Fried Turkey was invented around the 1970's in Louisiana.
Although people may have fried turkey or deep fried Turkey before then it was not until around the 1970's in Louisiana when Fried Turkey became popular.
The fried turkey is as much Southern as it is Iowa state fair.
The South claims no monopoly on frying turkey on Thanksgiving.
But the tradition did start there, in the Cajun country of Louisiana, and it's a recent invention, too, only a few decades old.
The national popularization of deep-fried turkey was "part of the Cajun cooking craze that started in the late '70s,".
Butane cookers were widely sold in Louisiana as a way to cook crawfish boils en mass outdoors at churches and other outdoor functions.
Deep-frying a turkey is a vastly superior option for countless reasons.
The most important: Like everyone who's ever tried it will tell you, it tastes better than roast turkey.
The white meat is moister, the dark meat is even more flavorful, and the skin, while not always totally crispy, is never slimy and gross.
Although deep frying turkey can be dangerous when not done properly as many people have gotten burned when deep frying Turkey.
A deep-fried turkey typically requires 3 1/2 minutes per pound, so a 12- to 14-pound bird will take 40 to 50 minutes to reach 165°F.
When checking the bird's internal temperature, use the hook that attaches to the poultry rack to slowly lift the turkey from the oil.