Anyone ever deep fry a turkey?

[OSUBuckeye]

I've done it a couple of times and it is as good as you have heard.

The key thing is to be able to read.

For instance, many rednecks who can't read decide to overfill the fryer with oil and once it has reached the temperature of boiling lava they drop the turkey in and watch the oil overflow the top of the pot and instantly vaporize their hunting boots, then their feet and finally the linoleum floor of their trailer before the entire mess bursts into flames.

One way to avoid this is to fill the pot with water before adding oil and then lower the turkey into the water to check to see how much water is displaced.

When the water reaches the proper level -- meaning the turkey is covered, but there is still plenty of room between the liquid and the rim of the pot-- you remove the turkey and mark the top of the liquid. That is how much oil you add (after emptying and drying the pot).

I use peanut oil, which can be bought in 5 gallon sizes at Walmart etc. It is pretty expensive, but can be reused several times. If I remember right, about 7 gallons of oil is about right depending on the bird.

Bottom line is don't cook the turkey on anything you can't afford to lose, but given reasonable precautions it isn't that dangerous.

Lowering the turkey very gradually into the boiling oil is also a real good idea, because there is always a little water on the bird from thawing etc. and oil and water don't mix.

I've done the whole bit, so hit me back with any specific questions.

The stuff is better than a baked bird and not nearly as greasy as you might assume. It also takes about 1/5 as long as baking.

Each method of cooking has it's pros and cons.

I hope you don't mind Hawg, but a copied your priceless work and emailed to some freinds in Texas. I think they are still laughing about the redneck shit. To funny!!!

 

[TBrownslady]

Hey UT! We have had fried turkey here for a few years. Not only at Thanksgiving but for the SB and other games. My brothers usually do it up. They have the fryer outside away from the house. I heard a story about someone who had a problem with the oil and it set the fryer on fire which in turn set the porch up in flames and then the house. So we usually do it out in the driveway.

They usually inject it with this marinade stuff that is found in the salad dressing aisle. They used a lemon pepper one and it was soooo good! Other times he made up his own marinade, which I am not sure what was in it. But I would definately suggest checking out the marinades in the dressing aisle and pick one that tickles your pickle.

Definately make sure no water goes in that oil cause then you will have some problems. After we fried the turkey we also stuf in some cut up potatoes and made french fries. Were yummy they had the flavor of the turkey and the juices n stuff.

Good luck and I hope you have a GREAT thanksgiving!

 

[Hawg73]

I hope you don't mind Hawg, but a copied your priceless work and emailed to some freinds in Texas. I think they are still laughing about the redneck shit. To funny!!!

Hell, I don't mind.

Anyone that would get insulted by what I wrote couldn't read it anyway.

 

[Alcoholic9*]

So how'd it turn out UT? Or is the fire department just now getting it under control?

 

[Darth Despot]

Well, Hawg posted this AM in another thread, so the damage must have been localized.

 

[RoadGrader]

So how'd it turn out UT? Or is the fire department just now getting it under control?

after diligently searching on-line Southern NH news sites, I found no articles about deepfat fryer fires noted but there were reports from various hospitals in the region having treated a few clowns yesterday for alcohol-related slip-and-falls.

 

[Phobia]

I have, many times. However, this year I smoked a couple birds.

My next effort (probably for christmas) will be a half smoked bird finished in a fryer.

 

[Undertaker #59*]

Thanks everyone. It came out great. I ended up not doing any marinade. Next time I do it, I'll do some sort of marinade and switch to peanut oil. All in all it came out great for the first time doing it, very moist but not greasy, and you can not beat the cooking time of 50 minutes.

 

[Phobia]

Instead of a marinade, you might consider a brine. I do half cup salt, half cup seasoned salt, half gallon water, half gallen cider vinegar, some oil, and spice to taste. Cover bird completely and brine 12-24 hours.

Rinse and dunk.

 

[The*Big*Lebowski]

I'm interested to see if you've added any marinades to your frying UT?

I fried my first one myself for the Jets game a couple of weeks ago, no marinade though. I just rubbed it in garlic salt and other spices beforehand. I am doing another this Sunday for the family since it was a HUGE hit, especially with my wife, who was a doubter from the get go. She doesn't wanna eat a baked turkey again, so i think she's sold.

Looking back through this thread, it's insane the amounts of oil some people say you need..... 7 gallons??? I used 3 on a 16 pund bird and it was more than enough to cover it. My fryer isn't that large though, maximum bird about 18 pounds. But these things cook so fast I can do 2 or 3 in the time it takes to bake one bird.

Anyways, let me know any other ideas you've tried. I'm looking to get a little fancy my second time out.

 

[P4E]

I have seen it attempted,but that was on a TV episode of ED when burt reynolds was visiting his son and they ended up burning the house down

 

[Undertaker #59*]

I'm interested to see if you've added any marinades to your frying UT?

I fried my first one myself for the Jets game a couple of weeks ago, no marinade though. I just rubbed it in garlic salt and other spices beforehand. I am doing another this Sunday for the family since it was a HUGE hit, especially with my wife, who was a doubter from the get go. She doesn't wanna eat a baked turkey again, so i think she's sold.

Looking back through this thread, it's insane the amounts of oil some people say you need..... 7 gallons??? I used 3 on a 16 pund bird and it was more than enough to cover it. My fryer isn't that large though, maximum bird about 18 pounds. But these things cook so fast I can do 2 or 3 in the time it takes to bake one bird.

Anyways, let me know any other ideas you've tried. I'm looking to get a little fancy my second time out.

I've done it enough times now that I am pretty comfortable with it. Yeah, I use about three gallons of oil. Usually canola oil, but peanut oil is the best (and most expensive).

I have done them without marinade and with. My favorite marinade is Italian dressing. I inject a whole bunch of it all over the bird, comes out great, trasty and juicy.

 

[ColtFan81]

We've done it before too and they are very good if done right. You can inject all sorts of flavors into the bird before you dunk it.

But, by all means, cook the thing outside unless you want grease (and maybe even a fire) everywhere.

Absolutely! What amazes me is the number of people that try to do this on their stove top. Buy the kit and do it in the driveway.....

 

[The*Big*Lebowski]

I do mine in the driveway. Honestly, I don't understand what the big fear is. It is quite easy if you are prepared and follow instructions.

Thanks UT. I used corn oil I think my first time and the bird was soo good words can't describe. I think I'll do the italian dressing injection and peanut oil this time and see what the wife thinks of them apples.

 

[Undertaker #59*]

Yeah the dressing is good. The only problem I ran into is sometimes the bits in the dressing can foul up the injector. In that case, I use a fine strainer to take the larger bits out before filling the injector.

 

[The*Big*Lebowski]

Thanks for the tip! I'll keep that in mind.

 

[BoltsOwnU]

BOU has deep-fried turkey and other than having to buy a truck load of oil, must admit, it is the BEST tasting turkey BOU has ever had, hands down.

BOU agrees that peanut oil rocks, but it's expensive and the least healthy. Canola or safflower works great, but grapeseed has a very high flashpoint and works well too. Add some sesame oil to the mix, not a lot, just a bit, and you can get a nice polish on the flavor.

BOU is hungry now just thinkin' about it.

 

[The*Big*Lebowski]

So UT, what else have you deep fried? Are there possibilities with things like Pork and Beef? I want to fry shit until my heart explodes.

 

[Undertaker #59*]

So UT, what else have you deep fried? Are there possibilities with things like Pork and Beef? I want to fry shit until my heart explodes.

In the thing I deep fry the turkey in, I haven't done anything else, too much work.

But we have one of those little counter top fryolaters that I have done all kinds of things in.

Hot wings - deep fry the wings for about 12 minutes while melting a stick of butter into Frank's hot sauce. When wings are done toss with the hot sauce.

Potato chips - just thinly slice a potato, deep fry to desired crispiness, and salt thoroughly.

All kinds of frozen foods like fries and onion rings.

Bloomin' onion - found a recipe somewhere online, a lot of work, but it came out almost exactly like Outbacks.

Fried chicken of course - marinade chicken in buttermilk over night, then dredge it in a dry mix.

Mrs T's potato and onion perogies.

Mozzarella sticks - I used a real package of Mozz and cut into the right size shapes. Dredge in italian bread crumbs and fry for just a couple of minutes. I have read that just using those polly-o string cheese works well.

I haven't done anything with pork or beef, most of that has been on the grill. I think next time I fire that thing up though, I am going to try to do deep fried calzones.

 

[TBrownslady]

My brother did this all the time for game day. He used a raspberry vinagarette that was SUPER yummy only thing it looks funny cause your meat is pink. So it looks uncooked when it actually is very much cooked!