Fryer for Fried Turkey

krobertsmsn · November 2013

What is the best one at keeping temp, safe etc.

bettysnephew · November 2013

Personally, I don't see any of them fitting into the "safe" category. I know lots of people fry them, but feel like they are generally an accident waiting to happen. Too much wobbly equipment causing fires and people being burned from grease splashes. I did see a tripod that was made to allow the operator to keep a distance when lowering and raising the bird into the kettle. It may have been Alton Brown, but I'm not sure. You might try to Bing "frying turkey safely" and see what turns up

RLeeper · November 2013

Egg the bird! That is much safer and tastier!

Cookinbob · November 2013

Fried turkey is not nearly as good as one grill/smoked. Also takes 5 gallons of oil, and an hour or two to clean everything when done. Never again.

Zick · November 2013

Love the fried turkey!!!!! I have a Bayou Classic and it is perfect. Yes, a bit of a pain cleaning up, but you know that going in. Love the fried turkey?

caliking · November 2013

I fried one the Alton Brown way 2 years ago.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=121171

That's not me in the shorts. It's a friend standing further away than it looks.

Last year's smoked turkey was apparently my best one.

There is an oil-less fryer made by Butterball/Master Forge out there too.

Bustersdad · November 2013

Woot has the Butterball electric Turkey Fryer...about $70

Nebraskaegger · November 2013

Just don't let this happen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2ynmAmKoX8

Jackh · November 2013

I cut the bottom out of a five gallon pail then lower the turkey down through it into the hot oil, catches most if not all the spatter works well

Hibby · November 2013

Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-less Turkey Fryer. It's a propane fired infra-red turkey fryer that uses no oil. Can cook lots of other things too. I really like mine.

timothyloerke · November 2013

I got mine from Bass Pro. My wife loves the fried turkey I make...so pitching a smoked turkey for Thanksgiving was pretty tough...plus she's pregnant...so she'll be getting a fried turkey. However, I will be smoking a turkey for Christmas...and maybe a small one before then just to experiment. Hoping to win her over.

Frying a turkey is fun. It's not as scary as you think. Just needs a close eye. The smell is amazing!

boboegg · November 2013

I have been frying turkeys for Thanksgiving for over 15 years. One year I did 14 turkeys for friends and family. Once you get the peanut oil hot, it's just 43 minutes average for a 12.5 lb bird. Last year, I cooked one on the egg, and one in the fryer (tradition). As a test, we put them side-by-side on the counter for serving. Even though the egg's smoked bird was perfect, the jury selected the fried bird 3 to 1. It's that peanut oil.

This is why a fried bird from a restaurant or in an oil-less fryer won't stand up to the peanut oil fryer.

henapple · November 2013

I don't believe it's unsafe unless you are careless. 350, slowly lower the bird. The newsaalways shows some dumbass dropping a frozen turkey into 600 degree degree oil... No more unsafe than the egg.

krobertsmsn · November 2013

We really only like the breast. Would a fried bone-in breast be ok or would it dry out too much?Maybe I could do that on the stove my deep 8 qt pot.

billyray · November 2013

henapple said:

I don't believe it's unsafe unless you are careless. 350, slowly lower the bird. The newsaalways shows some dumbass dropping a frozen turkey into 600 degree degree oil... No more unsafe than the egg.

I'll be doing both again this year. Henapple's right about safety. Deep fry @350 for 3-1/2 minutes a lb., We always do a couple of chickens after the deep fried turkey for later use. 7 minutes a lb. for them. This makes good use of the oil you already have heated. Two of the biggest mistakes I see is when people have their setup on a combustible surface and over filling the pot with oil. Put the bird in the pot and cover with water, take the bird out and mark what the water level is, this is how much oil you'll be using.

krobertsmsn · November 2013

Thanks for the ideas!

Mike_the_BBQ_Fanatic · November 2013

I fried for years too, and agree...there is a risk, but it works out OK if you do it right...

The water displacement test and completely thawed rules have been mentioned...critical...couple more lessons I learned...

Dry it well..

Get the fryer with the deepest pot you can find, even if you only need to fill it a third of the way...and a lid is critical to keep the splatter down.

First year I thought I was smart and laid some newspaper down under my rig to catch any splatter or spill over...worked great until the wind picked up and blew the papers into the open flame...which brings me to the next point..I put it out right away, but this brings me to the next point...dont leave it, even for a minute...its only like 45 min cook, but had I not been right there, I would have made the next allstate commercial...

Keep a fire extinguisher rated for a grease fire nearby...if you dont have one, might be a good investment....better to have it and not need it then vice-versa.

Just like on the egg...keep track of the oil temp...it will drop when you put the bird in, make sure you crank the fire down if you start exceeding 350.

Drop the bird in neck down, cavity up...if you do it the other way, the neck opening can become like a volcano and react like a geyser.

Turn the fire off when you lower the bird...you will likely have some splatter, and you want to keep that away from any open flame.

Lower it in slow...I even go about a third of the way and then back out then a little more each time few times pausing for any moisture to burn off.

All that being said...I liked my egged turkey this year better...it was much more juicy then anything I ever fried.

Hope this helps.

henapple · November 2013

When I say lower it slow... I mean slow. Inch at a time do it doesn't volcano. Maybe use cardboard... I used to do them on concrete or on the grass. My family liked the smoked breast better than the fried. I could make love to fried turkey crispy skin.

Mike_the_BBQ_Fanatic · November 2013

henapple said:

When I say lower it slow... I mean slow. Inch at a time do it doesn't volcano. Maybe use cardboard... I used to do them on concrete or on the grass. My family liked the smoked breast better than the fried. I could make love to fried turkey crispy skin.

Exactly...the skin is the only thing I miss...but just a little.

caliking · November 2013

henapple said:

I don't believe it's unsafe unless you are careless. 350, slowly lower the bird. The newsaalways shows some dumbass dropping a frozen turkey into 600 degree degree oil... No more unsafe than the egg.

Absolutely. Easy to do safely, just as easy to do it stupidly. Every one of us should have a fire extinguisher handy, not just for turkey cooks.

And yeah, that fried turkey skin is friggin awesome. Nothing beats the tail though - "pope's nose" - my BIL tried to lay claim to it last time I fried one, after I did all the work. NBL (not bloody likely).

Little Steven · November 2013

henapple said:

When I say lower it slow... I mean slow. Inch at a time do it doesn't volcano. Maybe use cardboard... I used to do them on concrete or on the grass. My family liked the smoked breast better than the fried. I could make love to fried turkey crispy skin.

That is disturbing on so many levels

Eggcelsior · November 2013

Little Steven said:
show previous quotes

henapple said:

When I say lower it slow... I mean slow. Inch at a time do it doesn't volcano. Maybe use cardboard... I used to do them on concrete or on the grass. My family liked the smoked breast better than the fried. I could make love to fried turkey crispy skin.

That is disturbing on so many levels

Bastard is cheating on his swine. For shame, henapple, for shame!

Philly35 · November 2013

Make sure it is thawed!! Or it will explode!

Charlesmaneri · November 2013

I have one dont remember the brand but the turkey comes out great a 12 pound turkey takes like 45 mins I think it' 3 mins a pound yes it's a littel dangerous but if you follow the instructions to the T you will be fine as far as clean up get yourself so Brillo and scrub not so bad

henapple · November 2013

Ya'll are twisted

LBC Dawg · November 2013

Bayou Classic is what i use. love turkey on the Egg but nothbing beats a fried turkey.

Mross · November 2013

Last Thanksgiving we did both a fried turkey and an egg turkey. The smoked turkey was hands down the winner.

SWVABeanCounter · November 2013

Been frying turkeys for years, never any issues. Make sure turkey is thawed and dried off before lowering in the oil. Make sure you keep the oil in it's temp range. As for clean-up, invest in the better stainless pots instead of the cheaper aluminum. It cleans up much easier.

henapple · November 2013

My family picked the smoked turkey also but that was on my side/stack smoker. You've got me wanting to fry one.

Charlesmaneri · November 2013

all I can say is fried Turkey is very good I have yet to do a Turkey in my Egg but thats going to change on Thanksgiving I will let you know what I think fried vs Egged

caliking · November 2013

In my case, the peanut oil was pricey (Costco had by far the price, btw) since we only fry one bird, don't cook with peanut oil, and rarely ever deep fry anything (twice a year max). So generally pitched the oil once we were done with it. If you have multiple birds or other things to fry, that's a different story.

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