Deep Fried Turkeys

What's with all the deep fried turkeys? Over the weekend I read so many articles about people who burned their houses down or caused thousands of dollars in damage due to fires from cooking their turkey's. I can appreciate Martha Stewart or Emeril introducing this Southern trend to other parts of the country, but good grief-leave it to the professionals. People who don't know what they are doing are taking gallons of oil and heating it to a dangerous (and flamable) temperature and throwing a 25# bird in and lettin it rip. That seems like a recipe for disaster to me. I read about one guy whose oil bubbled over and melted the line to the propane tank and he had flames flying up to the top of his house. If you are a regular home cook what do you do with all the oil once you are done? I hope that this is just a fad and people will go back to cooking the bird the good old fashioned way!Anyone else read about any holiday meltdowns in their part of the world?

[mudbug]

I'm not familiar with the articles but am a "home cook" who has been around other "home cooks" who have deep fried turkey with no problems whatsoever, except over-eating!

The most important thing to remember is to cook it outside in a fryer that is made specifically for that purpose. I have always stressed this when running into someone who wanted to do it and had questions online.

I would certainly never discourage anyone from trying it as long as they have the proper means and common sense.

[shroomgirl]

Deep fried turkey is not new! They've cooked them that way for 20 years+ in southern LA>
guess they needed to use the crawfish pot out of season......most of the time one person cooks turkey for several since there is such a huge exspense in oil.
They are wonderful! Protect the young and incompetant from boiling oil.

[Nick.Shu]

muahahah, im sorry, just that wisdom would suggest that something large like a turkey and not broken down thrown into a large pot of oil at around 180c is just asking for disaster.

Perhaps my idea of turkey schnitzel with cranberry sauce and fried crumbed brie/camembert is somewhat more prudent (and yum)

That's the problem, Nick.shu - you're messin' with that centigrade stuff when y'all know that the good lord wants us cookin' with them there farenheit degrees!

Actually, Nick, given the choice, I prefer your menu! One of the local football players (Tony Saragusa, who weighs, like, 350 lbs) did a local TV spot last year where he drilled holes in the hapless bird (using a regular hardware-store type drill) and deep-fried it. I'm sure it's really good, but it just doesn't appeal!

[momoreg]

Now that's gross.

Just thought I'd throw that in...

momoreg, you are soooo right. Yuck.

[m brown]

Deep fried Turducken any one??


If it ain't nailed down, fry it! some catup and a bun, good eat'n.

Deep fried turkey is Yum Yum especially when your out camping on the lake . All forms of cooking involve working with high temps and yes there is a risk . If ya cant take the heat , leave the kitchen !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All things considered if you're out camping on the lake shouldn't you be eating fish rather than deep frying a turkey?!?

You guys are a blast. I'm so glad I found this place.

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Thanks,
Suzi
Grannytwice@webtv.net

[Katherine]

Turduckens are solid meat, I think. They probably wouldn't fry well, because the heat won't get to the interior as it would when you fry an empty bird. It would still be raw in the middle when the outside was hard and dry. Which reminds me of my ex-mother-in-law's turkey...Nooooh, save that story for a worst of thread some day.

For great dressing to go with a fried bird, buy extra thighs, boil them, and concentrate the broth to moisten your bread, etc.

I have a frozen turkey that's too big for the two of us to eat. I think I'll defrost it and deep-fry only the legs, I can probably manage that in a 2 gallon kettle. The rest of the day I'll probably spend turning the rest of the bird into soup, sausage, pot stickers, white meat gallantine....

[mudbug]

More crispy skin for me!

[Isa]

I get my syringe from my doctor. I try to get the biggest one with a huge needle. At first she was wondering why I would want a syringe with a big needle. Now that she tried shooting duck with grand marnier or chicken with thyme oil she loves it. She even order huge syringe just for that purpose.

I tried that once but the Duck kept nipping at me! Technique?