Ensure a moist, flavorful turkey this Thanksgiving

[CJS3]

Fried four 15 lb turkeys in 3 hours at the high school yesterday.
Gonna fry another tomorrow for the family. Only way to go IMHO.
We have not baked one in 15 years.

With a 14 lb turkey, I can start with cold oil at 11:00 AM and be serving hot, juicy, delicious turkey at 12:00.

Happy Thanksgiving.

 

Started frying our turkeys five years ago. I'll never go back to oven cooking. We use an injector kit the day before with a home made butter/garlic concoction or  store bought cajin juice, and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Always turns out plump and juicy.

[m25operator]

Frying turkeys is wonderful, I like the crackling skin part as well, I do inject them with various butter/citrus fluids. Gas regulator is fouled on my burner, so we oven cooked. Brined in sugar and kosher salt with juniper berries ( dried ) thrown in. For 24 hrs. Pretty bird and moist, wife did not turn the bird, so presentation was beautiful, but the dark meat on the bottom had no skin left, but the meat was push it with you finger off the bone tender.

[Tyler Durden]

PegLeg back on the 2nd page wrote:

Fried four 15 lb turkeys in 3 hours at the high school yesterday.
Gonna fry another tomorrow for the family. Only way to go IMHO.
We have not baked one in 15 years.

I've found over the years that a 12 to 15 pound turkey cooks the best. Any larger than that and you run the risk of over cooking the outside to get the inside done.

*Use 2 gallons of vegetable oil to one gallon of peanut oil
*Heat oil to 375 degrees initially (the bird will bring it down to 350 when you put him in) then maintain 350 for the duration.
*Make sure the bird is completely thawed....frozen meat will make big fire!
*Also make sure all excess water is patted dry to cut down on popping oil out of the pot
*We season the outside and inside of the turkey with Lowery's seasoned salt and that's all
*Make sure the legs are un-trussed and free
*Whether your cooker has a basket or a hook inserted through the cavity, ease the bird into the oil slowly to avoid bubbling the oil over.
*When the bird is submerged cook for 3 minutes per pound for birds under 15 lbs. (over 15 lbs may need to go 3 1/2 min per lb)
*When times up, carefully lift and allow oil to drain, place in a pan or platter and it dinner time.

With a 14 lb turkey, I can start with cold oil at 11:00 AM and be serving hot, juicy, delicious turkey at 12:00.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Okay, now that I deep fried my 2nd turkey ever, what do I do with the 4 gallons of peanut oil I have left over?

How long will that oil last?

I bought some chicken wings last night, and I plan on firing up the deep fryer once again to cook those, just so I get more use out my oil.  It was 13 bucks a gallon.   

[MikeBjerum]

Tyler,

Let it cool down, line a strainer with cheese cloth, and filter it back into the original container.

It can be stored at room temperature just as before it was used.  It can be used as any other vegetable oil for cooking purposes.

Some people will tell you that can not reuse it for deep frying, but what do fast food restaurants do   As you reuse it keep in mind that the smoke point will lower with each use (the reason peanut oil is used is its high smoke point).

Use it, clean it and store it well, and after it is used up you can always run it through your diesel pickup for fuel 

By the way, after a funeral yesterday a neighbor was leaving the church in his Dodge with a Cummins running 80% soy ... could have sworn there was a bbq grill being lit in the parking lot.  Smelled so good I had to go in for a sandwich 

[PegLeg45]

Tyler,

Let it cool down, line a strainer with cheese cloth, and filter it back into the original container.

It can be stored at room temperature just as before it was used.  It can be used as any other vegetable oil for cooking purposes.

Some people will tell you that can not reuse it for deep frying, but what do fast food restaurants do   As you reuse it keep in mind that the smoke point will lower with each use (the reason peanut oil is used is its high smoke point).

Use it, clean it and store it well, and after it is used up you can always run it through your diesel pickup for fuel 

By the way, after a funeral yesterday a neighbor was leaving the church in his Dodge with a Cummins running 80% soy ... could have sworn there was a bbq grill being lit in the parking lot.  Smelled so good I had to go in for a sandwich 

+1 on what m58 said.

We fry a lot of turkeys through the holidays (6 to 10) so I don't store mine afterward. I do pour it up between fryings and add enough fresh oil back each time to bring my frying level up.

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