[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Fried turkey is good! That's all I can say.

[Vladiator]

DO IT OUTSIDE!!!!!

Even if it is pouring down rain or snowing. The fire resulting from the cooking (well, possible fire) will then be limited to your grass, and not your garage.

[ppaul]

Make sure you get a stainless steel pot - not aluminum.

[HAL9000]

For the Manly Art of Turkey Frying, Goggles, Sobriety Are Recommended

[HAL9000]

Deep Fried Turkey Recipes

[hispanarepublicana]

Of no help to you, but possibly a good suggestion to others: I read somewhere that if you only have a small pot and a btu burner, or if you're only feeding a small crowd, you can fry chickens whole, and they only take 12 to 15 minutes as opposed to turkeys that can take up to 45 minutes or so.

[Jack of all Trades]

Series fried turkey bump. I've got to give this a ty this year too.

[Hillary's Folly]

Don't fill the deep fryer to the brim with oil. UNDERESTIMATE the amount of oil needed!

[1bigdictator]

Make sure that whatever the container is you use to fry the bird that it has at least 2.5-3 times the volume of the bird itself. The oil will rise considerably upon dunking the bird and if there is spillover you will be looking at a serious fire and a ruined turkey.

[FreePaul]

I've never tried "frying" on a gas grill. It is probably too high to be safe and would take forever to heat the oil. Best thing to do is buy (or borrow) a cooker complete with burner, pots, thermometer and utensils. They aren't very expensive. Ususlly takes about five or six gallons of peanut oil. If you are cooking "a" turkey it makes per pound cost of the meat very high.

Last year I borrowed the cooker and propane, bought the oil and cooked five turkeys for family members. We got the turkeys free for previous purchases at a grocery store. Oil cost around twenty dollars. Took about five hours to cook.

Just some things to think about.

[Atlas Sneezed]

My thoughts on safety:

When the oil is up to temperature, shut off the flame just just before you dunk the bird. That way, if/when the pot boils over as I have seen in "funny" videos, the foaming oil will not have an ignition source to turn it into a massive bonfire. When the eruption of foaming oil subsides in a moment, turn the flame back on.

Also, you might want to test the turkey with water in the pan to get the water level right, then remove the bird and mark the remaining water level so you know how much oil to use to avoid overfilling and overflowing.

[fight_truth_decay]

Peanut Oil and related. Can buy the handles that lift it out of the Deep fryer.Best turkey I ever had!!

[Focault's Pendulum]

Try this

[fight_truth_decay]

Get your deep fryer made for Turkeys Home Depot and Hardware Stores..it's very deep and can later be used to boil those Lobstahs!!!

[daniel boob]

Peanut oil is highly recommended since it has a high burn point. My first was a butterball and is was yummy. The next year we got a 16# whopper and used a turkey syringe with a mixture of salted butter (not margarine), salt, and pepper to season. One of the problems with the butterball turkey was it was flat on seasoning - but still real yummy. When frying birds, you need to keep the seasoning under the skin so it won't fry away. And these birds can't get enough salt. Anyway, the 16# was probably twice as good as the butterball.

I use a hook through the cavity with a big pot. The size of the pot doesn't matter to me - the fire does though. If the temp outside varies (or the wind is blowing) or it is extremely cold, take several readings with a thermomoter before dunking the bird. You don't want the oil temp to fluctuate.

If you're really wanting to have a serious turkey meal, consider Bleu Cheese Dressing, Oyster Dressing, grilled bacon-wrapped asparagus, and pecan and goat cheese over greens. It's a Texas thing.

Enjoy it. This year, we'll probably do another 16# turkey - although I'm considering frying 2 ducks - my wife is suspect because of the fat content.

[lelio]

Can you give us a follow up post when this disaster occurs? Frying turkeys is an accident waiting to happen.
Having said that, I would make sure that:
1) you're outside
2) the turkey is thawed, as ice crystals will pop and explode when heated up
3) you have some sort of broom handle used to lower the turkey, as the oil spits up and hits whatever in a 3' radius
4) don't use that much oil. Maybe even go for a dry run with unheated oil to see how much you need

[glock rocks]

don't do this.

[katykelly]

This is the only way we cook turkey! Use peanut oil for frying. Sometimes I buy the marinade for injecting, other times I make my own. I rub the skin with cajun spice. I always soak my turkey the night before in buttermilk. Good Luck!

[ppaul]

Some tasty links for y'all.....

Senator John Breaux, Louisiana, Specialty Recipe for Cajun Deep Fried Turkey

Jim's Cajun Deep Fried Turkey

National Turkey Federation's Deep Fried Turkey Recipe

Emeril Lagasse's Deep Fried Cajun Turkey Recipe

[texpat72]

The guys in my family also use peanut oil. I agree with Free Paul about the cooker. Much safer!