A lot of people ask me why do you use peanut oil to deep fry a turkey.  The answer is simple.  It’s a great frying oil.  Peanut oil frying is a much better choice than some of the alternatives.

First, peanut oil has a great nutty flavor.  When you fry your turkey in peanut oil it picks up a hint of that nutty flavor and it compliments the turkey’s natural flavor very nicely.  Now don’t worry about Thanksgiving dinner tasting like peanut butter or something because it’s a subtle flavor and your guests wouldn’t even know it came from the peanut oil if you didn’t tell them.

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Know your cooking oil flash point and smoke point

Here’s some deep frying information that I hope you’ll never have any first hand experience with.  If you get to know the meanings of the terms smoke point, flash point and fire point you should have a better chance of avoiding them.

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Progressive International 4 in 1 Flavor Injector

Turkey Injector Marinade

The best part about deep frying a turkey is the incredible flavor variety that you get when you use a turkey injector marinade.  This is accomplished by using a big needle and actually injecting extra flavor into the turkey.  Injector marinades made the turkey much more juicy and moist and make the turkey dinner that you’re preparing a lot more interesting.

First thing you’ll need is a turkey injector. The two most popular injectors on the market can be found here and here. Both will jazz up your turkey with no problems so its up to you if you want to spring for a fancier stainless steel injector or a regular one. And don’t worry this isn’t something that you’ll only use on Thanksgiving.  It also works great on other meats.  Now go ahead and try a few of these turkey injector marinade recipes.

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Deep frying a turkey is dangerous and proper caution needs to be used.

• The turkey fryer needs to be outside on a flat surface. Do not deep fry a turkey in a garage or a covered carport.
• Always keep a fire extinguisher (rated for grease fires) nearby.
• Large oven mitts or a fireplace gloves must be worn.
• Always wear eye protection and full face protection would be even better. A welding mask is probably overkill but it would be entertaining for your guests.
• When lowering the turkey into the oil, turn off the flame.
• And do not allow those guests, especially children and pets near the turkey cooker.

Follow these safety tips and use common sense and your turkey frying experience will be safe and successful.

If you’re going to deep fry a turkey, then you should try one of these dry rub recipes.

Basic Dry Rub
1 cup Salt
1/4 cup Black Pepper
1/4 cup Garlic Powder

Mix all ingredients in a bowl
Rub mixture on inside and outside of turkey
Refrigerate overnight

Bay Leaf Dry Rub
1/3 cup Bay Leaves (crushed)
3 tbs Creole Seasoning
3 tsp Thyme
3 tsp Oregano
2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl (if bay leaves are whole, use a food processor until you have 1/3 of a cup)
Rub mixture on inside and outside of turkey
Refrigerate overnight

Cinnamon Chile Dry Rub
1/2 cup Cinnamon
1/2 cup Red Chile Powder
1/2 cup Sea Salt
1/2 cup Brown Sugar

Mix all ingredients in a bowl
Rub mixture on inside and outside of turkey
Refrigerate overnight

Kickin’ Dry Rub
4 tbs Sea Salt
4 tsp Garlic Powder
4 tsp White Pepper
2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp Onion Powder

Mix all ingredients in a bowl
Rub mixture on inside and outside of turkey
Refrigerate overnight

Getting ready for the big event.

• Choose a turkey no bigger than 12 pounds. If that isn’t enough to feed your guests then get two turkeys. Even if you have a pot large enough to cook a larger turkey remember that you will have to lift it over a pot of hot oil. A 12 pound turkey will cook in under 40 minutes so cooking two (24 pounds of turkey) can still be done in well under two hours and think of all the leftovers you’ll have.
• Remove the neck and giblets from inside the turkey. Remove any pop up timers or plastic leg bindings. The legs should be tied together with butchers string so that they don’t touch the side of the pot while cooking. Do not stuff your turkey.
• Defrost your turkey in the fridge for several days prior to cooking. Do not defrost a turkey outside of the fridge as this a great way to grow bacteria.
• Stuffing and Gravy – When deep frying a turkey the stuffing must be made outside of the bird. Also plan for alternate ways to make gravy. You will not have access to turkey fat like you would when roasting a turkey. Frying up the giblets and neck in a pan is one solution or save some chicken fat from a previous meal a few days before Thanksgiving. And remember that a deep fried turkey needs less gravy because it doesn’t dry out like oven roasted turkey, although that fact won’t help your mashed potatoes.

What do you need to deep fry a turkey?

• Deep Fryer – You can buy the whole setup in a kit or you can buy everything separately. Make sure your pot is about 40-60 quarts. The burner should be large enough to hold this pot securely. Most burners will use a propane tank as a fuel source and are not included in the kits.

• Oil – You’ll need about 5 gallons of an oil with a high smoke point such as peanut, canola or safflower. Don’t worry a turkey deep fried in peanut oil does not taste like peanuts. The smoke point is the temperature that an oil will ignite. The higher the smoke point the better since you need to maintain a temperature of 375 to deep fry your turkey.To determine how much oil you will need to deep fry your turkey, place the uncooked turkey in the pot and fill it with water. Make sure the water level covers the turkey but don’t fill the pot too high. Remove the turkey and mark the water level on the outside of the pot with a grease pencil. Or you can measure the distance to the top of the pot with a ruler. The turkey needs to be defrosted and dry before cooking so determine the oil level a day or two in advance of cooking.

• Candy Thermometer – Having an accurate thermometer is important to ensure that the turkey cooks properly and to avoid a fire. Candy Thermometers are long and usually have a clip so you can attach them to the side of the pot. Most Deep Fryer Kits include a candy thermometer.

• Meat Thermometer – After cooking your bird for 3 1/2 a pound it will be done. If you have problems keeping the oil temperature constant then you may need a meat thermometer. The turkey is done when the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

• Oven mitts & safety goggles – Splattering oil is very dangerous. Oven mitts and safety goggles are a must.

• Fire Extinguisher – This is just a precaution but it’s better safe than sorry. Make sure the fire extinguisher is made for grease fires.

Excellent reasons to deep fry a turkey.

• It’s delicious – Have you been disappointed by an Oven Roasted Turkey that came out dry? Deep Fried Turkeys come out moist and delicious whether you use a traditional recipe or try something different like adding cajin seasonings with a flavor injector.
• Deep Fried Turkey is juicy – The skin sears instantly and seals in the natural turkey juices for the most juicy turkey you’ll ever have.
• Deep Fried Turkey cooks quickly – About 3 1/2 minutes a pound. That’s a 12 pound turkey in under 40 minutes. You’ll even have time to cook two turkeys if you want.
• No more waking up at dawn to put the turkey in the oven.
• Free up oven space for side dishes – If your oven space is limited, think about how much room you’ll have without a turkey in there.

If your idea of a good time is dunking a full turkey into a pot of hot oil, then this is the right website for you.  Whether you’re a first timer getting ready to deep fry your first turkey or maybe you’re an old pro and you’re looking for some new injector sauce recipes. Either way, you’ve come to the right place.

At TurkeyDeepFryersInfo.com you’ll learn about  turkey fryers and all the other equipment that you’ll need. Along with cooking tips and tricks, deep fried turkey recipes and much more.