INGREDIENTS:

1 whole turkey 10-18 lbs. (depends on the size of your turkey pot) Butterball brand is our favorite
2 to 4 ozs. salt                 
2 to 4 ozs. cayenne pepper
3 to 4 gallons vegetable or peanut oil

Heat 3 to 4 gallons of vegetable or peanut oil in a 26 or 28 quart turkey fryer pot outdoors to 350 degrees using a long stem thermometer.  If using peanut  oil, you can heat the oil between 375 to 400 degrees, however 350 degree oil temperature will allow you to reuse oil if properly drained, not burned and stored in a refrigerator. Thaw turkey, remove neck and giblets from body cavity and wash outside and inside of turkey.  Before applying the salt and cayenne pepper and/or optional seasoning mix,  put on a pair of disposable rubber gloves.  Have a small bowl of fresh water to keep the turkey moistened while you apply a coating of salt and cayenne  pepper.  Rub the salt and cayenne pepper into all parts of the turkey,  outside and inside.  As you rub the salt and pepper into the pores of the skin, the skin will dry out and the salt and pepper will began to cake up on the skin.  At this time, dip your hands into the water and moisten down the area you are rubbing the salt and pepper into.  As long as you keep the skin moist you can continue to apply salt and cayenne pepper into the pores of the skin.  Normally, you will put a small box about 1 1/4 to 2 ozs. of cayenne pepper on the turkey.  Rub all exposed areas, between the skin,  especially at the upper breast and neck area; between the skin at the legs and breast area and coat the inside of the body cavity very heavy.  It will  take about 15 minutes to really get a good coating of the salt and pepper worked into the skin of the turkey.  Do not rush this part of the preparation. 

If time is not of the essence, after rubbing the salt and cayenne pepper into the turkey, place the turkey in a covered pan or plastic bag in the refrigerator overnight and the next day, set out for at least an hour and then deep fry.  

The hot oil will push the salt and cayenne pepper flavor into the bird and seal the pores of the skin.  If your turkey pot comes with a vertical rod that is attached to a base plate that fits down inside your turkey pot, insert the rod up through the neck and body cavity.  You can wire the legs together and onto the upright rod, which will help keep the turkey submerged into the hot oil.  The turkey will usually float off the upright rod toward the end of the cooking cycle if you don't have the turkey's legs wired to the rod. Allow the turkey to deep fry in the hot oil about 4 1/2 minutes per pound.  After the turkey has deep fried the amount of time according  to the weight of the bird, you lift the turkey carefully from the hot oil and check the area at the leg and thighs to see if it is done.  The turkey thighs will be the last place to get done.   Remove the turkey slowly from the hot oil and allow excess oil to drain back into the turkey pot and then place the turkey on paper towels to complete the draining and allow to cool about 10 to 20 minutes.  Carve the turkey as soon as it is cool enough to handle with your carving knife and fork.  Don't waste the crunchy seasoned wings.  Most of the time the crunchy wings do not make it to the table.......that is the cook's portion or a close friend watching you carve the turkey!

YIELD:  6 to 12 servings

Click on below thumbnail sequence pixs for a larger screen view:

Above pixs taken on 11-17-13, having an early Thanksgiving with our son Bill, Jr. and Nichol, who were visiting with us from California where they live.  I got some camera work out of Bill for sure!

NOTE:  Many have commented that my deep fried turkey is the best they have had.  I think the difference in my technique which is nearly identical to the way Justin Wilson did his first one back in the 1930's before anyone ever thought of a "turkey pot" and is also in one of his books, Homegrown Louisiana Cooking  whereas, I normally will deep fry one or two turkeys and will save at least a gallon of the once used oil and strain it and keep it refrigerated in my basement "game refrigerator".  When I deep fry another turkey or two, I will add one gallon of the "once used seasoned oil" which is now seasoned with the salt and cayenne pepper to a couple gallons of fresh oil and I do believe this is the difference in my deep fried turkey technique.  The turkey will brown much better also!

I am not a big fan of injected marinade and/or seasonings inside the turkey breast.  It is over powering in my humble opinion!

There are several recommended ways to carve a turkey and the above is my personal preference with each method having its own advantages and disadvantages.  It is imperative that you use a very sharp knife, either a Chefs knife or a long butcher knife.  A large fork is needed to keep the turkey steady while doing the carving/slicing.   I start by removing the leg/thigh and separate the leg from the thigh.  I sometimes remove the thigh bone and slice the thigh meat across the grain.  Next, I will remove the entire wing and cut it into two pieces discarding the tip.  The beautiful breast meat will be sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices the full length of the breast trying to keep the outer skin with the individual slices.  Arrange carved/sliced meat on platter for self-service.

Pix below of turkey on 11-25-04 with seasonings applied and ready to go into the hot oil for deep frying.

Pix of heat control (thermometer),  several paragraphs below.  The trick is to keep the oil at or below 350 degrees F.  Oil temperature will drop when turkey is slowly lowered into the hot oil but will "ease" its way back up to the original temperature setting.  NOTE:  For safety,  I would normally place a 50 gallon metal barrel lid underneath the base of the cooker for added fire protection, however I now use the cooker on the cement pad of our open ended carport as an additional safety measure.  There are many annual fires caused by cookers of this type and SAFETY has to be paramount!  A 3 or 4 feet metal rod of 3/4 inch diameter EMT with a hook on the end is a valuable tool for lowering the turkey into the hot oil.  The small Rube Snorkel/Rube Goldberg/Cloverine Salve (my semantics for something that is no good) hanger type tool that comes with most of the turkey cookers for lowering and removing the turkey into/from the hot oil looks like a clothes hanger and a safety hazard and accident waiting to happen because it allows your hands to close to the hot oil! 

MOVED TURKEY POT/FRYER OUTSIDE

The past few years, there seems to be an increase of house and deck fires cause by using the turkey fryer close to combustible materials, therefore I have moved the turkey deep frying operation outside in the yard, unless it is pouring down rain and then will use the carport with the fryer as far away from flammable materials as I can get. 

SAFETY FIRST

For decades, I have been doing deep fried turkeys for various family gatherings and the past few years with all the reported fires caused by the turkey fryer grease fires, I have moved the turkey fryer burner/turkey pot in the yard as an extra means of safety.  Most of the turkey fryer/pots come with a small coat hanger type apparatus to lower your turkey into the hot oil and that is no doubt the major reason since your hand is too close to the hot oil and you do get some splatter from the hot grease while slowly lowering the turkey into the hot oil.  I solved that safety issue by making a long metal EMT rod with a hook on the end allowing you to be a couple feet away from the oil as you lower the turkey into the hot oil.

I have in the past, deep fried turkeys on the deck and carport for decades without any issues, but Murphy's Law never sleeps.

DEEP FRYING CONTINUED

When using the long stemmed metal thermometers, you should check their calibration by placing the stem in hot boiling water and adjust the dial to 212 degrees F.  Most metal thermometers have a hexagon shaped nut on the base of the thermometer of which you apply a wrench and rotate the housing until the dial indicator lines up with 212 degrees on the dial. 

Below deep fried turkey ready for carving.

Pix of deep fried turkey 11-25-04 cut up and on the table.......believe that is a Boston butt in the background too.

Below pix of what happened to the turkey carcass after the carving.  My friend and branch kin relative Frankie Cranford of Wadesboro, NC picked the bones clean on 11-25-04. Frankie is awesome with a gun, bow, pool cue or a knife and fork too!

This is the results when you put some beautimous looking and tasting "vittles" on the counter top/work island.

Recipe from Bill aka Mickey Porter with OJT provided by my brother Allen Lee Porter 1997.  Allen was deep frying turkeys about 10 years or earlier after watching one done on Justin Wilson's TV show and used a small aluminum pot that was perfect for deep frying a turkey.....long before the "invention of the turkey pot."

Note:  Another pix of "carved" deep fried turkey on main recipe page front center dish on counter top/work island.

Web published updated sequence pixs on 11-18-13.  I enlisted the aid our our son to take the sequence pixs since you need about four hands to do so especially when carving the turkey.

LAST OVEN BAKED TURKEY

Below pix is the last turkey my bride baked in the oven.  I believe it was Betty Jo Porter that gave us this turkey in 2000 and it was a little too large for my deep fryer turkey pot.  My bride baked some moist and beautiful turkeys until I took over with deep frying them which freed up the oven for other important things like cornbread dressing, etc.

Web published update by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 01-25-15.

THANKSGIVING BAKED TURKEY CIRCA. 1978

Below is one of the earliest pixs I have located of my brides baked turkey in 1978 surrounded by frosted grapes, however she baked them back in the late 60s and early 1970s too.

Below is a pix which might have been her first baked turkey taken with a Polaroid camera and scanned which definitely goes way back into the early 1970s for sure:

According to the file tag, this was the first turkey that my bride baked.  The picture quality is very poor but I can make out a pan of her cornbread dressing, corn on the cob, deviled eggs, potato salad, maybe a fresh apple cake since that one was my favorite at the time.  Cranberry sauce is a must for turkey and see a plate of sliced cranberry sauce.  Can't make out what type of bread that is on the lower left in the pix.

Ok, I got side tracked just a little there, but you know I do that regularly if you have read any of my short stories.

As I stated before, oven baked turkeys are a thing of the past being replaced by my Deep Fried Turkey.

Web published update by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 11-04-16.

LEAVING ON A SPIRITUAL NOTE