So it was another Thanksgiving, and another Deep Fried Turkey at the Denovich household. It seemed like every person who found out we were deep frying a turkey had to tell us about a news item where someone ended up deep frying themselves or their house. *sigh* It's not a moonshot for chist's sake, it's a turkey and a pot of oil. It's not that hard. The fact that idiots manage to screw it up should come as no surprise. I'll assume that you'll figure out how to not immolate yourself, and just give a tip or two that should result in a perfectly cooked bird.
We use one of the many deepfrying turkey kits you can find just about anywhere anymore. It's a big aluminum pot and a propane burner. There's nothing special to them... but get one that includes the stand that you jam up through the turkey's body, and a thermometer if you don't have one. You'll also need a few gallons of peanut oil. I've found sporting good stores to be a cheap source... I paid $20 for 3 gallons. You'll also need a turkey... one 10-15lbs works best. Bigger turkeys don't cook as well. If you need to feed an army, just get two. It only takes about an hour to cook one completely.
Step 1: Figure out how much oil you'll need to cook your turkey. Just stick the frozen, still packed bird in the pot and at water to cover. Scribe a line on the inside of the pot... Tomorrow add oil up to this mark. Too much oil and it will boil over which is no fun.
So the secret is in the turkey prep: Brine! I take my partially thawed turkey and put it in a clean bucket with enough water to cover (about 2 gallons), a half cup of salt, a cup or so of sugar, a cup or two of soy sauce, and some liquid smoke. Add any seasonings you think might taste good too... (I use this same brine to brine chicken wings before I deep fry them. It results in a much juicier, tastier wing.) Depending on the weather you might be able to sit the bucket outside over night as is... otherwise add ice and keep indoors. You don't want the temp of the solution to go over 50F or so for fear of bacterial growth.
Next moring: Pull the bird out, and clean it up... remove any internal bits that might be left behind or any stray feathers and such. I use some .024" MIG wire (I do a lot of welding... use whatever you have convienent, butcher's twine or something) to tie the birds legs together, and to pull the wings in tight across the breasts. You want a nice compact package for even cooking. Pat dry the bird with a paper towel and stick the bird legs up on the turkey stand.
Heat oil to 350F (takes about 20 mins or so.) A safety step would be to turn off the gas for now. That way if you do something stupid to cause the oil to boil over you won't go up in flames too. Now, use supplied handle and _slowly_ lower the bird in the oil. Pull the bird back out if the oil gets too excited... it takes a minute or so to boil off most of the water on the outside of the bird. The oil will calm down afterwards. Once the bird is safely in the oil, you can re-light the flame and give it the spurs. I run mine at nearly full blast until the turkey is done... just don't let the oil go over 375F. Now you've got about 50mins to wait before the bird is done. They say 3-3.5min/pound. I've found it to be closer to 4-5min/pound for it to be done. An under done turkey is a bad thing... so make sure it's done before you pull it out (and turn the gas off.)
Last tip: You'll find the skin to be the best part of the turkey and is the cook's treat. Before you lay the turkey on the plater for carving remove the skin off the back of the turkey and enjoy it (otherwise it gets soggy while carving.)
MMmmmm!