Wesson Recipes

Wesson’s Deep Fried Turkey

40oz Wesson Canola Oil Bottle


Serving Size

10-12 people

This Thanksgiving, elevate your feast with the ultimate showstopper: a perfectly deep-fried turkey using Wesson Oil! The star of this culinary masterpiece is undoubtedly the oil. Wesson Canola Oil is designed for frying, providing the ideal balance of flavor and stability at high temperatures. Its light texture and neutral taste allow the rich, savory essence of the turkey to shine through, creating an irresistible contrast that enhances every bite.

Imagine your turkey emerging from the fryer, enveloped in a crispy, golden-brown skin that glistens with the promise of deliciousness. The magic happens thanks to the high smoke point of Wesson Oil, which allows for an even cooking process and prevents the oil from breaking down. This results in perfectly crisp skin that locks in moisture, yielding juicy, flavorful meat that will impress even the most discerning palates.

Deep frying with Wesson Oil not only transforms your turkey but also speeds up the cooking time, letting you spend more quality moments with loved ones instead of being tethered to the oven. The frying method brings out a unique flavor profile, elevating your holiday meal to new heights.

To ensure your first turkey frying experience is both safe and enjoyable, follow our comprehensive guide. We’ll provide step-by-step instructions on how to handle the oil properly, maintain the right frying temperature, and execute a flawless cook. With Wesson Oil as your trusted companion, you can create a Thanksgiving feast that’s not just memorable, but also a testament to the art of deep frying. Get ready to wow your guests with a deep-fried turkey that showcases the incredible potential of quality cooking oil!

Visit our Instagram page for more recipe inspiration!


CONTAINS:

Ingredients

Supplies
1 Turkey, 12-14 pounds.
Wesson Canola Oil 4 gallons.
Turkey fryer kit (burner, pot, turkey holding hook, oil thermometer, propane tank) 1 .
Roasting pan and wire rack .
Instant read thermometer .
Oven mitts .
Fire extinguisher, rated for oil fires .

Method

Day 1 - Friday November 21

Selecting a Turkey

Odds are you are going to be using a frozen turkey, so we need to plan ahead to make sure our turkey is ready for the big day. This is the most critical step in the process as it is difficult to speed up the defrosting process. If your turkey is not completely thawed and dried it can be extremely dangerous to put into a pot of hot oil. Pick up your turkey Thursday or Friday evening.

When selecting a turkey for deep frying the best size turkey is between 12-14 pounds, this is the perfect size to ensure well cooked dark meat and a juicy breast. A 14-pound turkey will feed about 10 people. Place your turkey in roasting pan and place in the fridge to defrost.

While we are out shopping for our turkey it is best to also get our Wesson oil at the same time. Grab for 1-gallon jugs of oil for this process, we will need somewhere between around 3-4 gallons of oil to fill our turkey fryer on the big day.

Day 5 - Tuesday November 26

Seasoning the Turkey

Today is about final preparations. Remove the turkey from the fridge, open the package, and remove the neck and giblets from the cavity. Place the turkey on the turkey holder that is included with your turkey fryer, lower the turkey into the empty pot and place enough water in the fryer to just barely cover the turkey. Mark this line with a piece of tape, this will be our oil fill line when frying the turkey. Remove the turkey from the cooker and discard the water. Pat the turkey dry and liberally season the entire bird with salt inside and outside. Place the seasoned turkey on a wire rack over a sheet pan or roasting rack and place back in the fridge uncovered. Over the next two days in the fridge the salt will penetrate into the turkey and any excess moisture from the turkey will evaporate, making for an extra crisp skin and lightly seasoned meat.

Day 7 - Thanksgiving: November 28

The Big Day

Carefully read the instructions for your particular turkey fryer and follow all safety recommendations. Fill your turkey fryer with Wesson oil to about 1“ below the fill line you marked on the pot, the oil will expand when heated and raise the volume to your fill line, discard the tape.
Gather your tools. Make sure you have a fire extinguisher rated for oil fires, a chair, instant read thermometer, oven mitts, kitchen towels, and rack to place the cooked turkey on. Get your turkey ready for the fryer by drying it off one final time inside and out with paper towel, do not skip this step! It is very important our turkey is completely dry. Place the turkey on the hook or basket that came with your turkey fryer, the turkey breasts should be to the bottom and the legs facing upwards.

Visit our Recipes & Ideas page for side and accompaniment ideas for your Thanksgiving dinner!

Assembly Method
Frying Timing
  • 0 minutes – fryer on.
  • 30 minutes – fryer at 350F.
  • 30 minutes – turkey in deep fryer.
  • 1 hour 20 minutes – turkey out of deep fryer.
  • 1 hour 50 minutes – 2 hours 20 minutes – slicing turkey.

The frying process should begin 2 hours before you intend to serve your turkey. Keep in mind that someone needs to be watching the turkey fryer from the minute you light the fryer until the turkey is done and the hot pot of oil is put in a safe space. Light your turkey fryer and heat the oil to 350F. This will take about 30 minutes. Once the oil is up to temperature turn the gas off and get ready to put the turkey in the oil. Make sure you are wearing closed toe shoes and pants to protect from any oil splashes. Slowly lower the turkey into the hot oil, some splattering is normal, but if there is any risk the fryer might boil over slowly raise the turkey out of the pot. Once the turkey is in the pot turn the heat back on and set your timer, do not cover the pot with a lid. Your turkey will take about 3.5 minutes per pound to cook. Based on this a 14-pound turkey should take about 50 minutes to cook. The temperature of the oil will go down to near 300F after the turkey is placed in the oil and will slowly return to 350°F. Stay near your turkey fryer during the process and adjust the heat as required to keep the temperature near 350°F.

When the timer goes off, turn the heat off on the pot and lift the turkey out of the oil. Place the turkey on a wire rack over a pan and check the internal temperature of the middle of the breast and the middle of the thighs. USDA recommended temperature for cooked turkey is 165°F. If the turkey is not yet cooked place it back in the oil for another 5 minutes and check again. One of the great benefits of deep frying a turkey is that unlike when roasting the breasts tend to cook a little slower than the leg and thigh, so when our breast is at 165°F our thighs are around 180F. Turkey thighs have more fat and connective tissue in them and are actually best when cooked to 180°F.

Once the turkey is out of the oil, I recommend letting it rest uncovered for at least 30 minutes before carving. I have let turkeys rest for over an hour and they are still nice and warm.

Oil Storage

Once the oil has cooled completely filter it through the finest mesh strainer that you have to remove any particulates. Pour it back into the oil jugs and store in a cool dark place. This oil can be used one more time to fry a turkey for Christmas or used in a deep fryer for another fun deep-frying party.