Anyone ever deep fry a turkey?

Undertaker #59*

Car'a'carn
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I am taking the plunge this year. It is going to be supplemental as there will be a larger traditionally roasted bird as well, so if i screw it up it won't matter that much.

GREAT article about it here: http://www.usadeepsouth.com/article1041.html

Some excerpts:

If you have never participated in or watched a whole turkey being deep-fried, you are probably one of the doubters. Most people who haven't actually done it say it can't be done and that only a fool would suggest that it could be done. At least they say that until they get their first slice of the finished product between their fingers.

Whole deep-fried turkey is some of the tastiest, moistest meat you will ever eat, if the job is done correctly.

You can use a turkey weighing between 12 and 22 pounds. Store bought or road-kill birds are equally appropriate. Always remove gravel from road-kill.

If the turkey has its legs bound together with plastic, remove the plastic. Melted plastic doesn't blend well with the spices.

Be sure to trim most of the fat from the neck end, which must remain open and unobstructed for the grease to boil through the entire bird. Don't cut off all the excess fat though. It will fry great and everyone will want to snap off a fried crunchy piece and try it. Be sure to remove giblet sack and neck from inside the store-bought turkey and remove head and feet from road-kill (optional in Arkansas).

Do not even think of using tongs or forks to lower or lift the bird. If you let a 15-pound turkey slip and fall into 5 gallons of hot oil, the party is over precisely at that point! Some people say they clip off the wings before frying a turkey. This is insane. Although the wing tips do turn dark and fry quicker than any other part of the bird, there is only one thing better than a crisp fried wing, and that is a crisp fried wing with a cold beer.

You may think the turkey is burned or overcooked; however, it absolutely is not if you followed the instructions. It will be unbelievably crisp and moist, with all the juices sealed inside. No grease is inside the turkey. You're about to become a very popular man.

Carve the turkey as usual. He's still very hot. Break off a crisp piece of skin or wing and fight over it, savor it and see if you can keep from breaking off another piece. Right about this point is when you say, "I will never eat another baked turkey!" And the naysayer will say, "I don't know if I want any of that or not." Yeah, right.






:D
 
I didn't, personally, but I had plenty of neighbors when living down south who deep fried their turkeys for Thanksgiving.

There's no describing the taste - it's simply wonderful.

I was always afraid of burning my house down, though. It's a major fire hazard.

Good luck with yours!
 
The Big Lebowski said:


I would love to do it myself, but I don't have the gear needed.


Won't a large (lobster size) pot and a shitload of oil do? I'd certainly hate to have to buy a deep fryer that can fit a Turkey. ;)

I'll be baking my 22lber this year anyway. I did get a piddly 16lber for free, maybe I'll try deep frying that sometime after thanksgiving.
 
I've seen it done once. Unfortunately, it cooked much faster than they expected, thus it was quite overdone.
________
buy grinder
 
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.
 
Alcoholic9 said:
Won't a large (lobster size) pot and a shitload of oil do? I'd certainly hate to have to buy a deep fryer that can fit a Turkey. ;)


That is exactly what I got, and it uses LP gas. 40 bucks from Sears.

Yeah, D*, there are specific guidelines to how long to cook it depending on weight. Most are done in under an hour.
 
Hawg73 said:
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).

Thanks Hawg.

That article I linked mentions that method specifically and recommends something different:

There is no substitute for the dry run. Some people will recommend that you fill the pot with water and put your bird inside to gauge the right amount of oil needed. If you do that, you'll have to thoroughly dry the pot and the turkey or it will result in hot, popping grease later.

Here's a better method. This is failsafe: Put your prepared bird in the empty pot and then add oil until the bird is totally submersed. Put in only enough oil to totally cover your bird plus 1/2 inch. Now lift your bird with your hook, drain the oil back into the pot from the bird's body cavity and place your bird in a large pan lined with paper towels. This is the perfect "no-guess" way to know exactly how much oil to heat. If you base your oil need on guesswork or some estimate you got from a friend and you have too much hot oil rolling at 350 degrees, and you lower a 20 pound turkey into it, what will you do to solve that problem? It's too late then to recover safely. You don't want a half-gallon of oil running over the side of the pot and into the flame. If you insist on guesswork, you should either have a nurse for a neighbor or have 911 on speed-dial.



I will be using a good canola oil.


Do you inject your birds with any marinade, Hawg? And if so, what?
 
Many times UT

Heres a couple tips from an expert.

When your fryer hits the desired temp, slowly lower the bird into the oil. Very slowly. The oil will pop and hiss and sound like the whole thing is gonna blow, it wont but go slow man its a bit dangerous.

The temp will drop about 30-60 degrees, This is when you turn up your flame.

Injections are optional. I do inject mine with teriaki and seasonings. Several locations.

Fry the bird for about 3-4 mins per pound. And watch your temps. keeping them above 300 at all times. It may be more difficult than you think so open up those fryer vents before you begin.

If you use peanut oil then you can reuse the oil later, but the added expense of peanut oil is sledom worth it unless you plan to fry again in the near future.

ENjoy the bird. It will be the juiciest you have ever had. Very very delecious.

In Iowa we had a guy at work that would bring in and fry his pigs balls. Not my cup of tea but them Iowans liked em.:D

Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving to you and everyone else at the Planet.
 
Undertaker #59 said:

Do you inject your birds with any marinade, Hawg? And if so, what?

I've tried a bunch of different ones, but can't really recommend one kickass one.

The meat is very flavorful without the marinade and it tends to cook cleaner and not "blacken" as much, but some of the marinades are pretty interesting.

Problem is, most people like the plain fried bird just as well if not better. You really don't need any.
 
Thanks Agnt....that is what I am still trying to figure out is the marinade. Teriyaki might be yummy. What other seasonings do you use? I was also considering just doing straight italian dressing.

Thanks Hawg....maybe I'll go virgin on this first one.
 
you yanks- make sure to fill the fryer all the way up w/ oil and get the fire hot as possible.
 
have done this at a few pats games and can also throw some wings in prior for a tasty treat.

BUT

we did have an episode 2 years ago where the oil/water mix shot a flame and all the security guards came rushing over. reasons for flame - alcohol and stupidity


so make sure you dry the bird the best you can with paper towel and cook away.

like Hawg said nothing is needed but a bit of Garlic in the oil never hurt, of course I put garlic on/in everything

MOhillbilly said:
you yanks- make sure to fill the fryer all the way up w/ oil and get the fire hot as possible.
hahahahaha funny
 
Originally posted by MadStork

There's no describing the taste - it's simply wonderful.

I was always afraid of burning my house down, though. It's a major fire hazard.

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.
 
make sure to towel down the bird before hand to get the extra moisture off.
fried turkey is the best-if done right.
if the fires to hot you burn the wings and drums-to cold and you dont get a good scald on the breast meat.

just like shine - regulation of the fire is most important.

bump your oil about 10 over when you 1st put the bird in.
and if you like your cure HOT HOT you better doctor it before hand.
inject the cure, in the joints and close to the breast bone but NOT right up against it.
 
Mainly teriaki and some italian dressing with a little sugar mixed in it. It did add some sweetness and turned out well.
 
RoadGrader said:
The best part is they went across the street to do it again!

I have an electric fryer (got it as a present). I was skeptical about the electric part, but it does take the guesswork out of the temperature, and no flame makes it much safer.
One tip-being electric does not make it suitable for indoor use unless you want your house to smell like peanut oil for a month:D

We are frying a bird tomorrow along with a traditionally cooked turkey. Cannot wait.
 
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