Anyone ever try the deepfry turkey method?

[lyssa-anne]

Hello, I have heard of people deep frying their turkey, you can buy a big turkey deep fryer, its suppose to be very tasty, tender and not greasy at all. Has anyone tried this? Thinking of maybe trying it this year - to free up my oven and plus its suppose to take way less time!
I would love to hear from anyone that has tried it! Thanks! :-)

[Sickie Ickie]

I've eaten deep fried turkey and it is de-licious! Moist and juicy!

Now for the other part- it scares the bejeebers out of me! This is one of the leading causes for fires during Thanksgiving, and burns are not uncommon from this.

Elton Brown made a rig where he put the turkey in a wire basket and lowered it into the pot some distance away. He was able to raise it the same way, then "brake" it in midair so it would drain some.

[Mummy deer-est]

I saw that good eats episode, SI...decided to never make a turkey after seeing how liquid flames could shoot everywhere if your not careful, don't have a dry bird, etc.

I've also heard it tastes great, but just be safe!!! Do your research, lyssa-anne, if you decide to do it.

[lyssa-anne]

Thanks guys, I didn't realize that those deep frying turkey cookers were so flamable - but I guess they would be. Not sure if I like that idea, I was going to leave that to the guys - but if they are having a couple xmas cocktails - that might not be a smart thing to do either. Thinking I might just stick with the old fashioned oven roasted method!! :-)

[Sickie Ickie]

Both are tastey, whichever way you decide to go, Lyssa. :)

[SantaPaws]

Yes I have cooked a turkey twice. It cooks so fast. But you need to eat it quickly because it gets cool quick. But man is it good.

[Sickie Ickie]

I don't think eating quickly is a problem of mine! LOL

[digbugsgirl]

We fry a turkey every year. We've never had a problem with a fire, but that's just because we are careful. Never do it on a wood deck or, for that matter, near the house. This summer we did one next to the shop away from the house. We ended up getting an electric fryer a couple of years ago. It fries a smaller bird, but you don't have to worry about the flame.

We usually season ours with Zataran's creole seasoning. Delish! I like to mix it up a bit, though and roast a bird sometimes. We always have a turkey at least three or four time a year so I'm able to have the turkey done both ways every year. As a matter of fact, DH is frying a bird at this moment for the school's staff Christmas party.

[Sickie Ickie]

An electric one, eh? There's something I haven't thought of.

[peyote2004]

:)My sister deepfries turkey a couple of times each year ... usually easter and once in the summer (December's way too cold here to be standing outside with the fryer). It tastes awesome... very juicy. Personally I prefer the taste over turkey that's been baked/roasted.

Just do it far enough from the house that if you do have a fire it's not a problem... we're usually about 6 feet from the door, on the walkway. If it's windy, you will need a wind break or else the wind will cool your pot and it will take longer for the turkey to cook. My sister uses peanut oil, because it heats faster.

When you put the turkey into the pot, do it slowly, or the pot will foam/boil over. this is the primary cause of fires, but if you go slow there's no problem. The turkey pot should come with a thermometer. wzatch it carefully, and stay within the prescribed range. Removing the turkey from the pot is a 2 person job ( 1 if you have a table handy)... generally I do the lowering and lifting and my sister's in charge of making sure the plate is there to put the turkey on.

When you're done, let the oil cool, strain it through some cheese cloth, re-bottle it and save the oil for next time.

Try it, you'll love deep fried turkey

BTW: we generally inject BBQ or hot sauce into the turkey before cooking it.

[lyssa-anne]

wow..thanks for all the info... Never thought of the wind factor....
But it does sound tasty...:-)

[lhallow]

Deep fried turkey is great! We've done it for Thanksgiving and for our summer luau's and they always turn out great! Like everything else, if you use common sense you're fine.