How Long To Cook Turkey Breast In Infrared Fryer?

We’ve deep-fried a turkey for Thanksgiving every year for the past 16 years. Here’s how to do it without any oil. You’ll find out in the recipe what we learned after a near-accident around year two that there must be a safer way than to dangerously heat up 6 gallons of cooking oil on my front porch:

We bought the Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-Less Turkey Fryer a year ago, and since then, we’ve bought two more. One after we moved to Nevada (we gave our old one to a friend) and one for my brother’s house. It’s the best purchase we’ve ever made for a joyful, delicious Thanksgiving with a perfect, foolproof turkey, and it only costs $99!

PROs of the Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-Less Turkey Fryer

The device, an infrared fryer, is powered by a propane tank; your barbecue grill’s tank will do just fine.

In order for the turkey to cook evenly, the 16,000 BTU burner generates heat that circulates in the chamber around the bird. Fair enough, technically speaking, this isn’t “deep frying” a turkey, but the end result is nearly identical: moist, juicy meat (even the breast!) and crispy skin that can’t be achieved in the oven.

Here’s what we like about the Char-Broil Big Easy:

No oil needed. Previously, when deep-frying a turkey, not only did we have to buy 5 gallons of cooking oil, but we needed to discard of 5 gallons of used cooking oil afterwards. No oil is needed with the Char-Broil.

Compared to oven-roasting, using the Big Easy saves us so much time. Oven: 4 hours Big Easy: 2 hours (10 minutes per pound).

Fast heat up and cool down time: 60 seconds to heat up and the machine is already cool by the time dinner is over. In contrast to deep-frying with oil, you’d have to wait several hours for the oil to cool down completely.

Drippings are collected in a small container. With deep-frying in oil, no drippings.

Safe to use – No worries about tipping over or oil splattering (which has happened to us!)

Relatively inexpensive, worth the $99 investment for perfect deep fried turkey without oil, every year.

CONS of Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-Less Fryer

In line with our standard practice, we list the dreaded CONs.

Only 1 year warranty. Fortunately, we’ve never had any trouble with our unit. But I’m surprised that the warranty is only for 1 year, especially when you only use the machine once a year.

Single use machine – we’ve never used the Big Easy for anything other than Thanksgiving turkey. It’s a big machine, you’ll need to store it in the garage or attic, somewhere out of the way. Sure, you can cook chicken or kebabs in the machine, but would you really lug out this massive thing just to cook chicken?

No stuffing – If you love stuffing your turkey for oven roasting, you’ll find another way to make the stuffing/dressing. Personally, we’ve never stuffed our turkey, because it causes uneven cooking anyways. We’ve always made dressing in a 9″x13″ baking dish in the oven.

Basket and cooking pot are a pain to scrub at clean. The best way to clean the wire basket is to immediately scrub it while it’s still hot. Don’t try to put it in the dishwasher. The inner cooking pot also has to be cleaned…it’s just large and awkward.

Must use outdoors. Weather is a factor.

Here are some things to think about before using the Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-Less Fryer:

Propane – You’ll need to make sure you have plenty of propane. At least 1/2 a large tank. It would really suck to run out of propane when the turkey is not fully cooked! To be safe, just have a full tank ready.

Must be used outdoors – find a good spot that’s NOT windy….maybe a shielded area away from wind and draft.

The colder your outside temperature, the longer it will take to cook the turkey. A 13-pound turkey takes us about 90 minutes to cook in Las Vegas or sunny Florida. The same-sized turkey took us an additional 20 minutes at my brother’s old house in cold, windy Wichita, Kansas. If it’s snowing or raining outside, you’ll have do this under an overhang or covered patio.

Included with the Big Easy is a mesh lid. That lid is used during the last 15 minutes of cooking, to reflect some of the heat back and further brown the skin. In cold weather, you can use the mesh lid throughout cooking, to help keep more of the heat inside the cooking pot.

The first time you use the machine, you’ll have to season the cooking pot. That just means rubbing it with cooking oil and turning on the heat to high.

If you live in an apartment or simply don’t care about any of the cons I’ve listed above… Consider using one of these two appliances to cook your turkey if you don’t want to oven roast it. Both produce excellent results (and super-crispy skin) that are comparable to deep-fried turkey without the oil taste

Ronco Rotisserie Oven ($127) I love this machine. We use it to make rotisserie chicken and perfect prime rib at home in one easy step. A 12-pound turkey will fit in the oven, but I would suggest buying something a little smaller.

Nu Wave Oven ($95) Prior to owning the Ronco Rotisserie, this is what I used to make roast chicken. The chicken always came out perfect. One year, my Mom roasted her Thanksgiving turkey in the Nu Wave Oven. It was good, better than oven-roasted, but not better than the Char-Broil Big Easy or Ronco Rotisserie. This would be my 3rd choice. Plus, you can only roast a 10 pound turkey unless you have an extender ring.

If you’re convinced the Char Broil Big Easy is right for you, I’d appreciate it very much if you would purchase from Amazon and our affiliate link! Thank you!

Brining a turkey is a popular method for producing a juicy, tender bird that can be baked. This method works well for roasting in the oven, but I would not suggest it for deep-frying turkey. or in oil. Brining a turkey entails immersing the entire bird for 24 hours in a salt-and-sugar solution. 4 quarts water, 1 cup kosher salt, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar make up the mixture.

To fit the turkey and the brine, you must find a food-safe container that is large enough. Moreover, you need to find space in the refrigerator for this enormous container. Alternately, you could use a sizable, leak-proof plastic bag and a sizable, clean bucket.

If you can’t do that, the next best thing to do is to keep the temperature at or below 40oF by using a clean cooler and lots of ice.

Here’s the problem with brining turkey:

Submerging the turkey in brine water means you won’t get super-crispy skin. The skin is full of water, the meat just under the skin is full of brine water. If you decide to deep fry turkey WITH oil…that combination spells trouble Water + massive vat of boiling oil = danger. Lowering a brined turkey (even if you pat the skin very dry) into the oil will produce skin-burning splatters. The oil will continue to bubble fiercely for at least 20 minutes. It’s dangerous.If you are making deep fried turkey without oil, the infrared heat will spend its time evaporating the water on the skin, instead of crisping the skin. Even if you are oven-roasting a brined turkey, it’s difficult to get crispy skin, even if you turn up the heat in the last stage of cooking.

Brining a turkey in a cooler requires babysitting. You need to keep an eye on the temperature of the water, to ensure it doesn’t go above 40ºF. Have a bag of ice on hand and refill with ice as needed. Adding ice also means you’ll be diluting the brine, so you’ll have to add more concentrated brine solution. Also, do you have room in the freezer for a big bag of ice?

Brining a turkey is a mess. The cooler has to be thoroughly cleaned and bleached before and after brining.

If you are still set on brining, count on starting the brine 2 days prior to Thanksgiving. On day 1, brine. On day 2, discard the brine, pat the turkey very dry inside and outside. Place the turkey in a roasting pan, and refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 12 hours. This process will allow the turkey skin to dry, to help you produce that desired crispy skin.

A better way to ensure juicy turkey without brining

A better method for producing the most juicy and tender meat (and at the same time, crispy skin) when making deep-fried turkey without oil is to inject the bird with the brine/marinade solution. The water is kept AWAY from the skin of the turkey by injecting deeply into the meat.

We combine water, salt, maple syrup, and a tiny amount of liquid smoke to create a solution.

Whisk together until the salt dissolves:

2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke, and 1 cup hot water.

To cool the mixture down and make it safe to inject into the turkey, add 1/2 cup of ice.

What is Liquid Smoke?

Using liquid smoke, a natural seasoning, gives your food a smoked flavor Woods, such as hickory or mesquite, are burned. Smoke is collected, condensed, and cooled. Water is added and the liquid smoke is bottled.

Some brands add flavoring and artificial colors, so try to stay away from those. My favorite brand is Wrights Liquid Smoke. There are only 2 ingredients: water and hickory smoke concentrate.

I love this stuff, but only in very small amounts. It’s made from real smoke, so if you’re thinking, “Ewww…fake smoke,” you probably enjoy bacon, smoked gouda cheese, beef jerky, and smoked sausages. you’ve probably had liquid smoke.

The turkey has the tiniest hint of smoke flavor thanks to liquid smoke. One of those ingredients where a little goes a long way is unquestionably this one.

There are proper and improper ways to inject a turkey. The skin of the turkey should not be punctured arbitrarily, like a mad scientist, with injections. You want to avoid going through the skin because doing so will only result in the marinade leaking out onto the skin.

Instead, go under the skin, and inject the turkey.

Simply locate areas where you can inject without penetrating the skin.

Place the turkey in a large pot, breast side up, after injecting. It’s nice and plump, like turkey botox.

Refrigerate 2 hours (up to 24 hours) without covering. If you must cover, simply tent with a sheet of tin foil. As a result, the skin can stay dry and develop crispy skin.

Why is injecting better than brining?

Skin stays dry, allowing for the skin to become extra crispy when cooked.

Takes up less room in refrigerator

Less messy than brining

Takes less time than brining- brining takes 24 hours, injecting only takes a couple of hours. NOTE: Some experts say that you can inject and then cook immediately. I would not recommend this for deep frying turkey. The 2-hour resting time allows the marinade to settle into the turkey meat. Excess marinade will leak out, which is what you want it to do, instead of leaking out into your boiling hot oil (for deep frying) or in the cooking pot (for oil-less frying).

When you should NOT brine or inject the turkey

The turkey doesn’t need to be brined or given any injections if it is Kosher. As part of the kosher procedure, pre-brineing is already done on kosher turkey.

Choosing the perfect turkey for deep frying without oil

We don’t skimp on our turkeys. We like to purchase the best-tasting turkey we can for our annual family feast. Another important consideration is humanely raised turkeys. Diestel, a family-run, environmentally friendly ranch in California, is our favorite brand.

Their sustainable practices have earned the company a 5+ welfare rating, the highest possible rating from the nonprofit Global Animal Partnership. You can find their turkeys at Whole Foods or on their website. The bird we used in the photos for deep frying turkey without oil is from Diestel – last year, they sent over a Pasture-Raised turkey and a fully cooked turkey for us to try. Since then, we’ve purchased a Diestel turkey from Whole Foods and plan on another one this Thanksgiving.

Also, if you’re not into cooking a whole turkey, they do sell already cooked whole turkey, that you can just warm up in the oven and serve.

Deep Fried Turkey Without Oil using Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-Less Turkey Fryer

First, calculate the time you need:

When ready to cook, pat the turkey once more to remove any remaining moisture. Brush skin of turkey with a bit of cooking oil. Remember that you’ve already had salt injected into your body, so go easy on the seasoning if it contains a lot of salt. Season with your favorite salt-free or low-salt herb or dry rub poultry seasoning. Additionally, pick a seasoning with little to no sugar because sugar will make your skin burn. Best: make your own seasoning:

1 tablespoon each of paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, and freshly ground black pepper.

To help prevent the turkey from sticking to the basket, drizzle some cooking oil onto a wad of paper towel and rub the wires with the oil. Make sure the turkey’s wings and drumsticks are neatly tucked in before placing it in the basket.

Preheat the Char-Broil Big Easy Fryer for a minute. Before adding the turkey, breast up, make sure the appliance is turned on and heating up.

If you’re using the Char-Broil Big Easy for the first time, you might start to worry after an hour of cooking. It’s going to look like this for a long time. Will it cook in time? When will the skin crisp?.

When the deepest part of the breast registers 150oF to 155oF, we like to remove the turkey. No higher than that. The turkey will continue to cook while it’s resting.

Remove that bad boy from its cage by bringing it inside on a sizable cutting board. You wouldn’t want to drop the turkey on the ground because it’s a heavy creature.

The turkey should easily plop out of the basket if you followed my advice to oil it.

Beautiful, crispy skin: Deep Fried Turkey without Oil.

The skin is thin, crackly-crispy.

And the meat is so juicy and flavorful.

How to Calculate Cooking Time

According to the Char-Broil Big Easy, a pound of turkey will cook in 9–10 minutes. Don’t only rely on your watch. Use an instant read thermometer to check temperature. Just use minutes per pound as a guideline.

Also, consider the weather conditions that you are cooking in. Calculate 11 minutes per pound if it’s extremely cold (like when we were cooking in Wichita).

The basket will hold a 16 pound turkey. A 12 to 14 pound turkey, which can feed a large number of people (with leftovers), produces the best results.

Cooking a 14-pound turkey for 10 minutes takes about 140 minutes.

+ Overnight or for a 120-minute injection marinade

+ 10 minutes hooking up Big Easy, testing connection

+ any additional time to accommodate cold weather

+ 15 minutes resting time before carving

Don’t worry! You can still make gravy. With fresh thyme, garlic, onion, and bay leaves, simmer the neck and gizzard (inside the pouch you stuffed in the cavity of the turkey you purchased). That stock will serve as the foundation for the gravy. Slide out the drippings collection pan carefully after your turkey has finished frying in the Big Easy, and then stir a few spoonfuls of the drippings into your gravy.

Deep Fried Turkey without Oil – CharBroil Big Easy Turkey Fryer

1 cup hot water

1/4 cup kosher salt

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke

For the Dry Rub

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoon dried thyme

freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons cooking oil

neck and gizzard from turkey no liver (you can also use wing tips from turkey)

1/2 onion chopped

3 cloves garlic keep cloves whole

1 quart turkey or chicken stock

3 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons turkey drippings

2 Hours Prior to Cooking Time, Inject the Turkey

Discard any plastic ties or plastic pop-up timers from turkey. To prepare the injection marinade, whisk together the hot water, salt, maple syrup and liquid smoke, until salt dissolves. Add in ice cubes to cool. Inject the turkey in several places, without puncturing the skin.

Place turkey, breast side up, in large pan. Refrigerate, uncovered for 2 hours, up to 24 hours. Its best to let the turkey un-chill a bit on kitchen counter prior to cooking – bring turkey to counter for the last 1 hour.

Prepare the Char-Broil Big Easy

Rub cooking basket with cooking oil. Brush cooking oil all over skin of turkey. Season turkey with dry rub, inside and out. Insert turkey into basket, with breast side up. Turn on Big Easy, make sure the flame is strong, and cooking pot is heating up.

Lower in the turkey in the basket. Cook, uncovered, about 9-10 minutes per pound. During last 15 minutes of cooking, cover with the wire mesh lid to allow turkey to brown. The breast should register 150F-155F. Remove turkey and let rest for 15 minutes before removing from basket. **While turkey is cooking, make gravy.

While the turkey is cooking, make the gravy. In a large sauce pan, heat the cooking oil over high heat. When hot, add in the turkey neck and gizzards. Brown the turkey on one side, then flip. Add in the onion and garlic cloves and continue to cook until onions are softened, and the turkey is nicely browned. Pour in the stock, add in the fresh thyme and bay leaves. When boiling, turn heat to low, simmer for 30 minutes. Strain, discarding solids. You should have about 2 1/2 cups turkey stock.

In a clean sauce pan, over medium heat, add the butter. When just beginning to bubble, add in the flour. Whisking constantly, for 5-8 minutes, until dark blonde roux is formed. Pour in just 2 cups of the turkey stock (reserve the rest) and whisk to combine.

Season the gravy for salt and freshly ground black pepper. To thin the gravy, pour in a little more turkey stock. To thicken the gravy, let the gravy continue to cook and reduce. To thicken in a hurry: in a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1/4 cup water, stir to make slurry. Pour this into the gravy and continue to whisk until thickened.

When the turkey is finished frying, remove the drippings pan. Use a large spoon to discard the first top layer of fat/oil. Underneath the oil, you should find very flavorful drippings. Stir a big spoonful of the drippings into your gravy.

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FAQ

How long does it take to infrared cook a turkey?

Cook for about 2 12 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. The size of your turkey and the weather’s conditions affect how long it takes to cook. Use infrared heat reflected back into the cooking chamber during the final 15 minutes of cooking to cover the fryer with the wire mesh lid for crispy skin.

How long does it take to cook a turkey breast in a Charbroil Oilless fryer?

1. Power up The Big Easy Oil-less Turkey Fryer. …
2. Place turkey in the roaster basket with the legs down.
3. Cook for about two hours, or until the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
4. Carve and serve with all the holiday trimmings.

How long does it take to cook a turkey in an oilless fryer?

Place the basket in the Oil-Less Deep Fryer. Set the stovetop to medium-high heat and cook the food for about 10 minutes per pound (14 pounds). = approx. 140 minutes or 2 hrs 20 minutes).

How long does it take to Deep Fry a turkey breast?

A good rule of thumb is 3-4 minutes per pound, plus 5 minutes, when determining how long it takes to deep fry a turkey breast. 15 to 20 minutes for a turkey breast weighing 2 1/2 to 3 pounds.