One time some guys volunteered to make fried turkeys for the local homeless shelter on Thanksgiving. Nice idea.

But they tried to fry them, still partially frozen, in BUTTER. Disaster.

Don't do that.

We've done it for the last couple years, but we did it the easy way :)

We bought an electric fryer from craigslist (found one with good reviews). Used Peanut Oil, and the most important thing was to keep the kids away and make sure you found a small enough turkey. There were quite a few turkeys that were either way too big or too tiny.

Oh - and get a cooler lined with aluminum foil to keep the turkey hot in (if you are doing more than one).

Have fun!

Oh - and - our fryer, came with VERY clear instructions that even my husband could follow.

Get a digital thermometer.

The oil will take FOREVER to heat up - so give it a couple hours before you want to fry to heat.

If you are worried about a grease fire, fry in an open space, not under a carport or patio, and keep a big box of baking powder on hand. I've never fried one, but I've seen it done plenty of times and open space is really recommended.

The "Fry, Turkey, Fry" episode of Good Eats, which can be found on YouTube, is the most comprehensive and safety-conscious set of turkey frying instructions I have ever seen. I've used the method to great effect several times, which is saying something, because I am Awkward. Watch the episode, learn from AB's evil genius, and all will be well. I know a lot of people write him off as an obsessive windbag, but trust me when I say you want his obsessive carefulness for something like this!

Fry in an open area and make sure the turkey is completely defrosted. If not you will have a nice little fire to deal with.

There's actually a post today on Serious Eats dredging up Thanksgiving posts from last year-- and Food Lab post on frying a turkey was one of them. Check it out!

One should be especially cautious when deep frying a turkey, and be aware that NO turkey fryers have been evaluated and deemed safe by Underwriters Laboratories: http://www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/offerings/perspectives/consumer/productsafety/turkeys/
If you must fry, wouldn't hurt to have a fire extinguisher on hand. And keep all children and pets inside, away from the fryer.

I'm a BIG fan of deep fried turkeys. It's a fantastic change of pace from the traditional oven roasted method. There's a great cookbook out there that has a lot of the basics on deep frying a turkey and lots of other things. We reviewed it here.

How To Deep Fry A Turkey (And Anything Else)

We've fried a turkey two different ways ... firstly with a the giant kettle over an open flame method and secondly with a counter-top fryer (looks like a big bread maker or fry-daddy). The second method is vastly easier, cleaner and safer. The machine costs a bit more but you save some in oil since you need less so there's some tradeoff there.

Ours is similar if not identical to this one: http://www.amazon.com/Masterbuilt-20010109-Butterball-Professional-Electric/dp/B002JM1ZMY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320159296&sr=8-1

Beyond the frying part itself, you of course need to season the beast. The way we've been told to do it making a marinade and then injecting under the skin. This has worked well but I'm sure there's plenty of alternatives out there.

Good luck!!

We fried 2 turkeys once for Thanksgiving about 10 years ago, and they came out great! It wasn't as scary as people think! However the deep fryer belonged to a friend so I haven't done it again and don't remember many details of the process. However, I do remember that I brined one the turkeys beforehand and it was fabulous. However the brine I use takes a little sugar, so the skin got kind of dark from the sugar caramelizing but it still tasted awesome!!

I don't get the unnecessary fears of frying turkeys (that said, aside from the skin, I don't find them mind blowingly tasty or worth the mess, but to each their own!) Frying a turkey is no scarier or more dangerous than say, making caramel or any other hot temp item.

-Use peanut oil. Tastes better, and has a higher flash point so you won't get smoke and grease fires.

-DO IT OUTSIDE! It sounds silly to say but come one people ,don't deep fry a 20lb bird on your stovetop or in your garage. Get a freestanding burner (usually sold as a turkey fryer or seafood boiler) and use that or, what we always used, if your bbq has a gas burner on the side of it (many do) just use that.

-Consider your pot to turkey size! Put your turkey in the pot and figure then how much oil to put. Don't fill a pot with oil then dunk in a turkey when its 450 degrees and have the oil displace out everywhere and on to the burner! THAT is how grease fires start! Make sure you leave enough room and have a big enough pot.

-HAVE A TOTALLY THAWED TURKEY! This is where the scary videos come from. Common sense should say not to cram a frozen turkey in a pot of boiling oil, but hey. It must be dry! Think of the last time you fried something (and if you're frying a turkey, please please be at least VERY comfortable with frying regular sized foods!) No one I know wastes the time brining or anything a turkey getting deep fried since that seals in the moisture for you but if you must, pat the entire thing as dry inside and out as possible. If it's getting deep fried- this isn't the time to try to get all Martha Stewart fancy on your turkey. The frying should be the focus.

Many people I know get a thin metal (think thicker than floral wire) and get it through a big bone in the turkey or at least around it to make getting it out or rotating it easier. Don't just dunk it in your oil and then worry about how you're going to fish it out. Get an exit strategy.

It's really not that difficult with planning. But, like I said, no matter how much you do it, it is a mess! I much prefer a oven roasted or smoked turkey to a fried one. Less stress and work and way less clean up later.

Alton Brown did an episode on the matter and has some super smart and helpful things to say:
http://www.foodnetworkfans.com/forum/alton-brown/11439-alton-brown-how-deep-fry-turkey-holidays.html

I would recommend that to get the proper amount of oil, you take the empty pot, put the bird in it, fill it with water so that the water is just above the bird, then take the bird out and mark where the water level is....try to keep the oil around that level when you fill it up and you won't have to worry about it overflowing.

Just be careful, don't be afraid and be confident in your actions!

If you're looking for a tender and juicy turkey, you could try slow cooking it. There was a post in the Kitchn last year about that. I didn't do it myself (vegetarian), but it seemed like a good idea. Just in case you decide not to risk a grease fire!

Looks like everyone has covered the safety tips, so I will just add - quarter some potatoes, and have a can of biscuit dough (I *know*, but really!) on hand - you can test the oil with these starchy delights, and provide appetizers / ruin the appetites of your guests with no additional effort.

Just another thought but considering how much money you are going to be spending on oil you might want to see if you do it as a group with friends to split the cost of the oil and do several turkeys.

Yum yum yum. Fried turkey is DElish.

1. DO IT OUTSIDE. Under no circumstances would you want to do this in the garage, in the basement, in the kitchen, in a shed, etc. EVER.

2. Use peanut oil. High smoke point, it tastes neutral. Your turkey won't taste like peanuts, I promise. Yes, it's expensive.

3. NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER put a wet bird into the fryer. NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER put a partially frozen bird into the fryer. Water + hot oil = splatters. Get enough, and your oil can spill over, starting a grease fire.

4. It takes a lot less time to cook a turkey in a deep fryer than in the oven. We cooked our bird a few years ago in 30 minutes. Do keep an eye on your bird.

Yum! Enjoy!!!

I will agree with basically everything that has been said before. I have been frying 1-4 turkeys for Thanksgiving and 1-3 turkeys for Christmas for the last 7 years or so.

1. Get the Turkey frying kit. They are usually around 40 bucks this time of year (in Texas, at least) and you get everything you need, except the bird, the oil and the propane. You also now have an awesome set up for a crab or shrimp boil.

2. Your turkey needs to be completely dry and completely thawed.

3. Injectable marinade makes the bird taste awesome. I always use Tony Chachere.

4. Figure the displacement by putting the turkey in and adding water. Then, pull the turkey out and you know how much oil you will need to use to cook it. REMEMBER TO DRY THE TURKEY BEFORE YOU PUT IT IN THE OIL.

5. Lower the turkey INCREDIBLY SLOWLY into the oil.

6. I usually do some kind of dry rub on the outside, even though most gets washed away in the oil.

7. I always start with a brand new tank of propane. Running out of fuel to cook the bird half-way through is a hassle.

8. If you are use to cooking a turkey any other way, you don't really need to worry about UNDER cooking. You need to worry about OVER cooking. It's too easy to think, "There is no way my bird is done in under 90 minutes," since it usually takes several hours. You can stick a thermometer in at any time, but you are going to be surprised how fast they cook!

9. When the bird is ready, cut the heat source first. Take it out as slowly as you put it in. The turkey will taste better if you let it rest for a while.

You should definitely watch the Alton Brown episode (see mui820's post). It is very informative and gives tips for safety as well as flavor. If done improperly, frying a turkey can be a dangerous endeavor. To ensure that you spend Thanksgiving around the dinner table and not in the ER, do yourself a favor and watch AB's episode on frying turkeys.

I'm with lemonadefish, it would be a shame to only use that big tub of hot oil for turkey! We fry hushpuppies, shrimp, dough, whatever! In my experience I've found a smaller bird turns out better, and since it's so fast & easy cooking two is hardly any more trouble. Then you can do different brines, herb/spice injections, etc. Enjoy!

Hi Kate, here's a very in-depth recipe I developed with the help of my boyfriend's family, who've been frying turkys for years! A step-by-step photo gallery should be posted soon. Hope this helps!

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/fried-turkey-recipe/index.html

the oil afterwards can be filtered and used again. if not into that or have used the oil a few times put it on craigslist and someone with a biodiesel car will be happy to take it off your hands :)

also the alton episode is great.we have created the turkey deryk with has been amazingly helpful with lowering and lifting the bird out with a safe distance. plus people think it's hilarious when you have apparatus :) good luck!

guys, you are the best! i heart the kitchn & its followers.

As stated in an earlier post comment, Alton Brown's Good Eats episode is the best step by step tut on how to fry a turkey. You can find it here on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctbj61jrUmE