Hey friends! I can’t wait to share my tips for a Thanksgiving Fried Turkey! But first, can y’all believe Thanksgiving is only one week from today? I don’t know about your neck of the woods, but it’s 82 degrees here in northeast Louisiana. It does not feel like the holidays at all! However, in spite of the nearly tropical November we are experiencing, we are getting really excited for the quickly approaching holiday season! We are looking forward to sharing some yummy recipes, frugal gift-giving and decorating ideas, and much more over the next several weeks.

This has been a hard, stressful, challenging year for all of us, and we need to be intentional about ushering in a time of refreshing, and realigning our hearts with Christ and his good heart toward us! As women, we have the particular role of reflecting the beauty, mercy and tenderness of the Creator. What better way to heal broken and weary hearts than by setting the tone for celebration in our homes during this holiday season. The Kingdom is alive and well, and an infinite source of strength, comfort, joy and beauty for us all!

Jesus, capture our hearts for this holiday season! Thank you for telling us over and over in your Word that you will never leave us, nor forsake us. You are so faithful and so good!

So, in order to set the tone for celebration, we are offering up a truly decadent treat to inspire y’all for this season of gratitude! We are going a little Cajun this year with a Louisiana tradition:

Thanksgiving Fried Turkey… [angels singing…]

I never knew that turkey could be so tender and juicy until the first time fried turkey graced my lips. I didn’t even know it was possible to fry a whole turkey. All I have to say is God bless the south, y’all. The flavor is amazing and you don’t even need a pint of gravy and cranberry salad to lube this stuff up. It’s absolutely moist and delightful all on its own. If you want to up your turkey game a little this Thanksgiving, this is a fantastic way to kick things up a notch.

The only caveat is that the process is undeniably dangerous and slightly terrifying. If you google how to fry a turkey you will see titles such as “How to fry a turkey without killing yourself” or “How to fry a turkey without burning your house down” and such things. If you decide to take on a deep fried gobbler, please understand the risks first. Please do not injure yourself or your house attempting to fry your Thanksgiving bird…

Please…just don’t. OK? OK.

A Few Pointers:

Just a few pointers, make sure your bird is completely thawed before you attempt to fry it. We used a dry rub to season our turkey, which was featured in a video produced by Martha Stewart. I have a link to the video and recipe below. I have also included links to Alton Brown’s fried turkey videos, because he is hilarious and a genius. He gives great advice on seasoning and preparing your bird as well as the frying procedure. There is even an instructional video to show you how he built his “fry derrick.”  We kind of rigged up something similar, but we didn’t get nearly as fancy as his set-up.

Safety First!

Of course, I highly recommend that you have a fire extinguisher on hand if you attempt this. Make sure that you know exactly how much oil you need. If you have too much, you will definitely burn stuff down and risk bodily harm. Don’t do that…please. We submerged our turkey in water in the pot we used to fry in so that we would know how much oil to use. We also turned the flame OFF before submerging our bird into the oil, and once it was secured in place, we turned it back on. You will want to fry your turkey for 3 minutes per pound plus 5 minutes total. If you have a 15 lb. bird, it should take around 50 minutes to cook.

Fried Turkey is better (and more affordable!) With Friends!

Again, make sure you watch all the video stuff below before you take on your traditional Louisiana Thanksgiving fried turkey. Oil can be expensive, so you might see if friends or family want to split the cost, and then you can fry a couple of birds to make it worth your time and expense. Just make sure that you bring your oil back up to temperature before cooking the next bird. Most importantly, be careful and have fun with it. Your friends and family will be wildly impressed and inspired to feast with gratitude, joy and celebration!

God bless and Happy Thanksgiving!

Alton Brown’s Fried Turkey Video -short version

How to Build Alton Brown’s Frying Derrick

Martha Stewart’s Dry Rub for Fried Turkey – This is the recipe that we used and it was delicious!