Having a hard time deciding between savory smoked turkey or succulent deep-fried turkey for your next event? While this is a good problem to have, it does present something of a dilemma.
You’re in luck, though—there are numerous factors that should come into play when you’re deciding between smoked vs fried turkey. Our guide will take a look at them all.
Smoked vs Fried Turkey
Smoked turkey has a more complex flavor and allows for more hands-off time, while frying turkey yields crispy skin and takes a fraction of the time. However, it can be dangerous to deep-fry a turkey if you don’t have the right equipment and knowledge. Smoking is generally the safer choice.
Roasting vs Smoking and Frying
When it comes to whole poultry, roasting is the traditional cooking method—and it’s easy to see why. After all, it’s fairly simple, it requires no special equipment, and it can be undertaken right in the comfort of your own kitchen.
Roasting turkey allows the natural flavor of the meat to shine through. You can experiment with various seasonings and preparation methods without worrying that the oven will overwhelm the other ingredients.
Roasting is also the best method to use when you want to stuff the bird. This technique doesn’t work as well for smoked poultry, and it’s definitely a no-go when the turkey is going in the fryer.
For smoked turkey, you need to have a smoker—or at least an outdoor grill with a dedicated smoker attachment. If you want to try frying the turkey, you’ll need a turkey fryer with a pot that can accommodate at least 30 quarts.
Of course, there are numerous benefits to both smoked and fried turkey. That’s what we’re here to discuss. But for sheer convenience, there’s something to be said for traditional roasted turkey.
Fried Turkey: Pros & Cons
Deep-frying turkey has been a trend for the past couple of decades. It’s particularly appealing to younger crowds. Once your guests have tried it, they’ll find it hard to resist the crisp skin and moist, succulent meat.
Pros
The superb flavor and texture are the primary reasons to consider frying a turkey. However, this method has plenty of other benefits as well.
For one thing, frying is a fast method—perhaps the fastest one you’ll ever try. Unlike roasting or smoking, which usually take 15 to 25 minutes per pound, frying will cook your turkey to a safe temperature at a rate of about 3 to 4 minutes per pound.
This means you can have a 12-pound turkey ready for the table in less than an hour, even when you take the resting period into account. That makes deep-frying an appealing choice for chefs who have a hard time planning ahead.
The process of deep-frying is also visually impressive in itself. Although there are safety concerns—which we’ll discuss in the next section—your guests will be fascinated when they watch you at work.
Cons
The first thing to remember about frying turkey is that you need to do it outdoors. This might sound obvious, but a surprising number of people have found themselves homeless after their attempts to fry turkeys inside resulted in disastrous fires.
There are electric turkey fryers available for indoor use. However, we’ve found that these products yield unimpressive results. They also may not offer the capacity you need to fry the turkey in a safe fashion.
You also need to keep the oil at the proper temperature—about 350 degrees. If the oil gets too hot, it will begin to smoke and may even catch fire. This isn’t something you usually need to worry about when firing up the smoker.
Even if it hasn’t reached its smoke point, the hot oil will cause severe burns if it comes into contact with your skin. You need to take special care when you deep-fry a turkey, and make sure no one else approaches the cooking station.
On a related note, if there are any small children or pets present, you’ll need to keep them well away from the turkey fryer. That can be a challenging prospect when you’re trying to work.
Smoked Turkey: Pros & Cons
This is the method that contributes the most flavor to your turkey, as the wood smoke will imbue the meat with its richness.
Pros
Those of you who love the flavor of smoked foods in general will appreciate what the process contributes to turkey.
Though turkey meat has more depth and complexity than chicken, it’s still relatively mild. Smoking the meat will provide it with more layers of flavor, especially if you opt to combine two types of wood.
Speaking of which, this method allows you to try out various flavor combinations. The sweetness of cherry can be bolstered by the slightly bacon-like qualities that hickory provides. If pecan is a bit too nutty-tasting for your palate, mix in some alder to offset it.
When you set the smoker to the proper temperature, this method allows the turkey to retain plenty of moisture. This results in delectably juicy meat.
Smoking the turkey also allows for plenty of downtime. While the bird is in the smoker, you can prepare side dishes, socialize, enjoy a beverage, or just vegetate. That’s not the case when you use the deep-fryer, which requires closer supervision.
Cons
Like deep-frying, smoking is a process that you’ll need to undertake outside. Even if you could fit the smoker inside your house, it wouldn’t be safe to fire it up in there.
What’s more, you’ll need a unit that’s big enough to fit a whole turkey inside. That might not be an issue for turkeys weighing 10 to 14 pounds, but it can get problematic with larger specimens.
Lastly, we need to point out that smoking a turkey is a time-consuming affair. 275 degrees is our recommended smoker temperature for turkey. At that temp, the bird should cook for about 20 minutes per pound.
Although we also recommend buying small turkeys—around 10 to 12 pounds—for the smoker, this still results in a long cooking process. When smoking a 12-pound turkey, you can expect a 4-hour wait for the meat to reach the optimum temperature.
How To Deep-Fry a Turkey
Set up the outdoor turkey fryer in a spot that’s well out of the way. While the adults might be interested in watching you work, you want to make sure that children and pets won’t be wandering past.
If you plan to use your outdoor deep-fryer on a regular basis, consider setting up a designated fenced-in area for the unit. As an added precaution, wrap yellow safety tape around the perimeter when the fryer is in use.
Read all instructions carefully before setting up your fryer for the first time. The process will go more smoothly if you understand how the unit works right from the beginning.
Keep your supplies close at hand. In addition to the turkey and the fryer equipment, you’ll need a supply of neutral oil—about 3 gallons for a 30-quart pot. Peanut oil works best because it has a higher smoke point than canola or vegetable oil.
Other necessary tools include a sturdy set of tongs, temperature gauge, meat thermometer, and fire extinguisher. You should also be wearing an apron to prevent grease from ruining your clothing.
Remember to never leave the fryer unattended. This doesn’t mean you have to stand guard yourself the whole time—you can designate other responsible adults to relieve you. Since the method is so quick, though, this step may not be necessary.
A turkey needs to be thawed and dried thoroughly before you add it to the hot oil. While you can cook a partially frozen turkey in the oven or on the smoker, any moisture will cause the oil to splatter, which could result in tragedy.
Check the turkey’s cavity to make sure there’s no residual ice. Pay close attention to the areas between the rib bones. Once you’re satisfied that the meat is defrosted, pat the turkey inside and out with paper towels.
You can also leave the bird uncovered in the fridge overnight to let the skin dry out further. This step isn’t required for most cooking methods, but you want the turkey to be as dry as possible when putting it in a deep-fryer.
If you want to season the turkey before frying it, take this step before allowing the turkey to dry in the fridge overnight. Try a combination of kosher salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and dried thyme.
Fire up the burner to heat the oil. While you wait, insert the fry hanger into the turkey. Make sure it’s fully attached—the last thing you want is to drop the turkey into the oil so fast that it causes splashing.
When the oil temperature has reached 350 degrees Fahrenheit, carefully lower the turkey into the hot oil. Cook for about 3 minutes per pound, or until the meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the breast.
Let the turkey rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.
How To Smoke a Turkey
Set the smoker to 275 degrees. While you’re waiting for it to heat up, dry the turkey thoroughly if you haven’t already, then add the seasoning rub of your choice. A layer of cooking spray or neutral oil may help the spices adhere to the skin.
When the smoker is ready, put the turkey on the cooking grate and close the lid. Let the meat smoke for about 20 minutes per pound, checking the internal temperature at the estimated halfway point to ensure accuracy.
The turkey is done when the breast meat has cooked to 160 degrees and the thigh meat registers at 180 degrees. The temperature will rise another 5 degrees or so while the bird is resting.
Should the breast meat reach the proper serving temperature before the thighs have finished cooking, carve off the breasts and set them aside. Put the rest of the carcass back on the smoker until the dark meat has cooked to 180 degrees.
Let the turkey rest, loosely tented with aluminum foil, for 20 to 40 minutes. Carve and serve as desired.
Final Thoughts
There are definite benefits to both smoked and fried turkey. In general, smoking is the more laid-back choice, but you can’t deny that frying the bird yields quicker results—and tasty ones at that.
Happy grilling!
