Deep Fried Turkey
The last few years, Mr. K and I have developed a tradition of doing a practice turkey run-through before Thanksgiving.
So this past Sunday –being the last Sunday before Thanksgiving– we spent most of the afternoon filling our kitchen with wonderful Thanksgiving smells. We made a deep-fried turkey with a few changes from last year. I also made stuffing for the first time (not in the turkey, but as a separate side dish you can enjoy with the turkey). I think this is the best way to eat stuffing because you can control how moist it gets.
For the turkey, this year we tried injecting some marinade into our bird. It worked out really well, especially in the turkey breast area which usually has the least amount of flavor.
Depending on the type of turkey you buy, it may or not be salty already. For this recipe, we used a turkey from Whole Foods La Jolla, who provided me with some ingredients for a holiday post. I’ve started buying a lot of my meat products at Whole Foods this year, especially beef. This was my first time having turkey from Whole Foods, and I love that it doesn’t have any injection or solutions. You could really taste the natural turkey meat.
What we really like about deep-fried turkey is that the skin comes out crispy and the meat stays very juicy. If you have a turkey deep fryer, it makes it even easier, with about the same amount of work as cooking it in the oven. (By the way, if you haven’t noticed, I am very much struggling with whether I like bright, light photography or turning to the dark side which seems to be the trend right now to reflect the darker days of Fall and Winter.)
Stay tuned for my stuffing recipe later this week!
And in case you’re wondering, for the deep frying, I use my Masterbuilt Indoor Turkey Fryer*. It’s so easy to use and I use it the rest of the year for other frying recipes too.
New! Recipe now updated with video.
Deep Fried Turkey
Ingredients
- 1 (10-lb) fresh turkey, (see note)
- 2 gallons vegetable oil
- your choice of dry rub seasoning
- 1 bottle injectable marinade, (see note)
Instructions
- Add oil to your indoor fryer, filling it somewhere between the min and max line and set the temperature to 350°F. While oil is heating, gently rinse your turkey and then completely dry it with paper towels. If you have a frozen turkey you will need to defrost overnight and do a water bath (see note).
- Inject your turkey with marinade.
- Rub entire surface of turkey with dry rub.
- Slowly lower turkey into fryer. Cook approximately 3 minutes per pound.
- Drain turkey from oil and let cool for about 30 minutes before carving and serving.
Notes
- I found my turkey at Whole Foods, but if you can't find a fresh turkey you can use a defrosted frozen turkey. Learn how to safely thaw a turkey in this post.
- I used Stubb's Chipotle injectable marinade. I used this tutorial for reference.
- This recipe uses the Butterball Large Electric Fryer*.
- *Some of the links contained in this post are affiliate links. Much like referral codes, this means I earn a small commission if you purchase a product I referred (at no extra charge to you).
Disclaimer: Many of the main ingredients for this recipe were provided by Whole Foods La Jolla. I was not further compensated for this post and all opinions expressed are my own.
Your pre-Thanksgiving turkey looks great! I love how you guys do a “run through”.
haha! it really helps to reduce the stress from the day of. It also gives us a little time to ourselves to have our own small little private Thanksgiving.
I have the Butterball indoor fryer. It’s nice, and you won’t burn down your house with it. This year, I have a recipe from a friend from Louisiana, so we’ll see how it goes. I typically smoke a turkey, too, but I may do that later.
I think we have the same fryer. Mine is the masterbuilt butterball fryer. I love it!
Try doing one with Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning (the big green canister). Make sure to put some of the seasoning between the breast and skin, as well as outside of the bird. I’ve been doing deep fried turkeys that way since the late 80’s. As a bonus, you can strain the oil and use it for frying Cajun seasoned French fries later. 🙂
that sounds delicious! I will have to go find the seasoning and try it for the next turkey!
glad to have the turkey fryer recommendation. been wanting to try this for years….. will have to take the plunge and buy this! Re: the pictures, i like both but i like the dark background better ; – )
I’ve had mine for two years and I love it! =) Thanks for sharing which picture you like better! I think I prefer the dark background too but my husband prefers the light.