Hvytrkmech

Thanks for all the replies fella's. As a career firefighter I have had some experience with grease/kitchen fires. We roll out to them all the time. Thats all the Puerto Ricans cook with up here.

That Myth busters episode was awesome, hence my felicitous comments.


Thanks for the heads up Scott, I noticed the typo after reading your post. I think you may be on to something there!

I have a 6' fire poker with a hook on it I planned on setting the turkey into the pot with.


I really appreciate the solid advice and hints from your personnel experiences.

Thank you

921stgen

If frozen make sure it is completely thawed out before you put it in the oil.

Dodgezilla

I've been frying turkeys for many years now. My first one I was not aware of how much oil to use and had way too much. Luckily I was smart enough NOT to do it on my deck. I did catch the yard on fire though. So, one thing I learned, other than how to determine how much oil to use, was how to drop the bird in the oil properly. The oil really starts sizzling as the bird goes in so I drop it in a little at a time and pull up when the oil gets too crazy. I drop it in a bit more each time until finally the whole bird is submerged. The tips of the legs should be sticking out of the oil just slightly. Always cook it legs up too. I inject mine with a cajun recipe the night before and the morning of the cooking. It's always a hit.......
Most fryers I've seen tell you to use no more than a 14lb bird. Just follow the recommendations on your fryer.
Oh, and that peanut oil smells great but don't taste it.......

staarma

I've fried quite a few. Couple things...first, the water level test is the best. I use a sharpie to mark the line. It will wear off once the oil gets hot. I do it every year for the level even though it may be the same weight bird. Just can't be cautious enough. Next, I have a fire extinguisher handy too. It gets some laughs but nothing like being prepared. I also pat the turkey dry. I use an injector too and can get pretty crazy with injection marinades but never use any sugars (honey, brown sugar, etc.) as they carmelize and turn your bird black, yuk. Also, use the turkey stand and make sure the top of the bird is open all the way down the cavity. This will allow for displacement to happen and not have a dangerous pocket of air inside the hot oil. I also fry the bird legs up. I usally run the oil up to 400 before I lower the bird ever so slowly into the oil. The oil temp will drop dramatically unless your bird is at room temp which I wouldn't recommend with poultry. The bird completely thawed at fridge temp is what I usually do. Once the bird is in and the temp comes back up to around 350 adjust your fuel **** accordingly. Usually fry between 325-350. I usually use a hook that attaches to the stand to lower and remove the turkey from the oil while wearing welding gloves too. Having a rigid cookie sheet or the like lined with paper towel is a good thing to have handy too when removing the bird. I usally lay the bird on it's side and remove the stand quickly before it has time to set in the bird then removal is a little harder to do. Oh, and when you think the bird is done, leave it in for another 5 minutes. Wait at least 20 minutes before cutting into it too.

Don't forget that your new fry pot also does low country boils and seafood pots very nicely.

Hvytrkmech

Solid information and advice, exactly why I asked you guy's.

It is very much appreciated.

Totallyrad

Tim, I sent you a pm. I'd like to add a thing or two. It has been covered that you should always wear long sleeves, long pants and heavy gloves when working with the fryer. I'd like to add the use of safety glasses as well. I've worn them every year and every year they have oil spots on them. Remember to place the fryer well away from any structure and never in a garage or on a deck. (also covered) If you can, also look for a location where the surface falls away from any structure or vehicles. If you were to have an incident and the fryer gets knocked over, you don't want that river of fire heading toward anything you want to keep. If you have one, go ahead and place a dry powder extinguisher nearby, just in case.

AkTallPaul

Here’s a pic of a friend of mine frying in my back yard in 05 it was around 45 below....as you can see we're a bit relaxed with safety as most things take a bit to warm up to combustion temp.....Orange fuel can half full of diesel an green bucket with 3 gallons of used oil from oil change.

mikmaze

they do make a ul approved indoor electric unit, does a nice job, but the oil takes almost as much time to come to temp as it does to cook the bird ! i have one, works real nice.

staarma

lol, reminds of frying birds here in MT. Most times I have to do it in the garage or it takes over an hour just to get the oil ready and that's if there's no wind. Then it's a mad dash to get it inside. The nice thing is the oil is cooled enough by the end of dinner you can get it inside and strain it through the cheese cloth and reuse it the next weekend for whatever you fancy.

Dodgezilla

LOL, I use the cheese cloth method to strain my oil too. I have cooked birds in my garage before if it was raining outside. I just start out with less than the optimum amount of oil. Once the bird is in then I pour a little more oil at a time until it's right.
Don't be scared as it gets closer to being done when the skin starts getting dark. That's normal and the meat inside will still be nice and juicy.
I've used bottled marinades and was very disappointed in the lack of flavor. That's why I make my one marinade which also has a by-product which I rub all over the skin.(It's got lots of seasoning including Tony Chachere's Cajun)

Hvytrkmech

Thanks Rick, got the pm. I still swear you kitchen is nearly identical to mine. Exact same stove and counter tops. Kinda freaky if you think about it.



mikmaze, I saw the indoor electric ones, my wife wanted one of those. Of coarse I opted for the one that will do the most damage. Thanks for the heads up though.


I will post some pics of the event after the fact.

Hopefully they will be pics of me holding a beer after a successful deployment of the turkey into the oil.

Or, pics of me holding a hotline extinguishing my house wishing I were holding a beer.

Or, pics of me in the hospital. Either way some kind of picture is getting posted.

Totallyrad

I like a 50/50 blend of butter and honey for the injector. On our first bird everybody wanted Cajun so I went to Sam's and bought Cajun. I did half in Cajun and the other half with honey and butter. We had Cajun leftovers because the honey and butter were gone......fast.

03RAMBUNCTIOUS

this thread is making me hungry every time I read it.

wish I had the resources to fry a bird this year.

Purplezr2

Anyone catch the show Trauma on NBC tonight, it starts out with a guy blowing up a turkey fryer, made me think of this thread.