Turkey Question for luncheon

[shroomgirl]

JJBBQGUY, shroomgoddess if you will.
I did not mean to talk down to you....nor come off as the know it all....for that I apologize.

Mass quantity frying is a mess from my experience, if you do it all the time that's another matter. You can save the oil in a walkin....not sure how long poultry oil would be safe. Just the difference in hot oil and fire vs a BBQ or smoker in safety terms means a whole lot to me. I've seen people seriously burned from hot fried fish oil as they were cleaning the containers.

As to perception of upscale, it all depends on what part of the country your from....
Smoked or roasted is generally considered more upscale than fried....pretty much across the board around here.

[lentil]

JJ,

I'm sorry if I've offended you re the "tacky" comment. BIL made the turkey years ago and I 'd never heard of fried turkey before. As I said, I'm a convert. I'm not a fan of messes though, but that's just me.

As far as the smoked turkey goes, I appreciate your comment about my reputation being in someone else's hands and agree. That's why I roasted a 22 lb turkey and a large breast today in my own shop. I'll pick up the smoked one in the morning and I may or may not use it for the luncheon. Probably will, as the friend's restaurant has a great reputation and we help each other out as needed. Well, truth be told, he helps me out way more than I help him, but I do buy him a bottle of good scotch once in awhile...

Although I can't speak for anyone else but myself, I don't think anyone meant to offend you.

[Psycho Chef]

Make a seasoned KOSHER salt mixture(NEVER TABLE SALT!) and wet it with enough liquid(i say liquid because we use oj on the ducks)to make it like wet sand. Then spread this in an even layer about 1/2 inch thick all around the skin. Start in a hot oven and reduce heat after salt dries and gets hard, about 30 minutes. I have some pictures of our ducks in the gallery with the dome off and on so you could see the difference

[canadiangirl]

My hubby really wants to do a deep fried turkey-hey if he will cook,yea!!!!! As for regular deep frying(which I hate) we have a deep fryer that drains the oil into a bottom reservoir that can be drained and most of the interior can be put in dishwasher.

canadiangirl

[greyeaglem]

I had a Smoke Shak smoker in my restaurant and smoked a turkey for an employee one Christmas. It was the first turkey I ever smoked and it turned out really well. I think it took between eight and ten hours for a 14 lb. turkey, but you can always smoke it for a awhile and finish in the oven. The actual smoking process only lasts the first coulple of hours until the wood runs out. (With that smoker, anyway.) I didn't brine it; I used a rub and went under the skin with it. That smoker tended to dry things out, so I don't think I would want to split the turkeys. Your friend will know what's best. I'm also curious as to why you cancelled the dressing in favor of potato salad. Dressing is usually considered a very inexpensive side, even it you have to buy croutons instead of using dried left over bread. Plus I would think potato salad would be much more labor intensive. Just wondering.

[lentil]

Thanks, Gladyce France. I'd like to try that sometime.

Eagle, he did split the turkeys, and yes, I thought the breasts were great, but the joints of the leg/thigh meat didn't get cooked enough. I'm glad I did a traditional roast and as an afterthought, I had cooked another breast- which I didn't need. Every last crumb of the smoked went!

I chose the Provencal Potato salad over the stuffing because #1 it was a luncheon with fewer sides than a dinner would have required, #2 because I had been hired over their usual caterer because her food and presentation was plain and boring (in the words of the person who hired me) and the board was tired of her always serving the same thing year after year. and most importantly because my potato salad is a whole lot prettier than my stuffing.... It has blanched haricort vert, halved grape tomatoes, fresh herbs, and a dijon vinaigrette. I like the look.

I really put some thought into the presentation (the menu too!). I didn't use chafers on the table, used risers, added gourds, acorn place card holders, and silk autumn leaves,and a rust colored cloth drape. It was a very quick service- they arrived at 12:30, ate lunch (buffet), bussed their own plates and closed the door for their meeting. We were out of there by 1:30 and received many compliments on the meal.

Anyway, thanks for all your good ideas! This job is so much easier having you folks to go to for help!

[bluezebra]

We have fried many turkeys (**** we're in Texas, haha). They taste divine if the injector marinade is the "right stuff". But they don't hold well and I really don't care too much for leftovers from it. It turns back into plain ole turkey at midnight I think.

I still say that smoked turkey is the turkey of choice for a buffet cuz of the room temp thing looking "intentional". When I was catering professionally things always had to look "intentional"...even "mistakes". If you served a fried turkey at room temp...or a roast turkey reheated or even room temp it just looks like you missed your serving window.

Another illustration of this principal is...you wouldn't serve prime rib at room temp but you would serve beef tenderloin at room temp. Intentional...know your product. No snobbery involved.

Also the mess with fried turkeys is legitimate and in a party environment...undesirable. I can't even imagine pre-frying elsewhere and serving offsite because part of the greatness of fried turkey is the "drama" or production of the fry. The oil... Ugggh! What a mess. We filtered our oils and reused but oh god, the grease...