The Perfect Temperature for Deep Frying Turkey – Get It Just Right for Crispy, Juicy Results

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Deep frying turkey has become a popular cooking method for its quick cook time and irresistibly moist tender meat encased in a crispy skin. But achieving the ideal texture and doneness requires carefully monitoring the oil temperature. What is the perfect temperature for deep frying turkey? Follow this guide for crispy golden success.

Why Temperature Matters

The oil temperature impacts cooking time and food safety when deep frying turkey. Higher heat speeds up cooking. But too high creates uncontrolled boiling and burning. Lower temperatures slow cooking and may not heat the turkey thoroughly.

Maintaining the oil within the ideal 350-375°F temperature range is key for proper deep frying results. This allows the turkey to cook quickly while crisping up the skin. Monitoring with a cooking thermometer prevents overheating.

Best Practices for Deep Frying Temps

For optimal deep fried turkey texture, flavor and food safety:

  • Heat oil to 350-375°F before carefully lowering the turkey in the pot

  • Use a cooking thermometer clipped to the pot side to monitor temperature.

  • Adjust burner heat to maintain oil temperature of 350-375°F.

  • Cook turkey 3-5 minutes per pound to an internal temperature of 165°F.

  • Double check oil temp when lowering and removing turkey.

  • Allow oil to return to temperature between batches.

Controlling deep fryer heat prevents boiling over or burning from excessive temperatures. And it ensures the turkey reaches safe internal doneness.

Internal Temperature – 165°F is Key

While fryer oil should stay at 350-375°F, the internal turkey temperature is equally important. Use an instant-read thermometer to check doneness.

The USDA recommends cooking turkey to an internal temperature of 165°F to destroy any harmful bacteria. Check the breast, thighs and wings in a few spots.

At 165°F, the turkey will be cooked through without drying out from overcooking. Remove immediately when it reaches the target temp.

Undercooked turkey below 165°F runs the risk of bacteria survival and foodborne illness. Letting it go over leads to dry, stringy meat.

Oil Over 375°F – Trouble Ahead

What happens if the oil creeps above the 375°F maximum? Problems such as:

  • Boiling over – Bubbling oil can overflow the pot and ignite.

  • Burning oil – Overheated oil will darken and acquire a bitter taste.

  • Fast cooking – Too-high temps result in burnt outsides but undercooked insides.

  • Uneven cooking – Meat near bones or cavity cooks slower than exposed areas.

  • Fire hazard – The pot itself can overheat and ignite nearby combustibles.

Closely monitoring temperatures prevents oil from exceeding the 375°F top limit. Adjust heat down if it starts creeping up.

Oil Under 300°F – Issues May Arise

On the other end, oil that drops below 300°F can also create problems:

  • Slow cooking – Lengthens overall cook times leading to impatience.

  • Raw turkey – The interior may not reach safe 165°F minimum.

  • Oil absorption – Cooler oil allows more seepage into the turkey meat.

  • Poor texture – Without sufficient heat, the meat won’t fully tenderize and crisp.

  • Bacteria – Lower temperatures incubate dangerous pathogens.

If the oil dips under 300°F, give it time to reheat before continuing. Keep adjusting burner heat to maintain proper range.

Tips for Monitoring Temperatures

Follow these handy tips to keep temperatures in check while deep frying turkey:

  • Use cooking thermometers for oil and turkey doneness. Digital instant-read models provide fastest accuracy.

  • Clip thermometer to side of pot to track oil temp continuously.

  • Make temperature adjustments gradually – raise or lower heat slowly.

  • Allow oil to reheat fully between batches. Check temp before lowering next turkey.

  • If oil exceeds 385°F, carefully remove from heat and allow to cool before reuse.

  • Insert thermometer into thickest part of thigh to check internal doneness.

With the oil maintained at the 350-375°F ideal temperature range, you’ll achieve perfectly cooked deep fried turkey with crispy browned skin and moist, tender meat in under an hour. Monitor carefully and enjoy the delicious rewards!

at what temperature is a deep fried turkey cooked

How to Fry a Turkey Outdoors

This is the best-known method, and has spawned a slew of unfortunate deep-fried-turkey disaster videos. Frankly, I think this method is pretty darned dangerous.

Youll need an outdoor turkey-frying rig, which includes a burner and stand, a pot, a thermometer for the oil, and the hanger and lowering mechanism for the bird. I used a Brinkmann model; Kenji has used the Bayou Classic. Neither of us has complaints about them.

Youll also need a propane tank. You should not try to jury-rig your own setup.

The biggest mistakes people make when using this method are: setting up the fryer in or near a home or other combustible thing; overfilling the pot so that the hot oil spills over when the turkey is lowered into it; and dropping the turkey, causing the hot oil to splash.

at what temperature is a deep fried turkey cooked

You should also have a fire extinguisher nearby that is rated to work with grease fires; attempting to extinguish a grease fire with water is incredibly dangerous.

To avoid an overflow of oil, its necessary to first determine exactly how much oil you need. To do that, put the turkey in the pot and fill it with water, measuring as you go, until the turkey is covered by about half an inch or so; remove the turkey and pat it dry with paper towels.

Once the turkey is removed, the water in the pot should be below the maximum-fill line. Pour out the water, dry the pot well, then fill the pot with the equivalent amount of oil.

at what temperature is a deep fried turkey cooked

A good setup should be in an open area, a safe distance from anything combustible. In the photo above, you can see weve set the burner and propane tank on a concrete surface, and theres nothing within about 10 feet of it in any direction. Be sure not to walk between the propane tank and the burner: You can trip on the gas line, causing the pot of oil to tumble.

Once the oil has reached its temperature, about 350°F, insert the hanger through the bird.

at what temperature is a deep fried turkey cooked

Make sure its hooks catch the bird well.

at what temperature is a deep fried turkey cooked

You should be able to hold the turkey securely.

When youre ready to lower the turkey into the oil, youre going to want to wear heavy oven mitts and a solid pair of shoes, and not have any skin showing. Shorts and sandals are a bad idea.

Kenji recommends shutting off the burner for this part, then relighting it once the turkey is in the pot so theres no chance at all of a flare-up during turkey entry. Thats a good idea (youll see why in a second), though it also means monkeying around under a pot of hot oil to relight the burner after the bird is in, which comes with its own risks.

at what temperature is a deep fried turkey cooked

Lower the turkey very, very slowly. Ease it into the oil, and if anything seems to go wrong, abort by carefully lifting the turkey out, not by dropping it in—splashing oil can mess you up real bad.

at what temperature is a deep fried turkey cooked

In the photo above, youll see why its a good idea to turn the burner off when lowering the turkey into the oil, and also why the maximum size bird (in this case, 18 pounds) is not a great idea.

Even though I had measured my oil carefully to account for displacement, even though I made sure the turkey was dry and free of all ice, even though I lowered it slowly, a jet of hot oil still managed to shoot out of the pot once the turkey was fully in. In this particular shot, we see oil spattering out of the pot, some of it igniting down by the burner, and me running to the fire extinguisher while yelling to Vicky to get away.

The good news is that nothing bad happened and things quickly came under control, but this is a good example of how, even if you do everything right, deep-frying a turkey like this can still be risky.

at what temperature is a deep fried turkey cooked

Once the turkey is in, itll fry pretty quickly. Most people say about three minutes per pound of bird, but Id start checking it even sooner than that. My oil level started out above the turkey, but it slowly went down as the bird cooked, leaving part of it exposed toward the end. This didnt have any negative impact on the bird or its skin.

When youre ready to check the temperature with an instant-read thermometer, use the hook to fish the turkey out, and lift it very slowly, allowing oil to drain off as you raise it.

at what temperature is a deep fried turkey cooked

It helps to recruit a friend to check the temperature.

at what temperature is a deep fried turkey cooked

When it reaches an internal temperature of 145°F, its ready. Let it rest for about 20 minutes before cutting into it.

Check Your Bird for Ice, Twice

at what temperature is a deep fried turkey cooked

Another thing you definitely dont want to do is put a wet or icy turkey in hot oil. The result could land you in the hospital, particularly if there are chunks of ice.

Be extra careful with this: A seemingly fully defrosted turkey may harbor ice in its cavity, especially between the rib bones. That cavity acts as its own little icebox, and even when the rest of the bird has fully thawed, the cavity itself may still be very cold. Quadruple-check that there is no ice hidden in there, and dry the bird well, inside and out, before putting it in the hot oil.

at what temperature is a deep fried turkey cooked

Deep Fried Turkey: To Time? Or To Temp?

FAQ

What is the internal temperature of a deep fried turkey?

Cook the turkey about 3 to 4 minutes per pound. The turkey is done when the dark meat is at an internal temperature of 175° F to 180° F and all white meat is at an internal temperature of 165° F to 170° F.

Do you deep-fry a turkey at 325 or 350?

Here’s how: Once the oil has reached the correct temperature (350 degrees for turkeys that are 10 to13 pounds, 325 for 14- to 20-pound turkeys) carefully lower the turkey into the boiling oil. Lower the turkey partially, then lift out, and repeat 3 or 4 times.

How long to fry a 15 pound turkey?

Fry the turkey for 3 minutes per pound (455 grams). For a 15 lb (6.8 kg) turkey, this will take 45 minutes. Make sure the oil temp is maintained at 350°F (180°C). After 45 minutes, turn off your propane burner and then gently remove the turkey from the oil.

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