Thanksgiving Turkey

I was thinking of doing the turkey this year on the grill. Not necessarily smoking it, but I guess more of a "grill-roasted" turkey, low and slow over indirect heat. Has anyone tried this before? What are some things to consider?

If you are having guests for Thanksgiving Dinner,and are planning on serving just this one turkey, please make sure that everybody likes the taste of turkey prepared on the charcoal grill. Personally, I don't like the taste. A few other family members feel the same. Whenever somebody in the family hosts Thanksgiving and prepares a turkey on the grill, there is always another one roasting away in the oven inside.

I do turkey breasts on the grill all of the time and everybody loves them. The key (at least for me) is to use a good dry rub, indirect heating, wood chips and a drip pan with apple juice placed under the turkey.

Both the rub and the chips provide intense flavor, the indirect heating cooks the bird slowly and throughly, and the drip pan keeps the grill clean as well as adding mositure to the bird when the apple juice steams from the heat. Depending on how hot the grill gets you may need to cover the bird with some aluminun foil so that it does not brown to quickly.

Unfortunatly, it is to cold in the Chicagoland (go Cubs!!!) area to cook a turkey in this fashion for Thanksgiving but given the opportunity if I lived in a warmer climate this would be my preferred method.

Arggh!! I'm not ready for Thanksgiving yet!!! But since you asked, we usually smoke our turkeys.

quote:

Originally posted by EliseT

Arggh!! I'm not ready for Thanksgiving yet!!! But since you asked, we usually smoke our turkeys.

Sounds like a good way to strengthen the arm muscles. But, which end do you light?

Sorry, Elise, I just couldn't resist. Don't ask me why, but your post reminded me of a cooking show skit featuring a rastafarian chef that I saw on the old show, "Fridays", many years ago. In the skit, the chef includes "ganja" in every dish he makes. His finale is smoked whole chicken stuffed with "ganja"...you can guess the rest. He lights up the chicken and literally smokes it on camera. I just about died when I saw that! In case you're wondering which end he lit, it was the front end.

If you have a rotisserie for your grill, I would suggest using it. You will get a better application of heat. I would also suggest that you consider brining the turkey first if you are going to use a low and slow approach on your grill. If no brining, I would stick with a higher temp, 275 to 325, to finish the turkey quicker and hopefully keep more of the moisture to it.

John

quote:

Originally posted by KimChee43

quote:

Originally posted by EliseT

Arggh!! I'm not ready for Thanksgiving yet!!! But since you asked, we usually smoke our turkeys.

Sounds like a good way to strengthen the arm muscles. But, which end do you light?

Sorry, Elise, I just couldn't resist. Don't ask me why, but your post reminded me of a cooking show skit featuring a rastafarian chef that I saw on the old show, "Fridays", many years ago. In the skit, the chef includes "ganja" in every dish he makes. His finale is smoked whole chicken stuffed with "ganja"...you can guess the rest. He lights up the chicken and literally smokes it on camera. I just about died when I saw that! In case you're wondering which end he lit, it was the front end.

I remember that! And his workout program...a one and two...and INTO THEE BOAT! A one and two...and INTO THEE BOAT!

For some reason, smoking the bird works the best for me.

I have been told that adding spices to the water does nothing but I always do it. I add BBQ sauce, citrus, onions and other spices. I let it smoke for about 7 hours on my electric job and the turkey is delicious.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I have grilled many turkeys over the years, and did one on Thanksgiving over the protests of my mother-in-law (what about the gravey?). I do mine in the weber using the indirect method, in two of those disposable aluminum tubs, usually available at your local grocery store during the season. I recall using a seasoned olive oil rub with herbs inside the cavity (fresh sage, thyme, salt, pepper), and hickory chips for smoke.

It can take two chimneys of charcoal to cook it, but it usually cooks faster than it would in the oven. If you keep the heat down you will get some nice stuff in the pan to deglaze with some madeira to start the gravey. The big drawback is I don't trust using stuffing with this method. We make a dressing using giblet stock.

We've also done goose and duck...WARNING!! Keep an eye on the grill when cooking these fowl. Flames shooting out every crack in the manner of a blow torch is not a good sign.

Anybody ever deep-fry a whole turkey? Is it as dangerous as they say? Comments, please. Thanks.

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions! I am going to give it a go!

quote:

Originally posted by KimChee43

Anybody ever deep-fry a whole turkey? Is it as dangerous as they say? Comments, please. Thanks.

I am still at work. Answering this question involves many things (and couple of them are philosophical ("to fry, or not to fry? That is the question")). I will sit down and try to give advice on this project when I get home from work, tennis, soccer, town council, supper .
I have done it a bunch of times. Like doing it (but then again, I like frying anything and when it involves giant things it only increases the potential for delicious frying satisfaction).

Maybe Rick F. has an opinion, as well. I am pretty sure he has been exposed to a few fried Turkeys in Natchitoches.

Come to think of it, Rick and I are both being exposed to turkeys everytime we turn on the television...we've got a bunch of them running around the state right now disguised as candidates for Governor. I wouldn't mind dropping a couple of them in a big pot of boiling oil.

quote:

Originally posted by Mayhaw Man

quote:

Originally posted by KimChee43

Anybody ever deep-fry a whole turkey? Is it as dangerous as they say? Comments, please. Thanks.

I am still at work. Answering this question involves many things (and couple of them are philosophical ("to fry, or not to fry? That is the question")). I will sit down and try to give advice on this project when I get home from work, tennis, soccer, town council, supper .
I have done it a bunch of times. Like doing it (but then again, I like frying anything and when it involves giant things it only increases the potential for delicious frying satisfaction).

Maybe Rick F. has an opinion, as well. I am pretty sure he has been exposed to a few fried Turkeys in Natchitoches.

Come to think of it, Rick and I are both being exposed to turkeys everytime we turn on the television...we've got a bunch of them running around the state right now disguised as candidates for Governor. I wouldn't mind dropping a couple of them in a big pot of boiling oil.

MAYHAW MAN: I am eagerly awaiting your info on deep-frying a turkey. Just about every year around Thanksgiving time, there's an article in the newspaper up here about some disaster (i.e. deck, garage, house burning down; someone being severely burned or maimed, etc.) that occurred while someone was trying to deep-fry their Thanksgiving entree. Oh...loved your political comments as well.

quote:

Originally posted by KimChee43

Anybody ever deep-fry a whole turkey? Is it as dangerous as they say? Comments, please. Thanks.

Yummy! And deadly!

quote:

Originally posted by EliseT

Arggh!! I'm not ready for Thanksgiving yet!!! But since you asked, we usually smoke our turkeys.

Doesn't it make your lips greasy?

quote:

Originally posted by Mayhaw Man

quote:

Originally posted by KimChee43

Anybody ever deep-fry a whole turkey? Is it as dangerous as they say? Comments, please. Thanks.

Maybe Rick F. has an opinion, as well. I am pretty sure he has been exposed to a few fried Turkeys in Natchitoches.

Come to think of it, Rick and I are both being exposed to turkeys everytime we turn on the television...we've got a bunch of them running around the state right now disguised as candidates for Governor. I wouldn't mind dropping a couple of them in a big pot of boiling oil.

I always have an opinion. No qualification for giving it, but who cares? Anyhow, I've never fried one, but have eaten many and loved them. In my neck of the woods there are two options: get your own frying kit (not too expensive) or have somebody do one for you--and there's no shortage of places to do that. My only addition is that I've been told that one always uses an injector for internal marinating. They're sold all over the place down here; if you can't find any around your neck of the woods, we can send sources.

I don't think we've got turkeys running for office: an insult to a noble bird. Buzzards, certainly. Or maybe catfish: slimy bottom-feeders who perform a necessary function--as do maggots.

quote:

Originally posted by KimChee43

Anybody ever deep-fry a whole turkey? Is it as dangerous as they say? Comments, please. Thanks.

IT"S WONDERFUL--the first time i had it,LONG ago in Norlins, i didnt even realize it was deep fried--I noticed that it was as moist as a bird as i ever tasted and commented on it --then found out it was fried---it had also been injected with seasonings and was truly delicious--since then i have fried a few with friends and they all came out great. Any time you are dealing with large amounts of hot oil there is of course a certain amount of caution that must be used---we tend to cook first and drink beer later and its best if you are least as smart as the bird your cooking!-but with a good turkey fryer kit everything you need to do it safely is supplied. One hint that i found useful-
when you submerge the bird in the oil--the oil on the inside of the bird will cool quicker then that on the outside of the bird--we would lift the bird occasionally so the the oil could mix together and equalize the temp of the oil--also we used peanut oil---itworked out best in a deep fryer--this may cause allergy problems with a guest so check first before serving--all in all i reccomend that you give it a try this month and then youll be prepared if you do want to it for the holidays---the kits are very reasonably priced and the turkey is great!

BTW---RickF---LOVED the catfish comment---best description ive heard in long time!

The only problem that I have had with a fried turkey is that the seasonings injected often overpower the taste of the turkey to the extent that, if you ate it with your eyes closed, you couldn't tell what it was.

quote:

Originally posted by rbpalmer

The only problem that I have had with a fried turkey is that the seasonings injected often overpower the taste of the turkey to the extent that, if you ate it with your eyes closed, you couldn't tell what it was.

When your dealing with most commercial injection seasonings this is true> We used clarified butter that we seasoned up ourselves and LEAVING OUT the salt! Keep it pretty simple most times but we did do one with a heap of "la yuu"--asian hot oil, that got a bit extreme for some of the folks but i liked it!

I have a question about deep-fried turkey. Do you use a regular supermarket turkey (i.e. Butterball) which, if I'm not mistaken, has already been injected with some kind of substance ("flavored broth" maybe)? If so, why do you need to inject more seasonings? Seems to me a free-range turkey would be the correct choice. Cure my ignorance on this issue.

quote:

Originally posted by KimChee43

I have a question about deep-fried turkey. Do you use a regular supermarket turkey (i.e. Butterball) which, if I'm not mistaken, has already been injected with some kind of substance ("flavored broth" maybe)? If so, why do you need to inject more seasonings? Seems to me a free-range turkey would be the correct choice. Cure my ignorance on this issue.

I promise I am going to post tonight. Today is Wed and all of my deadlines for columns are today. I will have fun tonight. Today is work.

But quickly, under no circumstances do you want to use a butterball or other frozen "treated turkey" They have been injected with a saltwater solution that aids juiciness (they claim) but only boils right off in the oil and does nothing but make your fryer foam over (I learned the hard way). If at all possible use a fresh turkey (you can get them around the holidays at any decent grocer) or even better, got to a produce market and get one yourself and let them do the dirty work. They don't get any fresher than that.

As an added bonus because I did not follow through on my promise yesterday, I will tell you boys and girls the Thanksgiving Tale "The Great New Orleans Turkey Drop" also known as "The Turkey that Terrorized Oak St". I know you will be on pins and needles until then.

I will type all of this AFTER I enjoy tonights delicious meal. My neighbor called me at work and said that she had left a bunch of skin on, red fish fillets that they caught this morning. Mr. and Mrs. Mayhaw and the little Mayhaw's will be firing up the old brick PIT and BBQ'ing redfish and enjoying them with garlic potatoes and snap beans. I love my neighbors. They are nice people and often have too much fish in the freezer. I often suffer the same problem with ducks and venison, so they are very nice about bringing me fish.

In the early 1990's, I ran the kitchen at a YMCA camp in the Boundary Waters canoe Area of Northern Monnesota. As the canoe groups came in after their treks, I was to make a special meal as a "banquet" for the returning campers.

This would be turkey dinner for about 130 screaming yelling table pounding hungry kids.
I found an old pontoon boat and had a local guy cut and weld the pontoons into eight foot long BBQ's. Loaded these up with charcoal and did 6 large turkeys at one time.

They took forever and I had to feed more charcoal to them a couple of times probably because of the sheer bulk of meat on the grill at one time.

Next time, I cut the turkeys lengthwise and wrapped them in foil. I laid them out on their sides, rib bones down. I uncovered when the temp got up high enough, around 170-180, and let them brown up nice to the desired doneness.

My advice, use charcoal, cut and wrap as described. make the stuffing separate in the oven.

I do turkey on the weber grill, I have one of those baskets that holds the turkey in place and off of the grill. I put a drip pan below and the charcoal on 2 sides and just keep feeding the coals. The bird cooks in a little under 4 hours, I baste it periodically with butter but one time my sister talked me into using maple syrup and that was really good! I have been know to grill in the snow which we do get here in Chicagoland.

BTW, if any of you do live in Chicagoland, the Weber-Stephens warehouse in Huntley, Ill. is having their "yard" sale tomorrow (10/3)Unfortunately I saw this in my morning paper which is at home....I'm at work but I will try to post exact details sometime after 3pm today. I've not gone but I hear you can get huge deals on Weber products.

Or you can just order a smoked turkey from Bates Turkey Farm in Fort Deposit, Alabama

http://www.batesturkey.com/

Deep-Fried turkey is very very good. My brother did one last Christmas. Hopefully this will be a yearly thing.

We found that as long as you watch it, diasters can be avoided. In our case, watching the deep-fryer included drinking beer and playing darts, so that was fun.

It is messy. But it's worth it.

quote:

Originally posted by M&M

Or you can just order a smoked turkey from Bates Turkey Farm in Fort Deposit, Alabama

http://www.batesturkey.com/

I was driving from Montgomery to Baton Rouge and I stopped and had lunch at Bates. Very clean and neat and located directly off the Interstate. Great turkey.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Mayhaw, looking forward to the Tale of the Turkey that Terrorized Oak St.!! We love deep fried turkey, I can get fresh ones from a turkey farm up here (I know, in Alaska??). But we prefer frying to any other cooking method.........well,......there is one other. When a cute little pussqette once asked one of my cooks how to tell when the turkey is done, he replied, "stuff the cavity with popcorn and when the **s end blows off, it's done". I think she believed him.

quote:

Originally posted by lleechef

Mayhaw, looking forward to the Tale of the Turkey that Terrorized Oak St.!! We love deep fried turkey, I can get fresh ones from a turkey farm up here (I know, in Alaska??). But we prefer frying to any other cooking method.........well,......there is one other. When a cute little pussqette once asked one of my cooks how to tell when the turkey is done, he replied, "stuff the cavity with popcorn and when the **s end blows off, it's done". I think she believed him.

I wonder what would happen if you did put popcorn in one,might be kind of fun for the kids...or as John Candy used to say on SCTV...."We're gonna blow it up real good!!"

I wrote the tale last night and it is pretty funny (to me anyway) but it is also about 3000-4000 words. I am going to link it to a website as it might be a bit cumbersome (not too mention bad form) to stick it in this forum. It is a mostly true story involving, gambling on turkey crap, drinking, New Orleans art world sub culture (or lack of culture depending on your point of view), The Louisiana Dept. of Health and Hospitals, and ultimately, fried turkey and the voracious consumption there of.

quote:

Originally posted by Mayhaw Man

quote:

Originally posted by lleechef

Mayhaw, looking forward to the Tale of the Turkey that Terrorized Oak St.!! We love deep fried turkey, I can get fresh ones from a turkey farm up here (I know, in Alaska??). But we prefer frying to any other cooking method.........well,......there is one other. When a cute little pussqette once asked one of my cooks how to tell when the turkey is done, he replied, "stuff the cavity with popcorn and when the **s end blows off, it's done". I think she believed him.

I wonder what would happen if you did put popcorn in one,might be kind of fun for the kids...or as John Candy used to say on SCTV...."We're gonna blow it up real good!!"

I wrote the tale last night and it is pretty funny (to me anyway) but it is also about 3000-4000 words. I am going to link it to a website as it might be a bit cumbersome (not too mention bad form) to stick it in this forum. It is a mostly true story involving, gambling on turkey crap, drinking, New Orleans art world sub culture (or lack of culture depending on your point of view), The Louisiana Dept. of Health and Hospitals, and ultimately, fried turkey and the voracious consumption there of.

Where can I read more on this subject?? Fascinated!

I want to hear the story too!

If anyone is interested, the Weber company is having their factory sale tomorrow in Huntley, Il. about a mile north of I-90 at Rte.47. I have never gone to this, I know people who have and said it's a good deal but kind of a madhouse. Anyway, the ad in the paper says 8-5 Friday and Saturday (10/3-10/4) This is all Weber items, not just the grills.

quote:

Originally posted by RibDog

If you have a rotisserie for your grill, I would suggest using it. You will get a better application of heat. I would also suggest that you consider brining the turkey first if you are going to use a low and slow approach on your grill. If no brining, I would stick with a higher temp, 275 to 325, to finish the turkey quicker and hopefully keep more of the moisture to it.

John

We have a Holland grill and it tells you how to make a turkey. It think it takes about 15 minutes per pound.

The only trouble i find with grilled Turkey is the lack of a great gravy for my mashed potatoes- no fond in the pan to scrape and deglaze with wine for the gravy- the stovetop giblets gravy is OK, but lacks the depth of flavor my mashed potatoed need.

quote:

Originally posted by seafarer john

The only trouble i find with grilled Turkey is the lack of a great gravy for my mashed potatoes- no fond in the pan to scrape and deglaze with wine for the gravy- the stovetop giblets gravy is OK, but lacks the depth of flavor my mashed potatoed need.

i agree--i like barbecued and deepfried turkey but on thanksgiving---gotta have the gravy!!!

quote:

Originally posted by seafarer john

The only trouble i find with grilled Turkey is the lack of a great gravy for my mashed potatoes- no fond in the pan to scrape and deglaze with wine for the gravy- the stovetop giblets gravy is OK, but lacks the depth of flavor my mashed potatoed need.

That's why G-d made turkey necks. You can cook your turkey any way you want, and have great gravy, too, by doing anything you want with those necks and gizzards/livers.

I always buy extra necks to make stock and such. Go for it!!

I have had deep fried, weber grilled and smoked turkeys. Didn't care for the deep fried. Weber grilled and smoked are a toss up. The only reason the smoker wins out for me is because mine is electric and has a thermostat. I salt, pepper and butter the birds. Stick them in at 230 and leave them for 6 hours, perfect.

P.S. this is for breasts

My sister bought a fresh turkey from a local store ..how long can she keep that in the frig. ? with out it being frozen ..which would be silly cause we bought it fresh ...? but its at least 8 days till we cook it ...I think she should stick it in the freezer ...?

Check out this info for buying and storing fresh turkey !


http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/health/foodsafety/az1074.html

We have a Holland grill and it has instructions for making a turkey. It takes about 12-15 minutes per pound unstuffed and 15-18 if it is stuffed. We havent tried it but it sounds a lot better than messing up the kitchen and it sounds safe.

We bought a home-rated range with a convection oven this fall. We followed its instructions, sort of, when cooking the bird. (I brined the thing; and I used a remote thermometer for monitoring.) Added a ton of non-traditional spices (allspice, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, and more), and brought it to 180. A bit dry, but delicious. Will refine the recipe over the next months.

The turkey came out wonderfully!! I started with a 16lb free range bird. Rubbed it down with olive oil, seasoned with salt, pepper, and dried thyme. I put 4-5 large sprigs of rosemary inside the cavity. Then took slats of butter and placed under the skin, above the breast. Got the grill going with Kinsford, and hickory wood chunks. Bird went breast-side down in a V-rack, and that into a roasting pan. The pan went on one side of the grill, the fire on the other. First 2 hours, bird cooked breast down, and grill temp. hovered around 350 or so. After 2 hours, flipped the bird right side up, added 3 carrots and 2 onions and a cup of good chicken stock to the roasting pan. Added more hickory to the fire, and went another 2 hours. Covered the bird with foil, as the skin was starting to get really dark, but bird was not done. Rotated roasting pan 180 degrees and cooked approx. 2 more hours, basting periodically. I pulled the bird off when thermometer was reading 170. Let the bird rest for about twenty minutes before carving.
This was the best turkey I've ever eaten, bar none. All my family was really impressed, and kept going on and on about how good it was. I have definitely started a family tradition with this one!!

We have smoked our Thanksgiving turkey for the last 10 years or so. At first, I HATED it and always cooked another in the oven! Then about 5 years ago I realized it was NOT the SMOKING I hated! IT was the hickory wood! Much too strong for my taste!! Now, we do 1 large turkey and use applewood!! My husband injects it the night before with Cajun Injector and rubs it with Cajun seasoning, and lets it sit in fridge overnight. He puts it in smoker the next AM for amount of time recommended for weight!! IT'S DELICIOUS!!

So maybe your friends objected to the WOOD you used, not the grilling or smoking!!

As for the gravy, I solved that too! I cook an oven stuffer roaster in the oven about a month BEFORE Thanksgiving. I make the gravy from THAT and put it in the freezer! If I need a little more gravy, I add some McCormicks turkey gravy to the homemade. It's pretty good alone, but better when added to the homemade!! Enjoy!!!

This past weekend in my metropolitan area a man was frying a turkey, decided to walk his dog and lost his very expensive suburban home, which caught fire from the aforementioned turkey. I feel very sorry for his loss and his family's, what damage a loss in judgement can make!

This proves only that extremely stupid people don't deserve very expensive suburban homes.

The Sundancer did the smoked turkey on the Brinkman a few years ago for the office Thanksgiving dinner. I put it on at 1:00AM and took it off at 11:00AM. I put all kinds of things in the water such as lemons, limes, oranges, apples, BBQ sauce and lotsa spices. I have been advised by several that this does not help but in my mind it did. The turkey was moist and tender and folks could detect the spices. I did a rub which I heavily coat the bird.

The office loved it and I got a lot of compliments. It was the cheap version of the Brinkmans which I was also advised not to use. It turned out really good.

Since then I bought an electric job which is not really as good as the charcoal one although easier to use.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I've been cutting back my peach trees now that they are done, and plan on using the clippings on smoked Turkey. Anyone have any suggestions on a rub and inject for a Turkey smoked with Peach wood?

Josh.

Not as fancy perhaps, but good. Weber grill set up with coals on either side of a drip pan. Add soaked woodchips. Keep the fire going by adding a few coals each 1/2 hour. Don't forget to rub the bird in salt and pepper (and a little oil or butter if you want). Cook to temperature.

Comes out brown and tasty with cripy skin. Some even use the drip pan for gravy. Some put an onion or other veggie in cavity. We have done many a TGV or Christmas bird this way.

The Sundancer found when I smoked the turkey on the Brinkman, the residueal in the pan beneath the turkey was a great source of gravy. I took about 12 hours to do the turkey really crispy and it was great.

The Sundancer rubbed the turkey with cajun spices and put citrus and cajun spices in the water beneath the smoker.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

quote:

Originally posted by Mayhaw Man

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<div style="border: 1px #999999 solid; background-color: #DCDCDC; padding: 4px;">Originally posted by KimChee43

Anybody ever deep-fry a whole turkey? Is it as dangerous as they say? Comments, please. Thanks.

I am still at work. Answering this question involves many things (and couple of them are philosophical ("to fry, or not to fry? That is the question")). I will sit down and try to give advice on this project when I get home from work, tennis, soccer, town council, supper .
I have done it a bunch of times. Like doing it (but then again, I like frying anything and when it involves giant things it only increases the potential for delicious frying satisfaction).

Maybe Rick F. has an opinion, as well. I am pretty sure he has been exposed to a few fried Turkeys in Natchitoches.

Come to think of it, Rick and I are both being exposed to turkeys everytime we turn on the television...we've got a bunch of them running around the state right now disguised as candidates for Governor. I wouldn't mind dropping a couple of them in a big pot of boiling oil.


I guess we all mis the Mayhaw Man. I still think back on his NO story about frying a turkey.

The Sundancer will be bumming off a neighbor using his peanut oil and fryer to fry a turkey on Thanksgiving day. I have never done this before but with the coaching of my dentis neighbor, I should do OK. He suggested injecting the turkey with all kinds of stuff but I think I will just fry the bird. I did not get a large bird. Only 11 pounds. I am going to put it on at 3:00PM and my guess is that it will be ready around 4:00PM. Some suggested letting it rest about 30 minutes but it will be tempting to slice in it pretty soon.

The entire Smith family who all reside on the Smith Bay peninsula on the Tennessee River will be doing dinner at Mamaw Smiths around 5:00PM on Thanksgiving day. Green bean casserole, deviled eggs, Tennessee fried dressing, roast turkey, fried turkey, turkey giblet gravy, real cranberry sauce, Mamaw Smiths yeast risen rolls, fried okra, real cheddar maccaroni, fresh out of the garden tender greens, pumpkin pie, pecan pie (pecans off the local churches tree), sweet tea and of course, libations.

I look forward to a dinner with Mamaw Smith, Daughter, Paula and her two children and husband, mother in law, wife and of course the Sundancer.

A time to reflect our particular blessings and health. Life is so short. I received a prayer blessing from RickF last evening and I was truly thankful that he included me in his prayer wishes. May God bless each and every one of you that has a interest in your family and life.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

The Sundancer will be bumming off a neighbor using his peanut oil and fryer to fry a turkey on Thanksgiving day. I have never done this before but with the coaching of my dentis neighbor, I should do OK. He suggested injecting the turkey with all kinds of stuff but I think I will just fry the bird.

Amen to that. The thing I like the least about most fried turkeys is not the turkey itself, but the fact that people insist on injecting them with all types of flavors that overpower the natural flavor of the bird to the point that if you ate it with your eyes closed, you wouldn't know it was turkey.

I dunno you guys.........I learned about fried/injected turkeys from a colleague who used to work at Commander's Palace when Emeril was the chef there. He injected the bird the night before and fried it and it was the best darned turkey I ever ate and I don't even LIKE turkey! You can always tone down the spices because too much will definately overpower the taste of the bird. But I would vote to inject it!

quote:

Originally posted by kland01s

If anyone is interested, the Weber company is having their factory sale tomorrow in Huntley, Il. about a mile north of I-90 at Rte.47. I have never gone to this, I know people who have and said it's a good deal but kind of a madhouse. Anyway, the ad in the paper says 8-5 Friday and Saturday (10/3-10/4) This is all Weber items, not just the grills.

A Funny , but TRUE Deep Fried Turkey Story.

My son's brother in law (From his wife's side) is a Captain in the Tempe, AZ Fire Dept. He and his crew had to work on Thanksgiving. They had heard about Deep Fried Turkeys and decided to do one. They borrowed a Turkey Deep frying rig from one of the guys neighbors and set it up on the 2nd floor balcony of the Firehouse, just outside the kitchen. Being the macho guys they are, they never bothered to get directions on how to do this. They put too much oil in the pot and when they lowered the bird in-----of course the oil overflowed, ignited, and set the Firehouse on Fire! They were able to keep the episode quiet for awhile, but eventually their buddies in the other companies got word of it. You can imagine the ribbing they took and still hear about every Thanksgiving probably for the rest of their lives!

Good time to see this thread revived. We have been deep frying the Thanksgiving turkey for several years now. While it can be dangerous if not properly done, it is not too difficult or expensive to do correctly. Best thing to do is limit yourself to either breasts or a turkey in the 12-16 lb range.

Place the turkey in the fryer and cover with water..mark the water level. This is the correct level for your oil when it is time to fry.

Make absolutely sure that the turkey is completely thawed...allow it to drain and pat it DRY. Never lower a partially frozen or wet bird into the oil.

Do this outdoors and wear protective clothing. Heavy gloves, boots, long-sleeved shirt etc. If cooking on a deck or patio, use a large piece of cardboard under the fryer to keep dripping or splashing oil off of the deck.

Let the oil come up to at least 350 before SLOWLY lowering the bird into the oil. I usually bring the oil up to 375 before starting as the cold bird will drop your oil temp pretty quickly.

Fry at 350 for 3 1/2 minutes per pound...some say 4 minutes. I try for a 12 lb bird and cook for 45 minutes.

For what it's worth...we do not inject the turkey as any excess moisture will simply splatter and pop when it hits the oil. We are pretty generous with the rub:-)

If you have never deep fried a turkey it is worth a try....responses have almost always been positive. Since we usually have someone who cannot stand the thought of not having enough gravy, we usually cook a second turkey in an electric roaster. Meat falls from the bones...plenty of gravy...and a beautiful deep fried turkey to carve at the table.

Every year I smoke a turkey, actually smoke about 10-15 for friends and such.
(yes your arms get tired of holding it up, and I start with the tail end first )

Then I also either roast a turkey, roast a turducken, or deep fry a turkey. This year it is time to roast one.

The first time I ever deep fried a turkey, I followed all the guidelines

Thaw completely
fill cooker with water then place bird in to see how much oil you will need for your bird
make sure bird is totally dry
inject the bird
rub the bird
carefully lower into the hot oil


That is where the problems began, I over injected the bird and was a little too wet for the hot oil, man o man as soon as that bird touched the oil MOUNT ST HELENS of HOT PEANUT OIL!!!
Good thing I was not on my wooden deck. I was on a concrete pad I had poured for my grill/small smoker and fryer. I over flowed the hot oil onto the pad and poof up it went.(to this day still has the stain from that first year)

Got the fire under control and moved the fryer a little and continued. bird came out moist tender and delicious.

If I had a choice, I would smoke and deep fry every year. No better way to make turkey IMHO.

ONE BIG SUGGESTION ON USING THE WATER LEVEL METHOD OF DECIDING HOW MUCH OIL TO PUT IN THE POT. Put in a little LESS oil than where you marked the pot with water in it because hot oil will expand RAPIDLY when you lower the bird in the pot. Relentlesses suggestion of " I usually bring the oil up to 375 before starting as the cold bird will drop your oil temp pretty quickly." is a good tip also. also once the bird settles down in the oil, you can always add a little more oil if you need it, but it's Damn Tough taking it out if you overfill it! Another trick is trying to keep the oil temp constant at 350 degrees. You will probably need to lower the heat as the bird cooks because the oil temp will start to climb on you. It's MANDATORY that you MUST Drink a beer every 8 minutes while the bird is cooking. When you finish 6 beers, the Turkey is cooked to PERFECTION! (Based on a 12-13# Turkey)
From a guy who has learned from experience

Good advice Foodbme. For those who have never done it...it IS a little un-nerving when you get the bird about half way in the oil & the pot is just boiling like crazy. You are SURE that it is going to boil over. Slow down or even stop lowering the bird until the oil settles down. And it is for sure easier to add a little oil if need be rather than having too much to start with. And the oil temperature will rise as the bird cooks.

Sure is a good thing that the pot won't hold a bigger bird if I am going to have a cold one every 8 minutes...sounds about right Does that rule still hold if you are doing 3 or 4 turkeys? Wife will love that one.

quote:

Originally posted by Relentless

Good advice Foodbme. For those who have never done it...it IS a little un-nerving when you get the bird about half way in the oil & the pot is just boiling like crazy. You are SURE that it is going to boil over. Slow down or even stop lowering the bird until the oil settles down. And it is for sure easier to add a little oil if need be rather than having too much to start with. And the oil temperature will rise as the bird cooks.

Sure is a good thing that the pot won't hold a bigger bird if I am going to have a cold one every 8 minutes...sounds about right Does that rule still hold if you are doing 3 or 4 turkeys? Wife will love that one.

Hey, If you can handle it, go for it! You'll probably be snoozin by 8-8:30!

This past weekend I cooked 16 turkey breasts (avg. 7 lbs) and one whole turkey on a gas pig cooker with a little smoke on'em. My secret is one t. breast in a 1/2 size foil pan, EV olive oil, garlic/herb/rosemary rub, touch of water in the bottom of the pan, smoke'em just a touch, cover pans with al. foil and cook'em at 325 degrees until done and succulent. Fed a bunch of Engineers and there wasn't very much left!