Frying Turkeys

[Steve]

Do NOT put a frozen turkey into hot oil! Imediate flash steam = overflowing scalding, flaming oil = pain, injury, destruction, etc!

Make sure that the bird is thawed and DRY!!!

Also, don't put the fryer on anything that is flamable!


If you try to cook a bird that is much over ~16 lbs, by the time the inside is done, the outside is burnt. If I need more than ~16 lbs, I get 2.

I usually don't brine my birds, but we have our own injection that my wife and I have come up with over the years.


Turkey frying gone VERY WRONG! <=Clicky

Don't get too scared. Just use common sence and be careful!

Originally Posted by mrreindeer

WHOA!



That's pretty much it. Follow the instructions that come with the fryer. Definitely DO NOT put a frozen turkey in there, thaw it. And don't fry it underneath an awning or indoors. Make sure there's plenty of open space and nothing flammable nearby. We do it in the middle of our street! And it splatters everywhere, on you, spills over onto the street, etc. so watch out! (You can measure how much oil to put in there the day before, by lowering the turkey into the pot with the pot filled with water and noting where on the pot to fill with oil on Thanksgiving.)

Costco sells an infrared oil-less fryer if you don't want to have to shell out $40 in oil every time you fry one up.

So we do this every year. Last year we began a tradition of frying one and buying one from this AWESOME place: http://www.gobblegobble.com/

Greenberg Smoked Turkey's are amazing. Truly. It was the hands-down favorite last year.

So we'll fry one & have the smoked turkey.

One question I have for the experienced turkey fryers....our fryer's instructions says not to use more than a 16-pound turkey...well, Costco didn't have anything smaller than 20 pounds and I didn't know the fryer had a limit. Should I be concerned?

Originally Posted by steve

If you try to cook a bird that is much over ~16 lbs, by the time the inside is done, the outside is burnt. If I need more than ~16 lbs, I get 2.

So Steve, you're telling me I have to actually go back to Costco, brave the already horrendous crowds and return the dead bird. Cr@p!

My own damn fault.

[Steve]

It's your call. I have not had real good luck with birds over about 17 lbs personally.

Of course, you could always keep it and smoke it

Originally Posted by mrreindeer

WHOA!



That's pretty much it. Follow the instructions that come with the fryer. Definitely DO NOT put a frozen turkey in there, thaw it. And don't fry it underneath an awning or indoors. Make sure there's plenty of open space and nothing flammable nearby. We do it in the middle of our street! And it splatters everywhere, on you, spills over onto the street, etc. so watch out! (You can measure how much oil to put in there the day before, by lowering the turkey into the pot with the pot filled with water and noting where on the pot to fill with oil on Thanksgiving.....but it'll still splatter)

Costco sells an infrared oil-less fryer if you don't want to have to shell out $40 in oil every time you fry one up.

So we do this every year. Last year we began a tradition of frying one and buying one from this AWESOME place: http://www.gobblegobble.com/

Greenberg Smoked Turkey's are amazing. Truly. It was the hands-down favorite last year.

So we'll fry one & have the smoked turkey.

One question I have for the experienced turkey fryers....our fryer's instructions says not to use more than a 16-pound turkey...well, Costco didn't have anything smaller than 20 pounds and I didn't know the fryer had a limit. Should I be concerned?

Originally Posted by mrreindeer

So Steve, you're telling me I have to actually go back to Costco, brave the already horrendous crowds and return the dead bird. Cr@p!

My own damn fault.

[Steve]

The other important thing to do is NOT overfill the pot with oil!

I take the bird (still in it's wrapper usually) and place it in the clean pot. Then fill the pot with water (with the turkey still in it) until the water just covers the bird. mark the outside of the pot with a marker, drain the water, and prepare the bird.

When you are ready to fry the bird up, fill the pot up with oil to the level you previously marked. I usually go ojust a little shy. I figure the only part of the turkey that will possibly out of the oil is the knuckle bones of the legs and even then, the oil is boiling up around them.

Originally Posted by steve

Do NOT put a frozen turkey into hot oil! Imediate flash steam = overflowing scalding, flaming oil = pain, injury, destruction, etc!

Make sure that the bird is thawed and DRY!!!

Also, don't put the fryer on anything that is flamable!


If you try to cook a bird that is much over ~16 lbs, by the time the inside is done, the outside is burnt. If I need more than ~16 lbs, I get 2.

I usually don't brine my birds, but we have our own injection that my wife and I have come up with over the years.


Turkey frying gone VERY WRONG! <=Clicky

Don't get too scared. Just use common sence and be careful!

[tnip23]

Also, lower the bird into the oil very slowly, wearing gloves. Good advice on the big birds, I usually do a 14 pounder, cooks nice in under an hour. Another great excuse to go outside and smoke a cigar too. GL.

[Steve]

Agreed on all points!

Originally Posted by tnip23

Also, lower the bird into the oil very slowly, wearing gloves. Good advice on the big birds, I usually do a 14 pounder, cooks nice in under an hour. Another great excuse to go outside and smoke a cigar too. GL.

[cre8v1]

If you've never tried it, do a deep fried ham sometime. It's delicious! You basically use the same instructions as the turkey. It get's nice and charred (black) on the outside. It's very good!

[Steve]

I have never done a ham, but I did do a prime rib roast once. As you said, very good!

Originally Posted by cre8v1

If you've never tried it, do a deep fried ham sometime. It's delicious! You basically use the same instructions as the turkey. It get's nice and charred (black) on the outside. It's very good!

[Squid]

I do two 16 pound turkeys and sometimes two turkey breasts for the gaggle that comes over. The in-laws take one of the turkey breasts home along with some of the trimmings. We have enough turkey meat for giving some to every family that comes...along with all the trimmings.

Cooking the two turkeys along with the turkey breasts helps justify the cost of the peanut oil. Anyone else using anything else to cook the turkeys in?

I've got an infrared turkey cooker that I picked up last year....but the neighbor bought one and the turkey never was quite right. Haven't had the guts to test it yet.

Haven't tried the ham in the fryer yet....I'll have to experiment after Thanksgiving.

Tnip23 was right on the money with going out and smoking a good stick. Cooking a turkey in the cooker keeps me out of the wife's hair and of course, my dad, father in law, brother in laws, and sons all have a good time swapping lies and jokes with one another while we're "watching the turkey."

[md4958]

Originally Posted by steve

The other important thing to do is NOT overfill the pot with oil!

I take the bird (still in it's wrapper usually) and place it in the clean pot. Then fill the pot with water (with the turkey still in it) until the water just covers the bird. mark the outside of the pot with a marker, drain the water, and prepare the bird.

When you are ready to fry the bird up, fill the pot up with oil to the level you previously marked. I usually go ojust a little shy. I figure the only part of the turkey that will possibly out of the oil is the knuckle bones of the legs and even then, the oil is boiling up around them.

Steve, shouldnt you remove the bird and THEN mark the level of the water inside? If you were to fill up the pot to the level when the bird was in the pot, the turkey will displace all of that excess oil....

Was that a misprint, or am I just assuming incorrectly??

[Steve]

Thanks! Yes that was what I ment to type, but my mind works faster than my fingers.

Yes, it is important to remove the bird then mark the oile level! Otherwise things get very exciting (in a bad way!).

Thanks for the correction!

Originally Posted by md4958

Steve, shouldnt you remove the bird and THEN mark the level of the water inside? If you were to fill up the pot to the level when the bird was in the pot, the turkey will displace all of that excess oil....

Was that a misprint, or am I just assuming incorrectly??