Turkey Fryer Tips please

Hi all,
With my parents not well I have inherited the Holidays hosting job, and as such Thanksgiving will be here at my home. I have a rather large family and I have one stove which makes cooking challenging so I also make use of a wood stove top I have and an outside grill. I got a really nice Propane fired Turkey fryer on Craigslist a few months back dirt cheap and haven't used it yet. I thought I would this Thanksgiving. That frees up my oven. The fryer can handle up to a 20lb bird it says. I have never used a Turkey Fryer, and honestly it intimidated me. The potential for a screw up seems high plus it will be odd just dropping the bird in and letting it cook? No basting no nothing?

Are there any Turkey Fryer Pros here that can give me some experience based do and don'ts?

Thanks,
Al

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No personal experience, Al, it intimidates me as well. If I were to try it, it'd look something like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O14bgW8xmqk

Corresponding recipe walkthrough:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5a7gJ0_Fds

Al I haven't deep fried a Turkey personally but have been present during the process. The "head frier" told me the key is maintaining the correct temp range as the Turkey is lowered into the oil. I do not know the range, but there is one for sure. Plopping it in will result in a potentially dangerous overflow, and the skin not searing properly allowing oil to penetrate the bird resulting in a greasy end product.
I will say that I have never really liked baked turkey. I will say that DF Turkey was absolutely STELLAR!!
Once you have your oil volume worked out (to prevent displacement overflow), your oil temp and cook time figured out, I am confident TG will be at your place again next year!
Let us know how you go! Peace mate

Just watched the vids...that guys is hilarious...great idea with the ladder as well...his oil did not crackle when he lowered the bird in though...my guy said make sure you're at cooking temp, and lower slowly to keep within a 10-20F range...this sears the skin instantly and seals in the juices and flavour...SO good!

Following! Last year I bought a Butterball XL electric fryer at a ridiculously low price and it's still in the box Wanting to try it this year!

If I recall correctly, he starts with lower temp oil and raises it later to prevent the oil from boiling over if the oil is too hot or the bird not thawed enough. He's definitely a character.

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Originally Posted by Adam S

If I recall correctly, he starts with lower temp oil and raises it later to prevent the oil from boiling over if the oil is too hot or the bird not thawed enough. He's definitely a character.

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Makes sense Adam. Definitely need to have the turkey completely defrosted. I understand the danger of the boil over but the guy I observed frying one said if the skin doesn't sizzle as the turkey goes in it gets really greasy. He left the thermometer in the oil and lowered the turkey and very slowly to keep it in that 10 to 20 degree range off the cooking temperature. I recall it taking about 5 minutes to get the turkey fully submerged. Doing it safely is obviously the key factor though :)

Danny,
How long did he cook it for?

al

I will try to find out for you Al but it was quite some years ago in Canada. I know there is a time frame per pound of turkey weight. I will check in with my brother who lives up in Canada and get back to you...

350F. Fry turkey for 3 minutes per pound plus 5 minutes per bird. For example a 20 pound bird would be 65 minutes. Looking forward to hearing about your experience deep frying your first bird, and how you rate the taste and moisture content compared to oven-baked!

We fry 2 turkeys every year for our family gathering - one "regular" and one Cajun spiced. We use an electric fryer, but I would imagine the basics are the same. We use injectable marinade prior to cooking (butter and herb for one, creole marinade for the other), in addition to a rub on the skin of the Cajun bird. Make sure the turkey is thoroughly thawed and dry it as much as possible, inside and out, before putting it in the oil to prevent splattering. We cook them at 375F, for about 3.5 min per pound. Just make sure the internal temp reaches 165-170F. Let the turkey rest (and drain) for at least 10 min before carving. Enjoy!

Al
1- to fig. the right amt of oil so that you don't have spill over, put the turkey
into the pot and add water so that it just covers the turkey.
That's volume of oil to use.
2- A 20# bird should take around 45-60min. depending how cold it is.
3- lower the bird REAL slow into the pot.
4- try to keep temp at 375F.
5- Lastly do it far,far away from the house or any other structure.Think chicken coupe.

I did one about 10 years ago, too risky,a lot of trouble and really hard to check on doneness. Now I do 2 11# birds on
on a rotisserie on my Weber.
Good luck
Jay