How to Regulate Heat on a Propane Turkey Fryer
Fried turkey is a delicious meal to indulge in during the holiday of Thanksgiving. With proper attention to safety precautions, you can easily make your own delicious fried turkey using a propane turkey fryer. Although it may seem like a ton of preparation and work, in actuality it is quite simple to regulate the heat of the fryer and create a meal that will please.
Items Needed:
- Propane turkey fryer
- Instant-read thermometer (Standard or Digital)
- Oil with a smoke point higher than 400 degrees Fahrenheit (Peanut oil, canola oil, soy oil, etc.)
- Propane tank
- Fire extinguisher
- Cooking gloves and cooking apron
- Poultry stand
- Grab hook
Caution: When using a propane turkey fryer, you must be outdoors. It can be very detrimental to your health or even fatal to use one indoors due to excess carbon dioxide put out by the propane burners.
Instructions:
- Allow the turkey to defrost thoroughly. This is a crucial step, as it is very dangerous to attempt to fry an icy turkey in hot oil, even if it is only partway frozen.
- Determine how much oil you will pour into the turkey frying pot. To do this, place your turkey (still in the plastic) in the pot and fill it with water until there is around two inches of water over the turkey. Remove the turkey.
- Leave a marking on the waterline, or measure the distance between the top of the pot and the top of the waterline.
- Get rid of the water. Be sure to completely dry the inside of the pot.
- Fill the pot with oil up to the spot where you marked or measured up to.
- Put your turkey on the poultry stand with the legs of the turkey facing upwards. At this point, your turkey is out of the plastic and can be seasoned and injected with marinade for flavor. Wait about 45 minutes with the turkey on the stand before you fry it.
- Place the thermometer in the pot of oil.
- Light your burner and allow it to heat up to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Turn the burner off when it is heated to the proper temperature.
- Slowly and carefully, dip the turkey all the way into the pot using the grab hook. Do not rush.
- Light the burner and allow it to heat up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Leave this temperature constant for the remainder of the time you are frying your turkey.
- Leave the turkey in the pot for about three minutes to five minutes per pound.
- Keep an eye on your turkey. Do not allow the temperature to go over 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- When your turkey has been frying for the allotted amount of time, turn the burner off.
- Remove the turkey.
- Determine the internal temperature of the turkey. It should be somewhere in the 165 degrees Fahrenheit to 170 degrees Fahrenheit range.
- Allow the turkey to stand for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Carve and serve the turkey. Enjoy!