How Long Does it Take to Deep Fry a Turkey
Thinking about deep-frying your Thanksgiving turkey this year? Naturally, your next thought might be “How long does it take to deep fry a turkey? Is it faster than cooking in the oven?” We’ve got the answer for you! To achieve a moist and flavorful turkey, it is important to pay attention to Temperature as well as time. See below for our recommended temperature and time instructions for deep frying your turkey. Also, be sure to make sure the turkey is fully thawed and dried off before introducing it to the oil. Ice and hot oil are a combustible combination. Check out Deep Fried Turkey Made Safe and Delicious post to learn how to deep fry a turkey safely.
Turkey Temperature Tip: Pull the turkey out of the oil at 157ºF*. Most 12-14 pound turkeys will cook in 30-45 minutes. (With turkeys larger than 14 pounds, you run the risk of overcooking the outer parts of the meat while you wait for the inner meat to reach pull temperature.)
*When removing the turkey from the oil use extreme caution. When the turkey reaches 157ºF turn off the gas completely. Very slowly and carefully lift the turkey out of the oil and place into a clean roasting pan. Use an instant-read thermometer, like a Thermapen®, to verify the temperature in multiple spots throughout the turkey. If you see any internal temperature below 157°F, return the turkey to the oil for more cooking until done.
More on Cooking Turkey and the Key Temperatures
 Made Safe & Delicious |
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I’ve always wanted to deep fry turkey but it looks very dangerous.
Nathan,
It IS very dangerous! But if you follow the safety tips that we outline in out post about how to do it, you should be fine. Just be sure to set up well away from any structure and don’t overfill your pot with oil. And ALWAYS thaw your turkey!
Do you stuff it or not
No, do NOT stuff a deep fried turkey.
To be safe, first put the turkey in the pot and fill with water to a level that leaves about 10” to12” from the top of the pot. Mark the water level with a black magic marker. Take the turkey out and dry with paper towels. Wipe all water off the pot interior… you can fire-up the burner to dry the pot out. When totally dry fill with oil, peanut oil is the best, use a thermometer that is made for frying and when you have a rolling boil, lower the turkey slowly into the pot very slowly. There will be spatter and you’ll need a heavy mitten to do this along with a proper hook and stand for the turkey. It is recommended to fry the turkey 4 to 5 minutes per pound. It’s not dangerous if you are careful, but do not leave untended. This is a fantastic way to cook your Thanksgiving bird. Remember to get the inside and outside of the turkey as dry as possible before lowering it onto the pot. I recommend a large piece of cardboard to put the burner on. Do not let and children near the fryer before, during, or after the frying…pot and oil say hot for hours.
The best results I have found are bringing the oil to 375° drop the thawed turkey in slowly. Then cook at three minutes per pound plus an extra 10 minutes. Your turkey should be perfect as mine has every time I’ve done it.
Do you take the plastic pop up done think that comes in the turkey
Yes, remove the pop-up thermometer.