Blech!

Actually, I hear it's pretty tasty. My sister and brother-in-law have a turkey fryer. Maybe it's a southern thing...

I hear deep fried turkey is great. I have always wanted to try it but I'm too chicken to try it....get it, too chicken?

I'm a regular Shecky Green....

Caboozy: There's a special place in hell for people who do what you just did.

I'll see you there.

What's all this about frying turkeys this year? Is there something wrong with the old way of cooking them in the oven?

See Marge, I told you they could deepfry my shirt...

or better yet....

Moe: This thing will flash fry a buffalo in 30 seconds...
Homer: awww, 30 seconds...But I want it now!!

Bonobo62 - We'll do lunch, I got my own table in Satan's Cafe....

fried turkey is yummy...

It is popular because it takes the cooking out of the kitchen stove, leaving it open to ccok and bake other stuff...it is also pretty quick, and a bit dangerous...two things that appeal to the average male...

Did I mention that it is yummy? If you hate dry turkey, this method is for you, and it is not nearly as greasy as you might think...

It's very much a Southern thing. I believe that it was first just a Louisiana Cajun thing but, in recent years, Texas and other southern states have picked it up.

I've had it numerous times and it's awesome! Oven cooked turkey is too dry and this isn't.

In Texas, as well as other places I am sure, a local BBQ joint will deep fry a turkey for you. No fuss, no mess, just a delicious turkey. I have had the deep fried turkey and it is great.

There is also a thing called a Ter-duc-hen. I am not making this up. It is a boned and tressed chicken stuffed inside a boned and tressed duck stuffed inside a turkey and then the whole thing is deep fried. I havent tasted one, but those who have had this deep fried meal say it is wonderful.

My very northern, transplanted, mom tried to get into the "southern" thing and fried a turkey one year. Sucked. shiat. and to add insult to injury, no juicy pieces of turkey for sammiches. It was the saddest thanksgiving ever.

Congress refused to impeach Clinton. They had their chance to deep fry a turkey.

sofa,

You have settled a bet that I had with my father in law...I thought that he was making that up about the ter-duc-hen....it sort of reminded me of those old 721 tire commercials...seven wires, surrounding two, wrapped by one...damn, the beer is on me on our next fishing trip.

Fried turkey rules! We will cook at least two or three during the holidays. We made a cooker out of a beer keg...it takes a lot of oil, but is great for turkeys since the oil doesn't cool as much when you put them in...it will also fry up multiple chickens...

very much a southern thing. we'll have one tomorrow here in S.C.
I know several people who own turkey fryers and they will do several turkeys today or tomorrow morning(for folks that don't have a fryer big enough) it's much, much better than the dry turkey heated in the oven!
if you haven't ever had it done right, you're missing out!

Actually, I like it alot. I'm not sure what was wrong 43, but when we did our first deep-fried turkey, we had lots of juicy left-overs.

Mmmm.... I can't wait to have another tomorrow.

43%..sorry to hear about your bad turkey experience...nothing is worse than not having leftovers from t-giving...no sammiches, no turkey manhattans....god, the horror.

Try it from someone who knows how to do it sometime...I think you will be happier...

I never understood this. Turkey need not be dry. Turkey needs to be BRINED to taste its best. (This is what they do with nearly all poultry in restaurants.)

Dissolve 1/2 cup of kosher salt per every 2 quarts of water, do this in a cooler or ice chest (or use your fryer's pot!), whatever's big enough to immerse the entire turkey. Soak it in this for at least 24 hours for a 12 pound bird, larger, longer soak.

The meat will be nicely seasoned throughout, and will have a very juicy, moist texture that is the meat's natural juices, not fat or grease.

The brine permeates the meat and keeps it moist during the dry cooking process. I do this every year and receive raves every single time. It works with pork, chicken and duck as well.

Step 7 needs to be rewritten:

7) Notify all males present, gather around the fryer. Put turkey in boiling oil. Watch it cook, noting proper posture: one hand in pocket, the other holding beer. Best done at halftime.

...at least that's how it's done at my house.

Mailnride: I've heard of that and i'm sure that it works great but where i'm from, soaking turkey in salt water isn't man enough...you can only drink a Heineken or wine cooler if you're doing it that way. Me, i'm a Budweiser or Killian's Irish Red fan, so by necessity, I need fire, a vat of hot boiling oil, etc. to prove my man-hood and enjoy the beer I want!

It is delicious. It's a staple here in Houston. You've probably seen a video of two guys frying a turkey on an outdoors TV show. They have the large vat of oil over an open flame, dump in the turkey, and apparently mismeasured the amount of oil, because the oil spilled over the vat, and voila! They had an eight foot pillar of flame. Outstanding.
Funny thing is, it really isn't much more unhealthy than regular turkey. The oil immediately sears the skin, and no oil comes in, it's just that the turkey fat stays in. Boy howdy.

Fried turkey does sound pretty good, but from what I have read above it gets dried out - that can't make a good sandwich after. I like cooking turkey in beer, preferably Miller Lite...yummy.
This year I cheated though, I got a pre-cooked Butterball...nice and easy!

man, i've always wanted to try deep-fried turkey..

that and deep fried candy bars..

what's that all about anyways?

Deep Fried turkey is great. But you need to use a fresh turkey (not frozen), and add some spices. It only takes abiout 30-60 minutes, but it is great.

Turkey is the oven is not necessarily dry but there are some advantages to frying a turkey and some things you have to do to get it right.
First the grease has the be hot and at the right temperature. A large turkey is a big heat sink so oil "almost hot enough" is going to be bad. It would be the same as cooking french fries in cold oil. Not very tasty. Super hot oil will also seal the bird and cut down on oil absorption.
The second is flavoring spices that is added to the oil. Several exist some in a half pint bottle in an oil base and others in a small package. This permeates the turkey since in oil both the inside and outside gets cooked. Tony Chachere's is a good brand.

The last thing is I guess in the North cooking a turkey warms the house up and people like it. In the South it is warm enough usually to do it outside at least on the porch. Of course this means that men (and adventurous women) get to drink beer outside, smoke cigars and watch the ball games during the preparation and cooking periods. THis increases marital harmonry and lets you get away from the kids. After all hot grease and flames are "dangerous". :^)

Frying a turkey is a pain and I don't need the crutch to get away to drink beer and smoke outside. Plus my wife likes to cook so let he have a go at it.

Mailnride: I agree. I did that last year for Christmas and it was outstandingly moist and tender.

FLA Chickie- Can I be your butterball?

snack master MUST try this one.

btw, if that guy is supposed to look like Elvis Presley then I better get my prescription glasses checked, or stick my head in the deep fryer

Fried turkey is the shiz-at. The men-folk in my family usually smoke a turkey and I thought that was awesome. Now that I've had fried turkey, I'll never go back. You HAVE to fry it in peanut oil, though. It's more expensive, but if you use something else you haven't really experienced fried turkey.

I've heard over and over that deep fried turkey is great too. Trust me, it sucks. You would think it would be just like fried chicken, or at least I did, but it is not even close. Stay away from the stuff. If you find out that the dinner you are going to is having fried turkey, tell them you can't make it and go to the store and buy a Swanson Hungry Man Turkey TV dinner instead.

yeah Randyrat, better they just stay the hell away instead of making up their own minds. I think just about any food cooked in (around) the home has to be better than frozen dinners.

I decided not to meet up with the family this year, and was going to make a vacation of the long weekend. If I can find a small turkey at the store on my way home, I am going to try this tomorrow. I know I'm going to end up playing in a fire in the yard anyway.

why shiat, all i needs is some malt licour and ill be goshdum ready to celebrate turkey day like those folks wid da funi hats

damn hix

I dunno Gasmasher... ever had your grandma make you eat liver and onions? How about tripe? Pig's feet? Fried turkey is in there with those.

I thought deep fried turkey sounded gross...

and then i had some. Its a little slice of heaven. Mmmm...greeeease...

Mmmm, artery-clogging goodness....

But can you deep-fry a tofurkey?

Randyrat: Good point. I don't remember anyone in my family ever offering any of what you mentioned, but I know what you mean.

Damn, that sounds pretty intense - keep your distance, huh? It does look rather risky...



Kudos to these folks for their creative use of a coathanger...

Pardon my ignorance:
What is the "PSA" icon stand for?

I wonder if this works with Tofurky.

I think the Japanese do that and then eat it with noodles and call it "Kitsune Udon".

Loved oven cooked turkey until I tried fried.
Loved fried turkey until I had turkey on a open fire spit.
Now I love spit turkey. Not spit on turkey

sorry for this

Pic above: At home turkey abortions.

Brisvegas_boy: "PSA" is "Public Service Announcement"

One year we put the bird on the rotisserie and cooked it outside in the bbq, it was great, but 1 tip, DON'T use a prebasted bird, unless you have a fire house close by.

I agree - the turkey comes out nice and juicy. But I miss having the stuffing cooked in the bird. I make a stuffing with sausage, and it helps to keep the turkey moist while roasting. Although I like the fried turkey, I don't understand what's so difficult about keeping the roast bird moist. Maybe I've missed my calling...?

I never tried this with turkey, but it's the moistest chicken you'll ever have. You actually stick a can of beer up it's rear end and throw in on the grill or smoker.

Diogenes: I've not only heard of that, but recall seeing somewhere some sort of device that helps to make that easier to do. Gives the chicken something to stand on and a place for the beer to rest...other than the chicken's butt, that is.

Diogenes: Didn't I see that beer-can method on 8legged.com? That was pretty kewl.

everybody else: YOU CAN'T DEEP-FRY A TURKEY--WHERE WOULD YOU GET THE DRIPPIN'S FOR GRAVY? It's just not Spanksgiving without turkey gravy for the 'taters...

They are suggesting to deep fry it in peanut oil? Sheesh, as if deep frying itself wasn't enough! Peanut oil is seriously high in cholesterol and saturated fat! Coconut oil, of course, would be even worse for you, but would probably be even tastier!

-he who stacks pork

Jan and I hope everybody has a great Thanksgiving holiday..As a lot of people mentioned,it is a southern tradition,(or anywhere,really)..You have to do it in the pure peanut oil,and it makes a difference...one day a year can't kill you..We'll be having ours with creamed onions,and that green bean casserole with the cracklins on top..Oh,and plenty of beer..about 20 at my folks house this year...Best to all the Farkers and their families...Rich and Jan,Tampa

don't tell kfc.