Big Easy Turkey Fryer Cooking Times

I've roasted a ton of turkeys in my Char-Broil Big Easy. It's why I originally bought the oil-less fryer. I loved it so much the first time that I bought two more, keeping one at my parents house for a fantastic holiday turkey. This time I set out to keep the process as absolutely simple as possible. No brines. No fancy rubs. Just a 16 pound turkey, a little oil, and some seasoning and 10 minutes per pound.

Easy Large Turkey on the Char-Broil Big Easy

There's really nothing easier than cooking poultry on the Big Easy. It really is as easy as fire it up, put it in, walk away and come back later. Unless the weather conditions are really adverse, you can count on 10 minutes per pound for a turkey.

I cooked a nice big 16 pound turkey in exactly 160 minutes. That's in 30 degree weather with a very light breeze. I kept the lid off the Big Easy until the last 30 minutes to then add a little color.

I started with a pre-brined turkey. You can certainly get a natural, un-brined turkey and go thru that process, and I have. But for this cook it was about easy, and easy means getting a turkey that's already in a solution that brined the bird for me. You can also inject your turkey for even more flavor, like my Cajun-injected bird on the Big Easy. Or try my buttermilk-marinated turkey.

You can use the basket that comes with your Big Easy, but I admit it's a bit challenging getting a big bird in/out of it. If you're going to do any amount of cooking on the Big Easy (and you should) I recommend that you at least get the hinged basket like you see in the picture above. It really makes getting the turkey in or out very simple indeed. See my thoughts on the accessories for the Big Easy here.

Love your Big Easy as much I love mine? Check out my Big Easy Add-Ons page and my free Big Easy eCookbook!

Easy Large Turkey on the Char-Broil Big Easy

No brines. No fancy rubs. Just a 16 pound turkey, a little oil, and some seasoning and 10 minutes per pound.

Course Main

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes

Servings 1 big turkey

Calories 3632 kcal

1 large turkey up to 16 pounds (completely thawed if frozen)
Vegetable oil
Your favorite seasoning salt and pepper are just fine too! DO NOT use a seasoning mix that contains sugar as it might burn under high temperatures.

Fire up your Big Easy.
Remove the turkey from the packaging along with any turkey neck and giblets that might be there.
Rinse the turkey in cold water and dab dry with paper towels.
Very lightly coat the turkey (inside and out) with the oil. You only want enough to help the seasoning adhere and to help crisp the skin.
Season the turkey liberally inside and out.
Place the turkey into the Big Easy basket and lower into the cooker.
Cook for 10 minutes per pound. Check for doneness, 180°F in the thighs and legs, and 170°F in the breast. Always check in multiple locations.
Remove the basket from the Big Easy and let the turkey rest for 15 minutes before carving.

I used a pre-brined turkey. You can easily identify a bird that is already in a brine solution by looking for the words 'Contains up to 8% of a solution of water, salt, spices, and natural flavor' or something similar on the packaging.

Nutritional values are approximate.