the "real" important thanksgiving question

**Jeff Trail** · 11-28-2002, 12:13 AM

I hope people reply to this fast..I have heard over and over how the deep fry turkey thing was so great.. so figured might as well give it a try :-) .. so far this turkey has cost me about $150..the fryer, the gas, the peanut oil and of course $18 for the turkey ;)

Now the important questions for all who have went through this...so far I cook it for 3 minutes per pound.. I know that dumping anything into hot oil is going to "snap crackle pop" but how bad is it really? The fryer I got has this turkey holder thing, and a rod that hooks to that to lower the turkey into the oil.. I want to know if I need a fire protective shield and fire extinguisher or is it not that bad;)

Really, just want to know if that three minute is really correct..and how bad the spatter really is when popping the turkey into the oil..worse then the usual deep fryer (french fries, shrimp etc. etc...) or about the same?

From all I'm told I can't wait to give it a try..just don't want to end up burning the house down, losing an arm and destroying my deck and jacuzzi if this turkey does a spontaneous combustible explotion

Any pointers would be helpful ...not starting till 1 or 2 o'clock so help a guy out..

Jeff "bring on the football" Trail

**Steve Machol** · 11-28-2002, 12:29 AM

My brother did this last year. The turkey did on fact cook real quick, and it tasted great.

My other brother - the Fire Department Captain - was noticeably uncomfortable as the hot grease started splattering everywhere and got very close to the propane flame!

**Joann Raytar** · 11-28-2002, 12:42 AM

Jeff,

From what I understand, not overfilling the fryer, testing the fill level with water first and thoroughly drying both the fryer and the turkey after figuring out your fill line were very important. (Legal Disclaimer: I, myself, have not used this method. I saw an episode on the Food Network about the process and Joe's dad has a fryer set-up which produced a delicious bird.)

Link to The Food Network: Southern Fried Turkey

Good Luck and Happy Thanksgiving!

:cheers:

**Judy Canty** · 12-02-2002, 01:09 PM

Jeff, I hope the turkey turned out well. My husband started deep-frying them a couple of years ago and we love them. This year he's done 4 so far, one for us and three for folks in his office. BTW he recommends Emril Lagasse's marinade. You may be able to find it on the Good Morning America website. Try it for Christmas!

**Night Train** · 12-02-2002, 06:12 PM

I just saw a bi on CNN about a family who burned down their house trying this. I hope you fared better!

**Jeff Trail** · 12-02-2002, 07:01 PM

No fires and it turned out pretty good...and even got to use some "optical" stuff in the process... :-)
First thing I learned, tried the "water" thing BUT oil displaces differently than water..so I thought about that and popped in the turkey..filled it with water and kept the water about two inches BELOW the end of the turkey...good thing, when I matched that point with the oil and had the turkey in there with the boil and all the oil ended up about 3 inches HIGHER than the turkey..about 4 inches from the top of the pot...so that water thing is good idea but make allowances :-)
Next (this is the "optical" part) I was getting ready to start putting the turkey into the hot oil and it came to me.."this is like popping a lens into a hot tinter" you need to break the surface tension :-) ..so I did that before and it went in without a hitch...it took a whopping 36 minutes..in fact it took LONGER to get the oil to the right temp than it did to cook it!! :-)
BTW Steve I did have my fire extinguisher on hand just in case :-) Last but not least since you can NOT put the lid on this thing, I stuck it under the pot on the deck and good thing this baby generates some heat...so next time I'll know about being a little more careful doing it on my deck out back and prepare a little better for the excess heat under the pot, wasn't hot enough to do anything but better safe than sorry I say...
All in all liked it pretty well.. and the couple next door got a whiff of it and had me do there turkey as well..so I got plenty of practice...even popped in some fries and gave that a try and some corn fritters (OK I'm southern what do you want).. even tossed a few candied yam slices into a basket and deep fried them..possibly got a little carried away...:-)

I liked it, and would tell anyone interested to give it a try, use a little common sense and don't walk away from it and "just in case" have a fire extinguisher handy, but for me it worked great..I'll be sure to look up some other basting recipes. my neighbor used some kind of one with garlic in it, was not to thrilled with that one... any one else with any recipies feel free to post away..

Thanks for the tips.. and I didn't lose a limb or an eye and it came out pretty good.. gonna stick with this for a while I think..

Jeff "more like the "chef" from the muppets than Emiral" Trail