the fam and i tried some cajun butter the other day. Dang that was some good stuff.  Turkies taste great just fried in peanut oil, but with the marinade it is like eating candy. Need to go make me a sandwich now. [:)]

I just got my turkey fryer and can't wait to try it out.  I'll be using it next Sunday at my nephew's baptism.  Haven't chosen a marinade yet, but the fryer came with a selection of them, so I expect I'll choose one of them for starters.

I make a marinade loosely based on the one Emeril used on his show . Made from honey ,beer, and various creole seasonings. Injuct it till it runs out of everywhere.Then I rub with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, and of course black pepper. I like to let it set overnight in the fridge.

I'll probably cook 2 or 3 turkeys this week.

Word of caution...

Fry the turkey with the large/anal area facing UP!

Otherwise you cause a convection vortex that is VERY dangerous.  

We have cooked many turkeys and have found they taste great with a simple rub of cajun spice on the outer skin.  You can get fancier, but this seems to give us a great flavor.

Keep in mind when you inject the turkey, you are putting holes into the flesh.  The idea behind frying is to sear the outer skin to keep in all the natural juices.  Stabbing holes all over defeats the purpose of frying.

The more plentiful the punctures, and the larger the needle used to inject, the more self-defeating it becomes.

Go with just a rub, save the injecting for when you are BBQing or Baking your bird.  You will be happy that you did.

TheRedGoat/Baphomet

DOes that rub actually stay on the bird in the hot oil?  seems like it would just come off...



don't fry it anywhere you don't want hot splatterd oil that is a pain to remove.

The only turkey frying I've seen is on Cable TV hunting shows. Is this a "Southern" thing.

How much better is it than roasting?

What do You Know 'bout This?

Yes, specifically a cajun thing.  We're from Texas, and we've been frying turkeys long before it became the thing to do.  I remember telling schoolmates that we were going to fry our turkey and they looked at me like I was insane.



The major benefits are decreased cooking time (generally 45-55 minutes until it floats) and a bird that doesn't dry out because the skin is seared shut, trapping in the natural juices.  The first year my stepdad took over turkey frying, which had been my job after my dad died, he nearly set the house on fire because he placed the setup too close to the house.  Fortunately he had the hose handy.

We don't do anything fancy.  Just dunk the bird in peanut oil for 45-55 minutes and you've got some tasty eating.

God Bless Texas

It's not that it's "Better" than reoasting as much as it is different.You need a big damn pot, and a propane burner(cooker). You want to get the oil up to and held at 350 degrees. Peanut oil will tolerate the heat better than canola oil or vegetable oil. If you get most oils to 375 or so you run the risk or scorching it. That will ruin your bird and your oil. I like fried turkey very much, but I like them smoked or roasted just as well.
Scott

Yes, MOST of the rub stay on the bird.  Not sure why.  I guess the initial searing/drying of the skin makes the spices stick to it.

Some of the seasoning will get into the grease/oil and cause it to be 'flavored.'  However, it does make your oil look dirty.

Oh yeah, about frying location, I sent up a 10 foot tall flame last year when frying a turkey.  I did not have a thermometer and just 'guessed' that the temp was 375.  Judging from the flames, I would guess the oil was more like 425+  Huge ball of steam and vaporized oil combusted and went skyward.

Let this be a lesson for everyone.  NEVER place a turkey into oil using the little angled piece of steel.

Use TWO people, one on each side of a LONG piece of rebar with the bird under it to slowly lower the turkey into the fire.  I ain't kidding.  TWO people, long rebar, safe distance away from the fryer.

You are lowering 15-20 pounds of wet, cold, dead weight into a 350+ source of instant, vaporizable, combustible material with a source of ignition.  It is not something to take lightly!

If I had used the supplied 'hook' to lower the bird, I would have been very seriously injured.  Permanent, painful and debilitating injuries.  My uncle, God bless him, is what kept me safe.  He had told me about the dangers beforehand, I thought he was over-cautious until IT  [flame] happened.

I've never fried a turkey or had fried turkey.  So far the only description of it that I've seen is that "it's different" than roasting it.

Can someone give me a better description of what a fried turkey is like?  I have an image in my head of a huge chicken mcnugget will oil coming out of every pore in the meat.

Let's see, SAS, Rangers, Seals, Navy Pilots, ... oh, you meant to eat?

Oh, well, no turkey fryer here - yet.  Been thinking about it though, fill me in, should I get one?  The wifes' away, so I could sneak on in here on her [:)]

Links:

[url]http://www.members.accessus.net/~cajun/fried-turkey.htm[/url]

[url]http://www.tznet.com/lwittman/turkey.html[/url]

Well, first of all you don't stuff them, or at least I've never seen anyone stuff a turkey to be fried.  You'd need to come up with an alternate way of getting the bird in and out of the oil if you do plan on stuffing one.  Secondly, most of any real difference between baked and fried really has to do with the marinade that's injected into the bird.  My family doesn't do any of that, so it tastes pretty much like normal turkey, only it's not dry because the outside is seared shut when you submerge it in the oil.  It also only takes about 50 minutes to cook for a 12-16lb bird, though you'll know it's done when it floats to the surface.  You'll also want to let it drip dry, which we normally do in paper grocery bags stuffed with paper towels.

God Bless Texas

Frying? Nope,

Gonna smoke a 17 lb gobbler my bride picked up today.

Use mesquite, pecan and hickory logs in my firebox.

Wash that mother good and rub butter all over it.


Do not put it on unless there's lots of smoke being generated. Usually start the smoking at first light or earlier on dia da pavo (Turkey day)

Smoke it until the juice is running clear.

A properly smoked turkey will seal the juices in the first 30 minutes or so. It is all over a dark brown (some people think you have burnt it.

Then when you carve it juices usually squirt up in the air.

Drip pan underneath easily catches broth for use in the dressing (Not stuffing. It's a Texas thang, y'all wouldn't understand) and giblet gravy.

Usually ready in the afternoon. Must maintain lower than usual roasting temperature to allow the smoke flavoring to really get deep into the breasts.

Damn, now I'm hungry...but, heck fire, I'm always hungry!

[:P]

i inject mine with a mixture of hoppes #9 and just a little Sweets 308 just give it a little more zing...i then rub the exterior with bore butter so my sprinkle on mixture of bullseye and universal clays will stick good.....Happy Thanksgiving.....Dick

P.S. as bad as these times seem to be we've all got a lot to be thankful for......Reverend Dick

Baste it the night before in Tony Chachere's creole seasoning and Olive oil(virgin of course)![:)]

Use 5 gallons of Peanut oil..in the pot.

Get one of those metal vegetable "flower fold-out", baskets. (If you know what I'm talking about you can find them at Winn Dixie.)

Put about 4 or 5 peeled raw onions into the bird like you were stuffing. Sew it up.

Run 2 twisted coat hangers down the middle of the turkey and attach them to the veggy basket..the bird will rest upon the basket. A pipe that I affixed a big handle to,holds the clothes hangers and bird in place onto the pot. Cut legs off bird,sew it up if you want to,and hang them individually "clothes hangers" on the side of the pot.

Cook 4 minutes per lb. usually, and "eye" the legs...they usually are done in 20.

The raws onions will cook black inside turkey...but the flavor is unreal.

Heat the oil to 450 degrees with one of those floating glass therms to monitor...let the temp go down between 350-375...

SPLASH..SPLASH..CRACKLE...CRACKLE..sniff. Mmmmmmmmmm...good.

I don't inject either...kinda overkill if you baste it right. And put Tony C's into the peanut oil BEFORE you turn the propane on..And here in Florida...we put about 2 shovel fulls of sand underneath the pot...grass will catch on fire and concrete will hold the oil forever! After you're through cooking..you can scoop the sand up and be done with it.

And watch that thermometer! It goes up and down..you'll have to adjust the flame a few times...so watch it.

Happy Thnaksgiving..and remember why you're Thankful,
[b][blue]NAKED[/blue][/b]

Excellent. This site rocks.

Now I need a smoker, a giant propane fryer, gallons of peanut oil, several turkies...

If I get fat, I'm blaming you guys, since, "I was just following orders."

[i]i inject mine with a mixture of hoppes #9 and just a little Sweets 308 just give it a little more zing...i then rub the exterior with bore butter so my sprinkle on mixture of bullseye and universal clays will stick good.....Happy Thanksgiving.....Dick[/i]

[b]What, no Boiled Linseed Oil? Amateur!!! :o)

Matt[/b]

Big Bear,
Dad told me 2 ways of learnin' things...easy way and hard way...burn enough legs,you gotta do something...just make sure to "sew" the leg hole up...it may start to shred open the bird if you don't. I get my peanut oil at Sam's club and keep half of it for the next year...sometimes it's too funky to use.

We fry 2-12 pounders at Thanksgiving and one at Christmas. I'm the designated cooker since I USED to like doing it when I was younger...old habits..hard to break.

[b][blue]NAKED[/blue][/b]

Just purchased my first dead bird frying device a couple of days ago...can't wait to try it out.

medcop

Got me a 30qt. frying "kit" yesterday and gonna give it a shot this year.  I already got the rub prepared this evening (sort of lemon, garlic and herb combo) and preparing the marinade tomorrow (lemmon, garlic and pepper with touch of Tobasco)[:D].  Just gotta get me a pair of rebars to loer the turkey into the oil.  A little advise... keep the oil above 340 degrees as oil will start to infuse into the turkey at lower temp and make the meat oily.

 

I like to inject mine with a mixture of butter and garlic powder....and rub the outside with a cajun spice mix.  Let stand overnight in the fridge (cooking bags are good for this).

I learned from an old-timer and his advice is to heat the oil to 340 degrees, then put turkey in hot oil...oil temp will drop...bring temp back up to 300 degrees...don't let it get over 320 degrees and cook for 4 minutes per pound.

Most people say cook 3.5 minutes per pound at 350 degrees...but I have found that 4 minutes per pound at 300 degrees give more uniform cooking.  

Good eatin' ya'll!!!!

Keith

Red Pepper, Black Pepper, Garlic, Salt.

[size=6]Oil Saving Tip[/size=6]
After frying the bird, slice a couple potatoes and fry them, then fish them out and let the oil cool.  The potatoes will clarify the oil and the rub sediment sinks to the bottom.  You can siphon off the cooled oil back into the jugs and use it again.  I'm going on my 3rd year on my oil, loose about 2 cups each frying.

shooter

mmm,mmm good

[:X*][shock]

Sorry, but I read this and immediately thought Baptism, deep-fryer, marinade....YEECCHH![puke]

Guess that's what I get for not being a Christian. (edited to add animation)

i know what i am going to buy next week {when i get paid}
a turkey fryer!!

... In other words the turkey could build up a fart that could rival a daisycutter?

You all inspired me to go out and buy a [b]turkey fry kit[/b] today. I'm anxious to fire her up tomorrow. The instructions say not to drink and fry, but hey, its Thanksgiving!

[size=2][b]WOO HOO[/b] !!!

[b][blue]Happy Thanksgiving[/blue][/b] my brothers & sisters[/size=2]