Written by Scot Chisholm
This article is for anyone that’s looking to fry the perfect turkey - even in colder climates!
Last year we fried our turkey in negative ten degree weather, so I don’t want to hear any excuses!
Hey guys, I’m Scot Chisholm, one of the owners of Haskill Creek - a health & wellness store in the small mountain town of Whitefish, Montana. We’ve been frying our Thanksgiving turkey for the past seven years now and I’m happy to report a 100% success rate without the house burning down. It’s not lost on me that I’m writing an article about frying a turkey as the owner of a health store. But listen - there’s some things in life you just don’t mess with - and frying a turkey is one of them!
So why move away from the traditional oven baked turkey? It was like a dirty secret that no one wanted to talk about around the table - oven baked turkey isn’t much better than eating chalk for dinner. That’s why you see fights breaking out for the gravy, potatoes and everything else you can get your hands on. It’s a race to smother your turkey as fast as you can!
One year my father-in-law, Joe and I started looking for answers. It led us down a rabbit hole of turkey options: from rotisserie to smoked - we tried them all. But there was one clear winner, and it wasn’t even close. The fried turkey. This was the equivalent of going from a cafeteria burger to Five Guys. There was no going back.
We’re now in our eighth year of frying and we’ve picked up a lot of tips along the way - especially for frying a turkey in cold temperatures. So I added cold climate tips for all of you cold weather chefs out there!
I hope this article helps you fry the perfect turkey. Eat your heart out friends.
- Scot
Frying a turkey sounds intimidating, but you don’t need to be a cooking expert to pull it off without blowing something up. Let me help you get over your fear of frying…
“I’ll burn the house down!” – This is the number one fear, and for good reason. But with a few simple precautions, it’s 100% avoidable. Don’t be an idiot and you’ll be fine. Our safety tips are included below. Don’t just read them, follow them.
“It’s too complicated!” – It’s true, there are more steps than a traditional oven baked turkey. But frying a turkey isn’t rocket science. For a little extra work, and a lot more fun, you’re guests are going to be thanking you for years!
“It’s too cold outside!” – No pain no gain! We’ve done it in negative ten-degree weather with smiles on our face (and some frozen nose hairs) and you can too! The key is dressing warmly (layers, layers, layers) so you can monitor the turkey without being too uncomfortable. A warm drink in your hand works wonders.
🥶 Cold climate tip: It’ll take longer for the frying oil to heat up, and for the turkey to cook. Factor this into your planning (details below).
Frying a turkey isn’t complicated if you have the right tools and ingredients ready to go. Here’s everything you need to fry the perfect turkey.
Frying Tools You Need:
A propane turkey fryer kit (get one with a sturdy base, 30-quart frying pot and a deep fry thermometer included).
Two full propane tanks. You’ll likely need one, but having a backup is key in-case the first is defective.
A meat thermometer (oil-safe and instant-read).
Heat resistant gloves (for handling close to the fryer)
A long pole or broom handle for lowering and removing the turkey
Fire extinguisher (don’t skip this one!).
Meat injector syringe (if you want to add this pro move)
Goggles (we’ve never worn goggles, but a lot of people do).
🥶 Cold climate tip: You’ll want to bundle up so you’re comfortable outside. Lots of layers are key. But make sure you’re not wearing a jacket you really care about. It’s likely the frying oil will somehow get on your clothes - at least it always does for me!
Fried Turkey Ingredients:
• 10-12 lb turkey (start small if you’re a beginner). Go to 14-15 lb if you’re a pro.
• 3-4 gallons of peanut oil
• Dry rub seasonings for the turkey (more below)
• Optional: Marinade for extra flavor, used with meat injector (more below)
Pro Tip: Don’t skip on the oil. Peanut oil is best to fry with because it has a high smoke point and mild flavor. Here’s my pick for a high quality pure peanut oil that’s also gluten free. For a cheaper option, try this one. We’ve used both successfully.
🥶 Cold climate tip: Don’t go larger than a 14-pound turkey if you’re frying your turkey in freezing temperatures - it’ll take too long to cook!
Frying accidents are no joke. If you’re going to fry your turkey, you need to take this section seriously. Propane accidents are some of the nastiest out there. Luckily they can be avoided by following a simple list of safety steps.
Watch your alcohol intake: Accidents happen when you make dumb mistakes. Pace yourself or save the alcohol for after the turkey is done.
Always fry outside: Keep the fryer far from the house, garage, or any flammable structures. We usually set up in our driveway away from the house.
Move propane away from pot: Move the propane tank as far away from the frying pot as it will go (the length of the hose).
Level your pot / burner: A level pot and burner ensures the oil stays steady and doesn’t spill. It also ensures equal heat distribution on the bottom of the pot.
Dry turkey & pot completely: Moisture is the enemy of frying. Make sure the turkey and pot are completely dry before adding oil. This means thawing your turkey days in advance. You don’t want any ice crystals in the bird.
Don’t overfill the pot with oil: Make sure the turkey fits the pot. A 30-34 quart pot is perfect for a 12-15 lb turkey. Follow the instructions below to determine how much oil to pour into the pot.
Turn the burner off when handling the turkey: This is one of the most important safety steps. Always turn off the propane burner when lowering or removing the turkey from the pot. This ensures that no oil drops into the flame.
Use a pole to lower the turkey: We use a long broom handle with the turkey hooked in the middle (dangling down). This keeps us far from the oil as we slowly lower or lift the bird from the pot. The hook comes with the frying kit.
Keep a fire extinguisher handy: It’s rare to need one, but you’ll be glad you have it just in case.
🥶 Cold climate tip: Make sure the frying area that you’ve located is free of snow and ice. Also make sure there’s a ice-free path from the house to the frying area.
Step 1: Do the Pre-Work
Thaw your turkey completely. A frozen turkey in hot oil is a recipe for disaster. This means putting it in the refrigerator a couple days early!
IMPORTANT: This pre-step is how you figure out how much oil to pour into the pot on frying day.
Before you take the turkey out of the plastic wrapper, put your turkey into the frying basket and into the frying pot. Then fill the pot with water until the turkey is covered by about an inch or so. Take the turkey out of the pot, and mark where the water level is on the pot. I use a sharpie and draw a line directly on the pot. This mark tells you how much oil to add when its time to fry!
Remove the turkey from the plastic wrapper. Then remove the neck and giblets (yum!)
Pat the bird completely dry inside and out (very important!)
Step 2: Create a Tasty Dry Rub
Dry bringing is perfect for fried turkey because it helps lock in the moisture. You can make your dry brine the day-of, or do it a day early and let it sit in the fridge overnight to absorb the spices. We do the latter for extra flavor.
Feel free to use whatever dry rub you like. But here’s the dry rub base that I usually use:
3 tablespoons garlic salt (or seasoned salt + garlic powder)
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon of chili powder
These measurements are a rough guide. Feel free to dial ingredients up or down based on preference. It’s very hard to overdo a dry rub. More is usually better. It might seem like a lot of salt, but it helps cut through the oil and make the turkey well-seasoned.
Put all the ingredients into a bowl. Then grab the rub with your hands and start rubbing the turkey down the right way. Don’t be shy. Coat the turkey generously with your rub. Get it under the skin and into every nook and cranny.
Step 3: Create an Injection Marinade (optional)
This step is a flavor unlock! It takes a tad more time, but it took our fried turkey to the next level. This doesn’t replace the dry rub, you do both.
Here’s a homemade injection marinade that tastes great every time:
¼ cup melted butter
¼ cup olive oil
4 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons garlic salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons of finely ground Thyme, Oregano, Sage mix
½ large lemon, fresh squeezed
Pro move: Add 2 tablespoons of Siraycha for some extra flair.
Inject the marinade into the bird: Make sure the turkey is thawed and completely dry. Use the injector to pump it into the turkey breast, thighs and drumsticks. Less is more here. Try to keep the number of injection holes to a minimum (one per area of the bird). Then enter the same hole and move the needle to a slightly different location.
If you decide to use an injection marinade, I always do this the day before and let the bird sit in the fridge for 24 hours prior to frying
We finally made it to the moment of truth! By now you’ve followed all the safety tips and prepared the turkey for frying. To bring it to the promise land follow these steps below:
Step 1: Set up the fryer
Locate your safe frying location using the safety steps. Place the fryer in the safe location, making sure its level. Hook it up to the propane tank but keep the tank off. Move the propane tank away from the pot (as far as the pipe allows). Triple check the entire unit, especially the pot, is dry. Wipe the pot down one last time.
Pro tip: Feel free to put a tarp on the ground to protect against any mess or spillage. Just make sure the unit remains level.
🥶 Cold climate tip: If you cleared the frying area of snow and ice the day before, make sure you double check again on frying day. Even laying some rock salt on the path to and from the house.
Step 2: Fill the pot with oil
Add your peanut oil to the pot, filling it up to the marked line you made during the pre-work step. This way you know you’re not over-filling the pot once the turkey is put in. Make sure no oil drips on any of the equipment (exterior of the pot, etc.). If so, clean any spillage before proceeding. Make sure the frying basket is not in the pot during this step.
Step 3: Heat the oil
Put the deep fry thermometer into the pot, making sure the bottom is in the oil. Put the lid on the pot. Turn the propane tank on. Turn the burner on (there’s usually a button to press like a grill). Once on, turn it up to high and heat the oil to 325-350°F. Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature. At non-freezing temperatures, this usually takes around 30-minutes.
While the oil is heating, put the turkey stabilizer (metal piece with a ring at the end, comes with the frying kit) inside the bird and out the other end. Then place the bird into the frying basket, with the ring facing up. This keeps the turkey properly in place within the basket as you lower it.
🥶 Cold climate tip: At around freezing, or below, this step can take much longer. You should plan for this to take about an hour (or more) to heat up to an acceptable temperature. If the temperature is really cold, you may never get to 325-350°F (this has happened to us many times). In this case, around 300°F is fine. It will just take a bit longer for the turkey to cook.
Step 4: Place the bird into the frying pot
This step requires two people. When the oil has reached an acceptable temperature, it’s time to put the bird into the frying pot. Start by turning off the burner. Then remove the frying pot lid using your heat resistant gloves.
Return to the turkey and put the pole (or broom) through the turkey hanger (another metal piece that looks like a clothing hanger and has a hook on the end of it). Each person holds the pole from either side, and works together to secure the hanger hook to the basket handle and lift up. At this point the entire basket (with turkey inside) should be hanging from the middle of the pole that you and a partner are carrying. Walk together carefully to the frying area and VERY slowly lower the basket into the frying pot.
The oil will react as you lower the basket & bird into the oil. This is normal. But you want to make sure it doesn’t over react and start spilling out the sides of the pot. If you follow the pre-steps to get the oil level right, you’ll almost certainly be fine. Either way, watch how the oil reacts as you lower the basket into the oil, and pause to let the oil settle if it starts reacting too much. The pole trick makes this part MUCH easier (and safer) than doing it by hand closer to the pot.
Step 5: Cook the turkey
Frying a turkey takes about 3 to 3.5 minutes per pound. A 10-pound turkey takes about 35 minutes to cook. A 12-pound turkey takes about 45 minutes to cook. Keep the temperature between 300-350°F.
The turkey is done when the internal temperature reaches 165°F in the breast and 180°F in the thigh. If the turkey hasn’t reached these temperatures, keep it in the frying pot longer.
🥶 Cold climate tip: As mentioned before, it’s much tougher to get the oil to 350°F at freezing temperatures. We usually get it to about 300°F or so. When you put the turkey into the oil, the temperature drops further. So, in a really cold climate you end up cooking the bird around 275-300°F which increases the cooking time to about 4.5 - 5.5 minutes per pound. That means the same 10–pound turkey could take 45-55 minutes, and the 12-pound turkey could take 54-66 minutes.
This makes relying on your meat thermometer even more important. Be patient and wait until the internal temperatures reach the right levels. If it’s being really stubborn, you can pull the bird out at an internal temperature of 155°F, set it inside, and let the oils continue to cook the turkey in a warmer environment to an internal temp of 165°F.
Step 6: Remove & rest
Once the turkey has reached the right internal temperature it’s time to take it out of the oil. Start by turning off the burner and propane. This is VERY important since the bird will be dripping with oil. Next, grab your partner and your trusty pole (with the hanger in the middle still) and approach the frying pot. Very carefully hook the hanger to the ring of the turkey stabilizer and start lifting the turkey out of the pot and the basket. Hold the turkey over the pot and allow the oil to drain off it. Then walk with your partner back into the house and place the turkey on a cookie sheet in the kitchen. Allow it to sit for 30 minutes.
Pro tip: We pull the turkey out of the frying pot directly without the basket. This is less messy and allows the bird to drain quicker.
Step 7: Carve, serve & enjoy!
Place the turkey on a cutting board and use the turkey carver to carve your masterpiece. Done right, the turkey should practically melt off the bone. It’s crispy, juicy and downright amazing. I’m proud of you, now go and enjoy your dinner!