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Thanksgiving is a quintessentially America holiday, and what's more American than deep frying? Yes, it is possible to deep fry a turkey, though beware, after dried out Christmas Trees, deep frying turkeys is the most common cause of holiday fryers.
Luckily for you, we've put together this handy guide so your deep fried turkey is not only delicious, but safe.
== What you'll need ==
# A small to medium size turkey -- under 12lbs works best, any larger and the skin will likely burn before the inside meat is fully cooked, ruining one of the best things about a deep fried turkey, delicious crispy skin.
# A very large pot -- You need a pot large enough to completely submerge your turkey in oil, generally something in the 40-50 quart range will work. Head to your local restaurant supply store to find large, cheap pots.
# An outdoor burner -- don't even think about doing this inside your house.
# A lot of oil -- Head to one of the big box stores and stock up on peanut or sunflower oil (or another oil with a high smoking point)
# Protective gloves and jacket -- so any splattering oil doesn't send you to the emergency room.
== Preparation ==
The first thing to do is make sure your turkey is completely defrosted -- water (from melting ice) and hot oil is a very bad combination.
Remove the neck and giblets if there are any, along with a pop-up thermometer if your turkey came with one.
If you don't have a deep frying basket large enough to hold a turkey, you'll need to make a handle. Place the turkey on its shoulders (where the head was) and run some heavy gauge wire through the body, just beneath the breast (by the wings). Pull the wire through and loop back around, pulling it through several times to make a handle.
Twist up any excess wire so you don't cut yourself and be sure to test your handle an make sure it is strong enough to pick up your turkey.
Now it's time to get your burner ready. Find a flat, stable surface outside to hold your burner. Make sure the area is dry and well ventilated and that there's nothing flammable in the vicinity.
Before you start the burner fill your pot with water and immerse the turkey. The water level should cover the turkey completely, but still be five or six inches below the rim of your pot. Remove the turkey and note water level -- this is how much oil you'll need in the pot.
Now wash your turkey inside and out and pat it dry. Make sure it is very dry. Then season it however you would like.
**Thoroughly dry both the pot and the turkey before continuing**
== Cooking ==
Deep frying a turkey is a really a two person job, you need one person to always be with the turkey, keeping an eye on the pot, making sure the oil isn't smoking and the turkey is cooking properly and another to help out.
To get started fill your completely dry pot with oil up to the point you noted earlier when you put the water in. Now light your burner and let the oil head up to about 350 degrees F (175C).
Now put on the protective gloves and jacket and, using a metal hook to hold your wire handle, pick up the bird. Have the person helping you turn off the burner while you put the turkey in the oil -- this will prevent one of the major source of deep fryer accidents, spattering oil hitting the open flame.
Turn off the burner and gently lower the bird into the oil. The reaction -- even with a thorough dry bird -- will be violent and oil will spray. Be extremely careful and lower the Turkey slowly to minimize splattering oil.
Once your bird is in the oil, the hard part is over. You can relax a bit and set the timer -- generally allow about 4 minutes of cooking time per pound of turkey.
**Never leave the turkey fryer unattended.**
Once the turkey has cooked for the allotted about of time, remove the turkey and check the internal temperature with a food thermometer. The internal temperature should be 165°F to 170°F in the breast and 175°F to 180°F in the thigh.
When your turkey is done, allow it to cool and remove the wire handle.
== Safety Tips ==
# Always keep a grease fire extinguisher handy, make sure your extinguisher is rated for grease fires.
# Make sure other people, especially children, and pets stay away from the cooking area.
# Allow the oil to cool completely before disposing or storing.
# Immediately wash hands, utensils, equipment and surfaces that have come in contact with raw turkey.
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