For the second time ever, I’ll be doing the turkey this Thanksgiving, and as I did last time, I’ll be deep-frying it. This will be my third fried turkey, but the last two were done in a jury-rigged setup over the propane grill. This year I splurged and got a 30-qt. outdoor deep fryer.
I’m planning on rubbing it with Colonel Paul’s Mild (got kids, can’t go hot) Cajun seasoning and injecting with a boiled-down version of Zataran’s shrimp boil, though I’d love other suggestions.
But I’m posting (other than just to brag that I now own a turkey fryer) to see if anyone has other recipes for it. The manual adds that I can do chickens (makes sense and I think I’ll test the fryer out with one), prime rib (WTF?), and pork loin (again, WTF?). Anyone know of anything else to use a 30-qt. outdoor fryer for, or will it sit in the attic from year to year?
Mmm, fried turkey. I never knew this delight until I moved to SC. I look forward to Thanksgiving even more so now. We always fry up a few turkeys at work - yum! Anyway, we had one last year where they injected a cajun marinade - it was amazing.
Also, one co-worker said he planned to use his 30 qt container while making his homemade beer (I think you have to boil hops, etc). So, there’s an idea - make beer!
For the turkey itself…brine it and dry it. Fried or baked, it can’t be beat.
So how much was it? I’d really like to get one but it kinda scares me. Seems like a trip tothe burn ward waiting to happen. How sturdy is it?
The best carnitas I’ve ever had in my life is made by brining and deep-frying pork roast, so I’d use it for that for sure.
My family has one of these too, and here’s what we do with it:
Along with another family, we hold semi-annual parties called White Trash Deep-Fries. We’ve managed to make fried turkey, onion rings (these are VERY good. Cut the onion rings wide and it’s like a greasy battery floppy finger-burning version of heaven), breaded mushrooms (good), french fries, pretty much anything covered in batter that’s normally stored in a freezer (i.e. fish sticks, poppers, etc.) and for dessert, deep-fried Mars Bars and deep-fried Twinkies (VERY IMPORTANT - Cover the deep fried Twinkies in batter, or else they’ll soak up a third of the oil in the fryer. This will make them taste beyond disgusting and give them the power to stop your heart in seconds.)
Yeah, all in the same fryer, on the same 4 quarts of oil.
…You know, this might explain a lot about my family.
Got access to crawfish? (Actually, you do, because you can get 40# bags of live 'bugs shipped to you.) There is some kind of Louisiana Crawfish Board thingie that may have a website with recipes and whatnot.
I have to go with ftg on this one. I have heard some horror stories about these things (giant flames shooting out the top, etc), not to mention what to do with all that oil when you’re done.
I’ve been doing it for about ten years. Yes, they’re dangerous. I just remember that I’m working with boiling oil and flame, keep a fire extinguisher nearby and only do it in an area where if the worst happened nobody would get hurt and nothing would burn.
That being said, what I love to do with the turkey fryer once the turkey is done, is roll mashed potatos into balls with bread crumbs and deep fry them.
Onion rings are a must.
For desert, deep-fried ice cream can’t be beat. You use batter, bread crumbs and then batter again.
Oh, and two important things I’ll mention about frying the turkey for safety’s sake.
When you get your oil up to temperature, turn the heat off and remove the pot from the burner. Then, immerse your turkey into the oil. Wipe any oil off the sides and bottom, replace on the burner and reignite.
The most important thing is temperature. use peanut oil, only, and never let the temperature reach 400 degrees. You want to keep it right at 375. If you go much higher your oil will start to break down, and it may catch fire. At 375 you’re safe.
Second most important thing is your oil level. I keep a large pot, and a small pot with a long handle (like a ladle) on hand. Inevitably, once I put the turkey in, the oil level is high. I remove some with the ladle to keep it at a safe level. You can add it back in later in the process if you need it.
Third most important thing is to cook your turkey upside down. You want the large opening facing up. If you do it the other way, with the neck hole facing up, the oil will geyser out of the neck dangerously.
One of my Mom’s coworkers got a turkey fryer and decided to try it out. Unfortunately, neither she nor her husband had used one before. So, they set it up in their kitchen, got it all nice and ready then put in the turkey, nearly straight out of the freezer.
Let’s just say they had to figure out how to clean off and repair the ceiling…
(I have yet to have fried turkey. I’ll have to get the SO, who’s born and raised in the South, to point me in the direction of some.)
I’ve done something similar but replaced 1/3d to 1/2 of the water with apple cider. And I’d lose the ground white pepper and just toss in peppercorns. Plus a bay leaf or two.
Plus A) I think your quantities are way too low for a full-sized turkey, B) Put it in an ice chest,and put bags of ice on/around the turkey (which should be completely submerged) Salmonella poisoning is NOT a fun way to spend the holidays and C) 48 hours seems an awful long time. Max I’ve EVER done it for is 24 hours and it was almost too strong a taste.
I have seen these turkey fryers ignite-and they are scarey! As somebody said, what usually happens is that the would-be fry cook puts a wet, patially thawed turkey into the hot oil. The ice flashes to steam, and now you have boiling hot oil spewing over the top, and getting ignited by the propane jet. Next, the buring oil causes a massive fireball, and your house/deck, backyard goes up in flames!
Unless you have a fire extinguisher on hand, you can lose your house!
PLEASE be very careful-it is a good idea to use a 2"X4" (8 feet) to dip your turkey into the oil!
If your climate is warm enough, take the fryer outside to cook. That’s how my Cajun wife’s family fries theirs every year. Probably less of a chance of burning down your house that way.
I hadn’t tried fried turkey before moving to Louisiana. Now I’m in love with the stuff. Hell, down here they even sell turkey fryers at Wal-Mart.
I would also suggest a good gumbo and maybe some rice dressing for a proper Cajun Thanksgiving. Gumbo and fried turkey go great together.
If I remember, I’ll check with the in-laws for some recipes and tips.
I have done it the way I described above at least a dozen times with nothing but good results. I don’t add ice but a cold turkey in cold brine in a garage in Idaho in November is not a good bacteria breeding ground. I’ve tried it before with apple cider and wasn’t too impressed with the results. The brine quantity can be too low depending on your container–scale up as needed (another trick is to inflate a balloon and stuff it into the body cavity of the bird). I will typically double the recipe and do two turkeys (soaking in a 5 gal cooler). I prefer the white pepper because it doesn’t have quite the bite of the black stuff and it is typically a finer grind and so spreads around better. To each his own.
