How to Deep Fry a Turkey Outdoors

To deep fry a turkey gives one a juicy bird with a dark and crisp skin that is delicate and tasty. Deep frying a turkey, however, is not an all too safe way of cooking this Thanksgiving favorite. The following article will show you to properly and safely deep fry a turkey outdoors.

Step 1 - Preparing the Cooking Area

When you deep fry a turkey you are using a lot of oil to do it. It is very important that you take great care in choosing where you want to do this. For obvious reasons you do not want to be too close to the house. You also do not want to set it up on your wood deck. The slightest spark, spill, or meat explosion can cause your deck to catch on fire or cause injury. The area also needs to be level because the last you want to happen is a pot of hot oil spilling.

The best places to deep fry a turkey include:

• Driveway
• BBQ or fire pit
• Backyard (safe distance from the home)

Make certain that your proposed cooking area is well stocked with a bucket of sand to put out any possible fires as water will make it worse. Be sure to have all of your tools in your area and within reach.

Step 2 - Safety Equipment Check

When you deep fry a turkey safety should always be paramount. Choosing the right location to do the deep frying is only a small fraction of a safe and successful turkey frying experience. Before you begin to deep fry a turkey run through your needed safety equipment.

• Silicone gloves. These are great because they stand up to very high temperatures, are not terribly expensive, and will protect your hands and forearms.
• Protective glasses. If you fry anything in your kitchen you notice you will get splattered by hot oil. That might be a tablespoon or up to a cup of oil. When you deep fry a turkey you are using in excess of two gallons of oil.
• Turkey fry kit. There is no sense in building your own turkey fryer as you can buy full kits (they include the lifting basket, spikes, pot, and burner) for under $100 from most hardware stores.
• Bucket of sand. Using water to extinguish a grease can lead to an explosion and severe injury. Only use sand if a fire starts in your deep fryer.

Step 3 - Frying the Turkey

Now that you have your safety equipment ready and your location spotted you can now deep fry a turkey.

• Test how much oil you'll need by placing your turkey in a 40 to 60 quart pot
• Fill with water to about 2-inches above the bird.
• Remove the turkey then measure the water. This is the amount of oil you'll need.
• Marinade and season the turkey.
• Place the pot of oil on the heating element and bring it to 325 degrees.
• Slowly lower the turkey into the oil and cook for 3 minutes per pound.