Former Steeler Offers Tips For Deep-Frying Your Turkey Safely This Thanksgiving
PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA) - It's becoming a Thanksgiving trend that seems to grow more every year, deep-frying your turkey. Many who try a deep-fried turkey say they'll never cook it another way again.
Emil Boures is a former Pitt and Steeler offensive lineman, who is known for his deep-fried turkey skills.
He joined "The KDKA Morning News with Larry Richert and John Shumway" to talk about how to properly deep-fry your bird and do it safely.
Boures says that the first thing to do is to make sure the turkey is completely thawed. Using a frozen or partially frozen bird can be a fire hazard. He then seasons the inside of the bird first and puts a Cajun rub on the outside.
He said, if done safely and properly, "The flavor is delicious; I'll never eat an oven-cooked bird (again)."
When preparing the oil in the pan Boures says, "You want to cook it at 350 (degrees) so you preheat it to 380. That way, when you put the bird in, you're regulating the temperature."
"Before you put the oil in the pan, make sure you get dishwashing soap, rub it around the outside so that when you're done and you drain the oil, the overflow comes off extremely easy. Otherwise, you'll be there for hours."
When you cook the turkey, Boures says that it takes about three-and-a-half minutes per pound.
So how do you know when it's done? Boures says to regulate the temperature of the oil and when the proper amount of time has passed, take a separate thermometer to see if the turkey is at 165 degrees.
"You're done. Pull it out, let it sit for about 15 to 20 minutes," he said.
Boures stressed the importance of deep frying the turkey safely. The procedure causes a number of fires every
"Most people, because of the weather, try to (deep-fry the turkey) on the porch. You don't want to do that. You want to be on cement so that if something does happen, nothing burns up," he said.
However, while he's an expert on deep-frying a turkey, Boures says he isn't a chef.
"I can only cook one thing, and that's a bird."
Listen to "The KDKA Morning News with Larry Richert and John Shumway" weekday from 5 to 9 a.m. on NewsRadio 1020 KDKA.
For more information you can visit www.butterball.com
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