When I think of Thanksgiving, visions of relatives and food naturally come to mind. I have been both blessed and spoiled with a family of phenomenal cooks, and while we have our tried and true staples, we also experiment with a new dish every once in awhile.
If you’re looking to mix things up on your own Thanksgiving dinner table, I recommend deep-fried turkey—it will transform your usually bland main dish into a moist and flavorful delicacy.
Please note, deep-frying a turkey is no laughing matter. If you’re not careful, you could singe your eyebrows off, or even worse, burn down your entire house. Seeing as how that would put a damper on your holiday, please adhere to the following guidelines this Thanksgiving:
- Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, deep-fry a turkey a) on your patio or b) in your garage. Position your fryer as far away from your house as humanly possible, and keep little Lucy and Spot inside. Also, please have the common sense to keep a fire extinguisher on hand. You might think I’m paranoid, but I prefer “prepared for any and all scenarios.”
- As I recall from high school science, oil and water are not friends. Thus, make sure your stockpot is thoroughly patted dry of H2O before submerging your poultry in molten lava fueled by propane.
- Do not stuff a turkey that you plan on deep frying, as it will keep the bird from cooking properly, and I imagine the stuffing will get all nice and grease-logged.
- Make sure your turkey is completely thawed before frying! If you don’t, the outside will become charred and the center will be undercooked. No one wants Salmonella.
- In order to ensure maximum tastiness, find a delicious recipe! Beginners will enjoy a simple deep-fried turkey while the more adventurous palate may want to try a Cajun deep-fried turkey.
For step-by-step cooking prep, take a look at Butterball’s how-to guide for deep-frying. You’ll never have roast turkey again!