How To Deep Fry A Turkey recipe is a quick way to enjoy turkey during the holidays. I’ve always thought that nothing was better than a traditional oven roasted turkey for Christmas or Thanksgiving (with homemade Cranberry Sauce). Now I’m hooked on deep frying my turkey.
When deep frying a turkey, the skin is crispy, the meat flavorful and juicy. I don’t think I’ll ever go back to traditional roast turkey again. The best thing is that is only takes about 45 minutes to deep fry the turkey! What a time saver!!! For a longer but a smokey flavored filled version, try Smoking a Whole Turkey in a smoker!
I love to drop some potatoes into the oil when the deep fried turkey is done. I experimented a few times and found that is the potatoes are par-boiled, you get a crispier potato. If you don’t like the taste of used oil, check out this potato side dish, Crispy Leaf Duck Fat Roast Potatoes. Turkey always needs gravy. Because there are no drippings, check out my easy Gravy recipe with tasty Juniper Berries.
How to Deep Fry a Turkey Safely
There are a few risks with turkey frying. Here is a handy video, brought to you by our friends at State Farm Insurance. Please check it out here.
It’s very important not to overfill the turkey fryer, so use the water displacement system to create an oil fill line.
Place the whole turkey into the turkey fryer pot, and fill with water until the turkey is covered. Remove the turkey from the pot, and mark the water line, which will be the same level of oil that will be needed to deep fry the turkey. This will ensure you don’t dangerously over fill with oil, causing a fire. See video above.
Deep Fried Turkey Injection Recipe
You can play with the herbs you add in the marinade and rub. I have a fantastic Smoked Sea Salt that my sister gave me, but regular salt would work fine. Purchase a marinade injector, but be careful not to clog the holes. I grind up my spices using a pestle and mortar. You could just strain the herbs from the butter before you inject, but that flavor would be weaker. When you cut the turkey breast, you can see the flavor of the marinade in the meat, so good! I didn’t brine this turkey, but check out my brining recipe with video and submerge turkey or chicken for at least 24 hours for an even more tender and juicier meat.
Turkey Fryer Substitute
How to Fry a Deep Fried Turkey isn’t a new idea, it dates back to the 1930’s in the American South. They don’t sell Turkey Fryers in Australia, but I discovered that BCF Camping Store in Australia sells Crab Cookers. When I bought it, I discovered it was actually an American turkey fryer. It’s just packaged differently for Australia. The pot even had a turkey fryer oil fill line stamped on the pot in the manufacturing process. Otherwise Amazon has lots of options.
So Australians, rejoice. If you’ve always wanted to try deep fried turkey, now you can, easily available in Australia, with a bonus crab cooker. For my American readers, your turkey fryer doubles as a crab cooker too.
Your turkey skin will look darker than pictured in the main photo. The turkey is so hot, it keeps cooking when you take it out of the turkey fryer. When you cover it with foil, it will keep cooking and it will get more golden brown. For the photo above, I took it out of the fryer and put it on the table right away. Don’t undercook your turkey.
Remember, just because it’s deep fried, doesn’t meant you don’t make any stuffing! Bread stuffing is the best part, and I have an awesome stove top stuffing recipe you should check out! For dessert, try my Australian Christmas Pavlova to complete your holiday meal. Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!
How To Deep Fry A Turkey + Video
How To Deep Fry a Turkey. A faster way to make Thanksgiving Turkey. Herb butter turkey injection recipe adds flavor throughout with a tasty dry rub. A Christmas Turkey that’s Crispy outside, juicy inside. Deep Fried Turkey
Ingredients
Equipment Required
- Turkey fryer
- thermometer
- protective gear apron, gloves…
- 1 large 12lb/5.5kg turkey – completely defrosted and patted dry and at leave room temperature for about an hour before frying
- 12 litres 3 gallons of oil – peanut, canola, sunflower or rice bran oil
Dry Turkey Rub Spices
- 2 teaspoon smoked salt
- 2 teaspoons sage
- 2 teaspoons thyme
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
Marinade Injection Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoons sage
- 1 teaspoons thyme
- 1 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic granules/powder
Instructions
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Season the turkey by mixing the turkey spice ingredients together and rubbing the Dry Turkey Rub all over the turkey. Rub under the turkey skin where possible, and rub the leftover rub inside the turkey cavity.
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Add the ground dry ingredients of the marinade injection into a pan with butter and oil. Melt them together and allow to cool slightly before injecting into the turkey. *
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Inject the warm marinade by stabbing the turkey deeply, and depressing the plunger of the marinade as you pull out. Inject the breast and thigh meat, and even the drumsticks.
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Fill your turkey fryer pot with oil up to the fill line (see water dispersion method above) and heat the oil to 160°C/325°F. Carefully and slowly, lower the turkey into the oil, feet pointing up. Do not drop the turkey quickly, otherwise the oil will overflow dangerously.
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Set a timer. It takes 3-½ minutes per pound (500 grams) to cook the turkey. For a 12 pound turkey, this will take 42 minutes. Check to see that the turkey is golden brown in color, remove and check that the internal temperature is 165°F-170°F (75°C) in the breast. If the oil begins to smoke, or is higher than 325°F, lower the temperature
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Cover the turkey with aluminum foil and allow to rest for about 20 minutes, which ensures the turkey will be juicy. The turkey keeps cooking and I find the skin goes even darker when resting. Place on a cutting board and carve.
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During the turkey rest time, drop some sliced potatoes into the oil for an easy tasty side with your turkey.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
*If not using ground spices when making the Injection Marinade, you can use a pestle and mortar to pound the spices and herbs into a powder. The goal is to pound the spices small enough that they don’t get stuck in the marinade injector holes. Using a tea strainer (sieve), sift the pounded spices into the butter mixture (allowing only ground spice powder into the butter). Melt them together and allow to cool before injecting into the turkey.
©PetersFoodAdventures.com
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I started this website as a way to capture the recipes that I grew up with, and pass them onto the next generation. Being world travellers, there are foods from all over the world, but my passion is primarily the Slavic and Russian foods I grew up with.
Awesome ! For those of you that have never made a deep fried Turkey, try it !! You will not forget it !
One thing that Peter did not stress upon (IMHO) IS THE PUTTING THE TURKEY INTO THE HOT OIL !! You need to put the Turkey into the oil SLOWLY !
Then as the oil is about to over flow, lift the bird out of the oil out for a minute or so and give the oil a chance to reheat a little. Put the Turkey back in lowering slowly again and let it cook. You will NEVER have a more moist bird in your life !
The potato side is great ! I do not agree with the Stove Top idea however. I ALWAYS make my own. VERY IMPORTANT to remember are two unshakeable rules. Number 1: The stuffing will come out as damp/wet as you put it in. I usually use Turkey or even Chicken broth to moisten my stuffing. Number 2: My grandfather used to say, the more onion you use, the better the dressing (stuffing). ALWAYS pre-cook your onion and celery.in a fry pan with butter, careful not to burn, and fry until semi-translucent. Make sure the onions and celery are chopped fine. Start the celery first as it will take longer than the onions.
Hey Terry! Thanks for the great tips! 😊 👍🏻
Hi peter! Thanks for the recipe it looks so delish! Going to try tomorrow but was the dry rub 2 teaspoons of each? Or tablespoons?
Hey Terry, it’s 2 teaspoons each. Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving!🦃
Maybe I’m missing this, but I don’t see where the olive oil comes into play? Mix the butter after cooking with the olive oil?
Hi Jill. It wasn’t very clear. I have updated the recipe to make it clearer. The butter is melted with the oil to be injected. Hope it’s easier to read! 🙂 Thanks for the feedback.
Thank you! I figured, but I’ve never made a turkey this way, so I wanted to be sure! Excited to try it out today! 😊
I’ve always wanted to try this! Adds some cooking theatre to Thanksgiving!
Got to say, this looks so tasty 🙂 and different.
Thanks Lynne. I was apprehensive at first, but am totally sold on it now as the only way to do turkey!
I keep telling hubby we need to fry a turkey sometime. Of course we need the equipment first. Deep fried turkey is very popular here in the Southern States.
Yes, I would love to try more authentic recipes from the US South! 🙂
Wow looks yummmm????
Thanks Neethu!
Looks fantastic! A couple of friends and I have done many deep fried turkeys over the years. For our injection we use melted butter, garlic juice, onion juice and some seasoned salt. Tastes fantastic and never clogs (as long as you dissolve the salt). Need to put this on my to-do list again here soon. Thanks!
Thanks Tony for that great tip!
Awesome! Thanks for your great explanations. I have thought about this, but I was too intimidated.
Deep fried turkey is amazing!!! My husband is in charge of that task, fireplace gloves on, and fire extinguisher at the ready. Thankfully, no mishaps yet (knock on wood!). The turkey isn’t greasy at all- very flavorful and juicy. Incredible that it’s done in 45 minutes!
I know what you mean! I was so surprised at how juicy and flavourful it was! 🙂 Some of the youtube videos are scary with regards to fire during the process! Same here, no fire yet!!!! 🙂
I’ve bought a deep fried turkey and I’ve watched my neighbor cook one…I’m still not doing it…I guess you can say, I’m chicken! Hahahaha….Your’s looks terrific!
haha, thanks! Don’t be a turkey and try it! 🙂
Bahahaha! I’m gonna stick with being a “chicken”. Teehee!
Beautifully done. I am too chicken to deep fry a turkey.
Thanks! It’s surprisingly easy, I can’t say enough about it! 🙂
I’m sure it tastes amazing but it looks all dried up! LOL Is it okay to brine it if you’re frying it?
It turned out a bit darker then I liked, as I let it rest with foil, it obviously kept cooking. But the skin was super crispy, and the turkey was so juicy, can’t wait to make it again! 🙂
We love deep fried turkey! We make a cajun spiced version every Thanksgiving, right next to mom’s traditional turkey! 😉 Nice post Peter!
Thanks Sadie! Cajun spiced sounds awesome. You should share the recipe then I can make it! 🙂