Deep Fried Turkey Questions

[SueK]

Hi Guys,
I'm seriously contemplating hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year, and I would love to have a deep fried turkey. Problem is, I've never done one before, so am a bit apprehensive.

I looked on old threads, and there were only a few about how fast it is, and how delicious it is. My question is- should I marinate it first? If so, in what? Any good recipes out there? I plan to experiment beforehand so I know it will turn out okay that day.

And for all of you who haven't deep fried one before, but have eaten one made in that manner, is it as delicious as it sounds?

Thanks for your help! Sue

[Little Bit]

Is it delicious? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!
My sister and her husband make them at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Having the benefit of THEIR efforts, I don't have a recipe, sorry about that.
Do grocery stores in your area carry the marinades with an injector wrapped to the bottle? I think my sister just uses one of those pre-made cajun blends.

I've never made one though, since I can't quite manage the thought of 1) safely heating up THAT much oil all at once 2) safely cooking with THAT much oil all at once and 3) trying to figure out what to do with THAT much used cooking oil, once the cooking's done.

She does hers in the garage/on the driveway, just to be on the safe side where issues of fire safety are concerned.

[SoCal]

Here is a link (hopefully!) to Emeril's recipe...

http://www.wchstv.com/gmarecipes/deepfriedcajunturkey.html

Oh, I think it worked. Also, if you go to www.yahoo.com, you can type in 'Deep Fried Turkey Recipe' in the search area there are other web-sites with recipes.

I've also seen the turkey fryers sold a Target!

[Leslie w]

I saw Martha do it a few years ago. She put a spice rub on it and let it sit overnight. And yes, it must be done outdoors. Not only is it dangerous but the amount of oil you use would probably stink up the house for days!

[Varaile]

Deep frying a turkey is wonderful! The flavor is great!:D

For our office pot luck last christmas we fried two, and this spring I fried one myself. For the office party we did inject marinades. We purchased a plunger apparatus and bought some marinade in a jar. Delicious! For the one I did at home, it was plain (as I accidentally busted said injector ). :mad:

The marinades run 4-6 dollars, and the injectors cost anywhere from 4-12 dollars.

What we found was the bird should be injected just before being fried, as the marinade has a tendency to leak out if done too far in advance. There is a wide variety of marinades to choose from (at least where I live) and you really don't use that much. Properly thaw the bird, and wash it out. Pat as much water off as possible and inject the marinade into the meaty parts of the bird. It's as easy as that!

Our turkey fryer fits a 12-18lb bird. We use peanut oil as it gives the bird a great flavor (and it was recommended). You can purchase the oil at someplace like Sam's Club or an outdoor store. Oil cost 18-25 dollars per box - and one box will work quite well for a 18lb bird! (The oil can be reused - cool
completely and using a funnel, strain through some cheesecloth back into it's jug.

This is definately an outside job! Hot flame and oil don't mix if there is an overflow (make sure the bird is patted dry before plunging and keep the oil temp at 325*). If you have a garage where you can open the door and fry near the opening, away from flamables and yet out of the wind that would be best. There will be a frying "oder" that will linger for a while.

It also takes at least a half hour to forty-five minutes to heat the oil up.

For a 12 lb bird it took about 35-40 minutes. For a 17lb bird it took 1 hour exactly. Our directions say 3 1/2 minutes per pound and generally they are right on!

As long as you follow the instructions that come with your fryer, and make sure your tank is full before you begin, you shouldn't have any troubles at all!

Good luck!:D

[Bluebonnet_Mom]

Another vote for the fried turkeys- we have a turkey fryer where I work and we fry several the day before Thanksgiving- everyone brings their bird and the fryer goes all day until the turkeys are done. We buy the oil in bulk at Sam's and the injectors also. Then I just store my fried turkey in my fridge and warm it up in the oven. Still tastes very good the next day!

You can also use your turkey fryer to fry catfish. We do several fish fries through out the year. Can you tell my co-workers like to eat? LOL

Jenn

[SandyM]

I've never had a deep fried turkey (that I can recall), but has anyone ever heard of a TurDuckEn? Supposedly it's a chicken stuffed inside a duck, which is stuffed inside a turkey, then deep fried.

This just makes me giggle.

[Leslie w]

BTW what's the fat content on a deep fried turkey? Would it be the same as a roasted if you took the skin off?

[SueK]

Thanks for your feedback. I'm leaning toward getting a fryer at Target and trying it out. It sounds like it will taste great.

Sandy- I saw Emeril make that once, and it was quite a sight!

Leslie- I either read on this board, or maybe in Cooks Illustrated that the fat content isn't real high. They did tests and there wasn't much of a difference between frying it, and roasting it.

[doggerham]

Turducken

I got one of these 2 years ago and thought it was a total waste of a lot of money. All the flavors were muddied together, and the presentation wasn't all that attractive. We were so disappointed.

That said, there are a couple of places here in Houston that sell them like hotcakes.

Amy

[Emdg]

We do two thanksgivings evey year...one with each family! My inlaws always deep fry the turkey. It is so good! One year we injected it, and all of us decided it wasn't worth the extra work. Plus, the marinade or butter you inject adds fat calories.

We always do a couple of chickens at the same time. I vacumn seal them and freeze them. Works great.

If you decide to keep the oil, be sure and store it in a cool place, there is nothing worse then rancid oil!

I saw the guy on food network do one in a kitchen once, but I wouldn't recommend it. Not only is it dangerous, but without a staff to clean it up you'd be there for a while!

Now if I could just keep from nibbling on the crispy skin...:D