Fry a Turkey At Your Tailgate and Watch Your Guests Drool
Tailgating
Rob Black
Now that 99 percent of the population in the South has at least tried fried turkey, it’s time to take the succulent masterpiece and make it mobile. With a little preparation and planning, you can fry a turkey for the next tailgate party and watch your guests drool.
Just like at home, the first concern is safety. No one wants to end up in an endless Youtube replay beside the car that got set on fire from exploding oil. Set up the burner and pot of peanut oil at least 10 feet from any cars, people or other combustible materials. In addition, make sure that burner and pot are sitting on level ground.
You’ll need enough oil to submerge the turkey in the pot. This amount varies based on the weight of the turkey, but is usually somewhere in the neighborhood of five gallons. To make sure that the proper amount is used, submerge the turkey in the same pot full of water beforehand, and mark the water’s high point on the inside of the pot. This step is crucial to prevent the heated oil from spilling over when the turkey is submerged. People who don’t do this are the same folks who end up in the emergency room and on Youtube! Be sure to completely dry the pot from all the water before putting in the oil.
Light the burner and heat the oil to350 degrees. This temperature is optimal, but anywhere between 340 and 350 should work just fine. When the oil reaches the desired temperature, use metal racks and hooks to slowly lower the turkey into the oil. Here’s the second crucial step – make sure the turkey is completely thawed! The colder the turkey is, the more likely the hot oil will explode as the turkey is lowered. Cook for three minutes per pound and ‘voila – you’ve got a succulent bird that your guests will love!
What you also got is a pot full of hot oil and turkey juice with kickoff fast approaching. Not too many people care to steal a pot of used oil, so you’re going to have to take it off the burner and leave it by the car. After the game is over, the oil will have cooled enough to be pumped back into its original container. Most commercial oil pumps have filters to strain the oil, enabling it to be used again.
Frying a turkey for a tailgate party is really no more work than slaving over a hot grill to feed your guests. Fried turkey is easy to make and relatively inexpensive to serve. And by following basic safety measures, you won’t end up on Youtube!
