John McLemore's Top Turkey Frying Safety Tips Allow 4-min per pound when cooking a turkey in the deep fryer. Overheating the oil is the #1 cause of turkey fryer fires so keeping an eye on the temperature of your oil is key. You want to keep your oil at around 250°F. You want the temperature of the turkey to be the same throughout. Many turkeys have ice pockets in the cavity from refrigeration or freezing so place your turkey in a warm water bath to even out the temperature of the meat and get rid of any ice pockets. Drying the turkey is key. Water plus oil equals fire so make sure your turkey is really dry before you fry it.
