towels and to get any seasoning to stick to the skin or interior, I'll rub the bird with a little of the peanut oil before it gets hot and add any seasoning to the skin and inside the cavity.

If not too sure about how much oil to use, do a test run and put water in your pot first to a level you think would be OK then put the bird you plan on frying into the pot to see how high the oil comes. You definitely don't want oil to slosh or boil over. Adjust from there.

My tried and true method is to get the oil to 350 degrees, slowly lower the turkey in the pot and the oil temperature will dip close to 300 degrees before it starts to heat up again. I hold it at 325 and cook the turkey at that temperature for 3 1/2 minutes a lb.

So, if you cook a 13 lb. bird, you are looking at 45-46 minutes cook time.

I use birds between 13-15 lbs. when I fry turkeys.

Remove the bird and let any oil drain off it and then wait at least 20 minutes before carving. Don't worry, it will still be very hot when you are carving it to serve.

I let the oil cool overnight and any large particles in the oil will sink to the bottom. Next day I'll pour it into a container and discard the crud that accumulates at the bottom of the pot. It can be used again if stored in a place not prone to big temperature swings. I'll use my peanut oil for Thanksgiving and then again in the spring when I fry some around Easter.