If it has to be cooked outdoors, it has everything to do with barbecue! And turkey is no exception. We’ve all enjoyed fried chicken - a drumstick, thigh or chicken breast is mighty fine eating. But notice how they’re always just fried “pieces” of chicken? When did you last see a whole fried chicken? Not recently, huh? Grilled chicken, roasted chicken, even boiled chicken - but never fried, and that’s because frying a whole bird takes a lot more work. So why, then, are we talking turkey? Because if you’re gonna go to that much trouble, you might as well go big; “In for a penny, in for a pound,” right?

So, let’s get started and pull together the equipment you’ll need. Obviously, you’ll need a heat source like propane or electricity. First off, you’ve got to have a pot large enough to hold a turkey. How big is that? The pot should hold a minimum of 40 quarts of cooking oil, but 60 quarts is even better - the kind of pot that you boil crabs in would work. A frying basket or frying rack is also essential, because a full sized turkey is kind of heavy to hoist up on a pair of tongs. Then, you’ll need a candy thermometer to heat the oil to the right temperature - too cool and your bird will absorb too much grease. You’ll also need good quality pot holders. Oh, and it wouldn’t hurt to keep a fire extinguisher handy, just in case.

So, you go and gather all those things, and then we’ll talk later about how to fry up that bad boy.