This Cajun smoke-fried turkey is bold, spicy, bright, and exciting. There aren’t many turkey flavors like sage and thyme in this turkey. The homemade Cajun turkey injection makes it a star on your holiday table.
Deep frying turkey has become a popular cooking method for major holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. The result is a turkey with ultra crispy, golden brown skin enveloping moist, juicy meat. But what if you want to take your holiday bird up a notch and add delicious smoky flavor too?
Let’s explore the tantalizing prospect of deep frying a smoked turkey and how to do it safely and properly for the ultimate taste sensation.
Is It Possible to Deep Fry a Smoked Turkey?
The short answer is a resounding yes! You can absolutely deep fry a smoked turkey with incredible results. While it may sound a bit unusual at first deep frying a smoked turkey is a fantastic way to get the best attributes of both cooking techniques in one amazing dish
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Smoking infuses the turkey meat with smoky wood-fired flavor.
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Deep frying crisps up the skin magnificently for texture contrast.
Smoking the turkey first allows the wood smoke to penetrate deeply into the meat, imbuing it with that classic smoky essence redolent of barbecue Then deep frying cooks the skin quickly at high heat, sealing in moisture and turning the skin deliciously crispy and golden brown
The combination of smoking and deep frying results in a turkey that looks and tastes phenomenal. It adds a gourmet flair to your holiday table that is sure to impress guests.
Safety Tips for Deep Frying a Smoked Turkey
While deep fried smoked turkey ranks high on the deliciousness scale, there are some crucial safety factors to keep in mind:
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Use a turkey fryer designed specifically for turkeys. Do not use a small deep fryer meant for french fries. You need a large turkey fryer with sufficient oil capacity to fully submerge the turkey, which prevents dangerous oil spillovers.
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Fry the turkey outdoors away from your house or garage. The extremely high heat poses a fire hazard, so don’t take risks. Never leave the hot oil unattended.
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Monitor the oil temperature continuously with a thermometer. Heat the oil to the target temp of 350-375°F. Overheating can cause a fire, so watch it closely.
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Ensure the turkey is 100% thawed before frying. Any ice crystals or frozen areas can cause hot oil to violently splatter or overflow.
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Thoroughly pat the turkey dry, inside and out, before frying. Moisture causes hot bubbling and oil slopping over the sides.
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Don’t overfill the fryer. Leave 3-4 inches of space between the oil’s surface and the fryer rim to prevent boil overs.
Step-by-Step Guide to Deep Frying a Smoked Turkey
Follow these steps for spectacularly delicious results when deep frying your smoked holiday bird:
1. Brine the Turkey
Before smoking, brine the turkey for 12-24 hours in a saltwater solution. Brining deeply seasons the meat and helps it retain moisture during cooking.
2. Smoke the Turkey
Place the brined turkey in your smoker and use your choice of wood like hickory, pecan, apple, or cherry to smoke for about 4 hours at 225°F until it reaches an internal temperature of 150°F.
3. Chill and Dry
After smoking, let the turkey chill completely in the refrigerator. This helps thoroughly dry the skin. Pat the turkey very dry inside and out with paper towels before frying.
4. Prepare the Fryer
Outdoors, assemble your turkey fryer on a flat, level surface away from anything flammable. Fill it with peanut oil about 3-4 inches up the sides. Heat the oil to 350°F.
5. Deep Fry the Turkey
Using the hook, slowly lower the turkey into the hot oil and gently shake to coat it in oil. Fry for about 3-4 minutes per pound, adjusting heat to maintain 350°F.
6. Check Doneness
Use a meat thermometer to verify 165°F in the thickest part of breast and thigh. Remove the turkey promptly when done.
7. Drain and Rest
Carefully lift turkey from the oil and let drain briefly before transferring to a cutting board to rest 15 minutes before carving.
Tips for the Best Deep Fried Smoked Turkey
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Inject with a flavorful marinade or rub the turkey with herbs/spices before smoking for extra taste.
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Allow 4-5 days for fully thawing frozen turkey in the fridge before frying.
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Use a propane burner for better oil temperature control.
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Don’t directly oil the turkey skin before frying. Just thoroughly dry it.
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Fry 3-5 minutes longer than an unsmoked turkey since it’s already partly cooked.
Serving Your Deep Fried Smoked Turkey
A deep fried smoked turkey is sublimely moist and full of smoky flavor. Here are some delicious ways to serve it:
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Carve and arrange pieces on a platter with classic Thanksgiving sides.
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Slice the white and dark meat for incredible smoked turkey sandwiches.
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Dice or shred for salads, casseroles, soup, chili, or turkey tetrazzini.
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Pair with waffles, french toast, or biscuits for a savory breakfast or brunch.
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Use leftovers for versatile dishes like turkey pot pie, turkey noodle soup, enchiladas, etc.
So go ahead and deep fry that smoked turkey this holiday season! Follow the safety advice and technique in this guide for the crispiest skin, most succulent meat, and insanely good smoky taste. Your lucky guests will be wowed by your show-stopping deep fried smoked turkey centerpiece.
How to Safely Deep Fry a Turkey
Deep frying anything can be risky, but a whole turkey is always a challenge. Many, many fires break out each year with people trying unsuccessfully to fry their holiday turkeys. To keep your family dinner from going bad and the fire department from being called, here are some safety tips.
- Use a dedicated turkey fryer. Most can be picked up for around $100. These pots are very deep (about 28 to 30 liters), so they can hold both the turkey and the oil without spilling.
- Check that your propane has a regulator and a valve that turns it off yourself. A lot of the turkey fryer kits you can buy already have this adapter built in. This safety feature can prevent an explosion.
- Don’t overfill your turkey pot with oil. In step 1 of the recipe card below, you’ll find detailed instructions on how to figure out exactly how much oil you need to cover and fry your turkey.
- Dry your turkey before frying. To keep the oil from splashing and bubbling, it’s important to dry the turkey before frying it. I dry it with paper towels inside and outside the cavity.
- Place your fryer far away from any building in your yard, on a roof, on a deck, or on the ground. If your oil does catch, it can quickly and far spread. Keep the fryer as far away from anything that could catch fire as you can.
- Wear an apron and good shoes. Even from a deep fryer, hot oil can spray a long way.
Smoked Then Fried Cajun Turkey
A Cajun smoked turkey breast was actually the first thing my husband and I ever smoked. First bite of home-smoked meat. My father-in-law helped me with my old, free gas grill and a pie tin full of wood chips. I was hooked!.
It had all the flavor of a Cajun smoked turkey and the crispy skin of a fried turkey. Years later, I wanted to bring back some of that flavor and nostalgia in a turkey. And thus, smoke-fried turkey was born!.
Your breasts, thighs, and legs will be juicy and tasty because the injection butter has flavors like Worcestershire sauce, lemon, and spicy creole seasoning in it. You can make a turkey that tastes great and has great texture all the way through by adding smoke and then deep-frying it.
One quick tip for this recipe: skip the seasoning. This turkey is seasoned from the inside out, so I don’t think it needs an additional dry rub. Additionally, the rub will mostly come off in the fryer. If you want to add more flavor, sprinkle some of the creole seasoning that was used in the injection on the turkey after you’ve sliced it. That little dusting of color looks and tastes great on the finished bird.
To brine or not to brine? This is a very serious question when cooking turkey. For this particular turkey recipe, I don’t believe an additional brine is necessary.
However, I do recommend purchasing a pre-brined turkey injected with a saline solution. Most turkeys you buy at the store already have a brine on them, which I think is a great way to go. Since the injection has a lot of flavor, I don’t want to mix it up with extra flavor from a brine like my Apple Spiced Turkey Brine.
MAJOR FLAVOR Cajun Smoked Fried Turkey – First Time Deep Frying a TURKEY!
FAQ
How do you cook a fully cooked smoked turkey?
How long does it take to deep fry a turkey?
Can you fry a pre-smoked turkey?
How to make a smoked turkey crispy?
Is it OK to deep fry a Turkey?
There are a few things to keep in mind when frying turkey. The first is that deep frying can cause some minor health risks. Second, it’s important to use a proper fryer and heat the oil properly. Finally, make sure to cook the turkey until an internal temperature of 160 degrees is reached.
How to cook a smoked turkey?
You should aim for around 135F before pulling the turkey from the smoker. The next step is deep frying the whole turkey in the hot oil. Put the smoked turkey into the fry basket and lower it carefully into the cooking oil. Then, fry for 10-15 min. Just enough time to finish the cook and make the most amazing golden brown crispy skin.
Is it better to deep fry or smoke a Turkey?
Our guide will take a look at them all. Smoked turkey has a more complex flavor and allows for more hands-off time, while frying turkey yields crispy skin and takes a fraction of the time. However, it can be dangerous to deep-fry a turkey if you don’t have the right equipment and knowledge. Smoking is generally the safer choice.
What oil is best for deep frying a Turkey?
Peanut oil is the best oil for deep frying a turkey because its high flash point makes it less likely to catch on fire. It is also recommended that the oil for fried turkey be low in saturated fat, as the turkey will absorb a small amount of oil as it cooks.
What is deep frying turkey?
Deep frying turkey is a process that starts by boiling off the water from the bird. Next, a hot oil is added to the bird and heated until it starts to shimmer. The bird is then placed into the hot oil and deep-fried until golden brown.
How do you cook a Turkey in a deep fryer?
While turkey is smoking prepare deep fryer and heat oil to 350 degrees. Remove turkey from smoker and lower into the deep fryer (safely). Use all safety precautions and proper safety gear. The deep fryer should be turned off during this part to avoid a grease fire.