Turkey frying

[OSD]

This is a real popular method of fixing Turkey. I know some of you fry alot of turkeys for friends and customers, so lets here some tips, tricks, and how to's of doing this safely.

[JamesB]

Simple....

I like to inject, some folks like to brine... at least the night before.

Put the bird in the pot your going to be frying in and fill with water until bird is just covered. Make note of the water level, this is how much oil your going to need.

Don't rub the outside of the bird. Most all of the rub will just be washed away into the oil... Does nothing for the bird and dirtys up the oil faster.

Don't fry in your garage, near your house, your kids, your car, your dog.... or anything else flammable...

Pat bird as dry as possible with paper towels (inside of the cavity too) before frying. This will lower the splatter effect.

Turn off the burner before you lower or raise the bird... This helps to prevent a fire in the case of boil over or a spill.

Where long sleeves and pants. Some of that boiling oil just might get on ya.

I prefer to fry birds in the 12-14lb range, no bigger. I get the oil up to about 350 degrees then lower the bird in. I then like to maintain about 325 degrees until the bird is done... usually about 3 - 3.5 minutes per lb.

Be careful, have fun and you will have some of the most amazing turkey ever...

James.

[Kalrog]

That about covers it the process.

On the hardware front, I really prefer the basket style turkey holders over the internal frame style. Much more flexible (works for crawfish boils as well) and keeps the legs/wings from flopping around and causing problems.

[SteerCrazy]

JamesB really knows the fried turkey. I did 2 last year, first time and it was simple and easy. I'll do another this year

[Smoked]

Heres a video clip on what and how not to do it.. VIDEO CLIP

One of the biggest things I have found in the danger of frying them is make sure they are completely thawed out. Also don't cook on a wood deck

Sorry guys on dial-up.. Its worth the wait

[TX Sandman]

James and Smoked have some great info there.

One thing I have to add: Don't use too much oil! Take your turkey, place it in the pot just how you would cook it, and pour water into the pot to cover the bird, maybe a little extra. Remove the bird, note the water level, and use enough oil to fill to that level.

And to repeat what the others said, use about a 12-14 lb bird and make sure it's thawed before frying it. Also, I'd probably cook 2. They disappear fast around my house.

[JamesB]

We always fry up turks for friends and neighbors... you got a few $$ invested in that oil, might as well get some use out of it... (don't fergit to make some tater fries the next day to go along with da turk sandwiches)

We will also cook an extra bird or few just for us... I take the breasts off and vac pack and freeze individually for later meals. Cut the legs off and vac pack/freeze for later snacking... Pull the meat off of the thighs and wings and vac pack/freeze for soups, stews etc... you can get several quick fix meals out of 1 turk... and they are so cheap during the holiday season!

James.