Fried Turkey

[=Mark]

Which is better for the cooking vessel, aluminum or stainless steel?

Go for aluminum, stainless steel is not a very good conductor of heat.

[pete ganz]

But wouldn't stainless steel be better for holding the temp closer to 350 when you put the bird in?

[Dave the Cook]

slkinsey can probably provide a more comprehensive answer, but I'd be willing to bet that the heat capacity of the oil, plus the huge output of that burner (most are in the range of 160,000 BTU, more than ten times the output of most home rangetops) easily trumps the pot material.

[slkinsey]

Yep. That's exactly what I would say. Given the huge volume of oil and the fact that you are basically heating up a liquid (the turkey "floats" in the oil) there is no reason to worry about thermal properties. Whatever thermal properties the cooking vessel might have are insignificant compared to the thermal properties of the oil itself. IMO, it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever what the pot is made of, so long as it doesn't melt due to the heat from the burner.

[tommy]

slkinsey can probably provide a more comprehensive answer, but I'd be willing to bet that the heat capacity of the oil, plus the huge output of that burner (most are in the range of 160,000 BTU, more than ten times the output of most home rangetops) easily trumps the pot material.

my thought as well. i was using 4 gallons of oil. that was a lot though, as the pot is big and the bird was small.

i think it just comes down to price. there's a point of dimishing returns when you're dealing with a pot that will probably cost close to 200 bucks.

[fifi]

Here is how we justify the cost issues...

The big pot and burner can also be used for shrimp boils, crawfish boils, crab steamings. etc. and that is with the basket deal. A shallower pan (sort of like a big frying pan) serves for fish fries. The rack is used for the turkeys. The cost of the oil is ameliorated by filtering and storing for the next time. This is a time consuming process and probably not worth it even given the high cost of peanut oil but we feel righteous doing it.

Once you get comfortable with these set-ups, the opportunities for culinary fun and frivolity are endless.

Edited November 10, 2003 by fifi (log)

[Toliver]

...But seven minutes a pound?  That got my attention.  Plus, I have an extra bag of kitty litter handy.

Turns out to be more like about 4-5 minutes a pound. I knew 7 minutes per pound didn't sound right. It's fast indeed.

Thanks, Tommy, for posting your frying experience. Your turkey looks a heckuva lot lighter in color than ours usually does. Ours comes out colored more towards mahogany than pine (with crunchy skin that is to die for!). Of course, we do the rub & marinade thing so that may be one cause of such a difference in color.

Make the area off-limits to children and drunks.

too late.

[FistFullaRoux]

Once again, not to discourage anyone's culinary experiments, but I do think that the slow roast over wood on a rotisserie creates a far better bird than frying does. And you don't have a (30 galx5lb/gal) 150 pounds of hot oil plus a hot pot on 3 legs stuck in a pile of kitty litter to deal with.

My version of my stepdad's tried and true Best Damn Turkey Ever.

1 12-18 lb turkey - thawed.

1 lb butter - melted

Seasonings - to your taste (recommendations: salt, cayenne, and various dried herbs. Dried works better)

Add the seasongs to the melted butter. Inject season butter mixture into all parts of the bird.

Place the bird on the rotisserie. Add large aluminum or steel nails to the thickest parts of the meat to draw heat inside.

Spin for 30 minutes. Season the outside of the bird with salt and cayenne pepper. Continue spinning until thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reads whatever the recommendation you subscribe to is.

You will have the crispy skin that everyone wants, white meat that is juicy and flavorful, and dark meat that does not turn into the rubbery jerky characteristic of oven roasted birds. It is the best of both worlds. Using the rotisserie in conjunction with the heavy nails speeds the cooking time to something like 12-15 min per pound (your mileage may vary).

And no, the nails do not let the juices run out. When you insert them, they should be countersunk past the skin. The skin itself will hold it in place, plugging any hole that would allow juices to escape. Just so you know, do not go to Home Depot and get galvanized nails. You can find roasting nails (for lack of a better term) in culinary stores and your local Super Mega Mart.

Another thing I have noticed, since I've never really followed a recipe for turkey, is the wide variety of cooking times that people give in recipes. I just did a quick google search, and saw roasting times ranging from 8 to 25 minutes per pound. That is just wrong. I don't think I would trust a recipe that recommended roasting turkey for anything less than 18-20 minutes per pound, unless it was in a convection oven. Then you're down into the 15 minute range.

[tommy]

Thanks, Tommy, for posting your frying experience. Your turkey looks a heckuva lot lighter in color than ours usually does. Ours comes out colored more towards mahogany than pine (with crunchy skin that is to die for!). Of course, we do the rub & marinade thing so that may be one cause of such a difference in color.

the bird went in nekid. i think because it was smallish (10-12 lbs), the skin didn't have time to get really dark (though it was still crispy). given that this was an experiment in preparation for t-day, i pretty much boned it, as i'll be cooking a 15-17 lb bird then. so, in the interest of science, i'll be repeating this sometime this week with a 15-17 lb bird. i'm assuming the extra cooking time of 15 or 20 minutes will make quite a difference in the skin. and yes, i'm aware that you shouldn't do this with anything over 15 lbs. hence the next test!

[FoodZealot]

tommy, congrats on your bird!

Although the following anecdote is not about turkey specifically, it is about the turkey fryer rig, and I suppose about frying in general. One safety item that will probably be plenty obvious to everyone (except me at the time), is NOT to add additional oil once you have established a safe oil level.

One year, we were using it for some Natchitoches meat pies [drool] and other random fryables. I filled the pot about halfway (a 20 quart pot instead of the 26q that came with it), and the oil overshot the cooking temp much faster than I had expected - that burner has real power. The oil did not cool off even after I had turned the heat waaaay down, then off and waited a while. So I added some cold oil to "cool it down." My error was, since we were frying small items, rather than one big turkey, I wasn't thinking about the oil expanding. The temperature came down to about 375°, so we put in a few items, and it proceeded to boil over. Of course, the burner is exposed flame, and we were incredibly lucky that it did not ignite. It could have been a very, very bad day.

In terms of turkey frying advice, I'd just recommend that people avoid or rinse off any sugar on the surface (including fruit juice and brine) because it can get too dark and give it a burnt taste. Pat very dry. I like Toliver's technique of using water the day before to measure the oil because if you use the actual cooking oil and the bird just before heating, the bird is coated with cold oil and the skin doesn't get as crispy. Trust that the bird really can be done that fast - giving it an extra 5 or 10 minutes for good measure can push it into the overcooked range. Doublecheck with a thermometer to quell any fears. Lastly, I also feel if you're going through the trouble, you may as well buy an extra bird since they're cheap that time of year. Just takes another 35 minutes. Offer to fry birds for friends and neighbors as well, since storing the oil for another time is quite a hassle - so some might be inclined dispose of 20+ quarts of nearly pristine peanut oil. At least get a few birds out of it.

All that being said, I think I prefer to smoke my turkey.

Edited November 11, 2003 by FoodZealot (log)

[FistFullaRoux]

we were using it for some Natchitoches meat pies [drool]

One of the other great Louisiana foodstuffs. I had almost forgotten about it. Eastern Louisiana pies.

I most emphatically agree with the drool part. Heaven in dough.

Am now really hungry, again. I'll have to make a side trip when I go home to Lafayette in December...

[tommy]

Lastly, I also feel if you're going through the trouble, you may as well buy an extra bird since they're cheap that time of year. Just takes another 35 minutes.

by god foodzealot, that's the best freakin idea i've heard! i've been wondering what i'll do if the bird sucks on t-day. i think, if i don't get around to doing the test on the 15-17 lb bird, i'll just get a smaller one in addition to the big bird. the 10-12 will still be enough, and i know i can do a 10-12 lb bird.

thanks!

on a related note, i didn't season the skin, for a few reasons. first of all, it was brined, so i wasn't worried about salt (and in fact, the skin/bird seemed nicely salted). additionally, i'm not convinced that 350 degrees of oil on pepper or any other seasoning is a good thing. i'd be curious to know if anyone has had good results with rubs when deep frying.

Edited November 11, 2003 by tommy (log)

[fifi]

I liked smoked turkey, too. But not as much as fried. If you are going to fry... fry a bunch.

[donk79]

Please, someone share with the rest of us what makes a fried turkey so wonderful. I smoked mine last year and swore I would never do otherwise again. At the same time, I must confess that I have broken oaths before....

edited for speling...

Edited November 12, 2003 by donk79 (log)

[sammy]

Approximately how long did it take to get the oil up to temperature for frying?

[tommy]

Approximately how long did it take to get the oil up to temperature for frying?

about 1/2 hour.

[Toliver]

Lastly, I also feel if you're going through the trouble, you may as well buy an extra bird since they're cheap that time of year. Just takes another 35 minutes.

by god foodzealot, that's the best freakin idea i've heard! i've been wondering what i'll do if the bird sucks on t-day.

My mom is the same way. She doesn't trust the deep fryer so she also oven roasts a turkey while we're deep frying another. We usually have a lot of people over for the holiday so both turkeys barely survive the day.

on a related note, i didn't season the skin, for a few reasons.  first of all, it was brined, so i wasn't worried about salt (and in fact, the skin/bird seemed nicely salted).  additionally, i'm not convinced that 350 degrees of oil on pepper or any other seasoning is a good thing.  i'd be curious to know if anyone has had good results with rubs when deep frying.

Well, if you enjoy the end piece of a pork roast (or beef rib roast) that has a lot of herbs and seasonings on it, then you'll like a rubbed turkey. The seasoning of the rub does infuse the oil and what comes off does end up getting burned in the hot oil. I'm thinking marinade injection might be a better alternative. Though if you brine, you may not need to do any injecting at all. The injecting is just to enhance the flavor of the turkey.

[fifi]

I don't know if I said this before, but we don't put rub on our turkeys. Mucks up the oil. We brine and then inject.

[tommy]

I don't know if I said this before, but we don't put rub on our turkeys. Mucks up the oil.

that's another good reason to not rub. that oil ain't cheap.

[Mayhaw Man]

One tip that no one seems to have mentioned (or I missed it). Heat the oil to 400 and dunk the bird a couple of times for a couple of minutes (until oil temp drops 25 degrees or so) before immersing for full frying. You will get a much crispier skin.

Incidentally, you are better off STARTING with the oil at 375 for final fry, due to the drop in temp you will get when bird is added to the oil. You will be able to time the whole thing much more accurately if you do this.

One last safety tip. Get a pair of good quality welding type gloves. Things are much easier than trying to use hot pads, dishcloths, etc. during the inevitable handling of the cooking equipment/bird frying device.

[FoodZealot]

by god foodzealot, that's the best freakin idea i've heard!

You are most welcome. I see that many people do the same. Funny how some people tire quickly of leftovers, but it seems that people around here appreciate them - even making an extra bird intentionally! Stating the obvious, depending on your cold storage space, you could do whatever portion sizes or white/dark combinations make the most sense. Maybe half a bird for a mini-Thanksgiving at the end of Spring, and break down the rest in small combos, or all white together, all dark together, etc.

donk79, the deep fried turkey is good because ... it's deep fried. [grin] It's not quite as juicy as fried chicken since the bird is just leaner, needs to cook longer, and there's usually no additional crust. But between the brining and injecting that most people do, plus the efficiency of the deep frying method itself - the white meat stays very moist. IMHO, if you brine, inject and roast in a bag, you can get similarly delicious white meat, with a more traditional flavor. I'm sure a more committed frying advocate can make a better case.

~Tad

[fifi]

IMHO, if you brine, inject and roast in a bag, you can get similarly delicious white meat, with a more traditional flavor. I'm sure a more committed frying advocate can make a better case.

~Tad

You are almost correct there. BTW... Brining does... well, the brining thing to make it juicier. (see eGCI for all of the reasons this is true.) Injecting adds flavor of whatever kind you want, cajun seasoning, herbs, whatever. Yes, brining and injecting, then putting it in a cooking bag would be better than just plain turkey. But, someone mentioned it up-thread... Fried turkey is an entirely diferent thing. It is almost pork like. ANYTHING that makes a turkey not like a turkey is a good thing. ( I am mad at turkey. Two years in a row I tried fancy spiced brining, the citrus and coconut treatment and the damn things still tasted like turkey. UGH.)

[dls]

A few thoughts on safety and deep frying a turkey from my personal experience. Three years ago my cousin was the rotational host for our annual Thanksgiving get together. He decided to test drive his new deep frying kit with a 16 lb. turkey (his first experience). In addition to the oversized turkey, the following is a list of the REALLY DUMB things he (we) did:

1. Started the day with few bloody marys followed by the traditional neighborhood tag football game then followed by a few drinks at a local tap purchased by the losing team (tradition again).

2. Set up deep fryer on his newly laid concrete driveway with no protection beneath (originally wanted to do it on his newly built wooden deck-wife objected).

3. Chose shorts and sandals as his preferred cooking wardrobe.

4. Opened another beer, overfilled fryer and overheated oil.

5. Inserted very, very cold turkey into deep fryer. Oil erupted and overflowed from the fryer. Cousin jumped and knocked over fryer with remaining oil.

6. Very minor result - New driveway cosmetically shot - Cousin had it ripped out and relaid a year later.

7. Very major result - Cousin had 3rd degree burns from the knees down on both legs. Hospitized for 2 weeks then disabled from work for 4 months. Went through a series of skin grafts over a 2 year period. Still has problems with occasional pain or numbness in his legs.

As a PS, my wife had purchased a deep frying kit for me a couple of months before the incident and it was still in the box. I returned it to the store the day after Thanksgiving.

God luck and be extremely careful, especially if it is your first time deep frying a turkey.

[fifi]

That is an amazing accomplishment... Combining just about all of the DON'Ts, I mean. Thanks for sharing that experience. Real life examples really do help to get folks' attention.

Welcome, and thanks for the post.

[Mayhaw Man]

Edited because my problem has been solved by Fat Guy.

Thank you kind sir.

Edited November 12, 2003 by Mayhaw Man (log)