Need help deep frying a turkey

First off im going to be using my hlt (originally a turkey fryer), will I be able to properly clean out the oil so I can use it for brewing again?

What type of oil? I figured either peanut or canola.

Any advice on rubs or injecting before cooking?

Any other general advice would be appreciated, it's my first time.

I can't answer the question regarding cleaning out all the oil... Mine still has some cooked on deposits (which is why I haven't done a full boil beer yet).

Definitely go with Peanut oil, higher smoke point, and can be reused a few times, saving the considerable expense.

I like using Tony Charrerre's seasoning or Lowry's on the bird, tho just salt and pepper comes out awesome.


In terms of injections, I like using some of the Ken's salad dressings as a base. Garlic and herb is a good one, but you can do pretty much anything. One Hint: add a bit of water to thin it down if the injector doesn't flow too well.

defrost the bird totally, dry it extremely well, rub it with love, and lower it slowly into the oil!

Best way to cook turkeys in my opinion!!!

Thanks! How long do you cook for? I read 3 to 4 minutes per pound.

1) You absolutely can clean the pot and go back to brewing. My first couple of PM brews were made using my parents' turkey-frying pot. Just make sure you use lots of dish soap to cut the oil, and use a scrubby.

2) We use Emeril's Fried Turkey marinade and inject it into our turkey the day before and let it sit overnight in a large (clean) trashbag in the fridge. It is SOOOO good.

Cool, answered my question too... I'm brewing on Friday (thinking about doing the full boil) and then frying on Saturday....

jmulligan said:

1) You absolutely can clean the pot and go back to brewing. My first couple of PM brews were made using my parents' turkey-frying pot. Just make sure you use lots of dish soap to cut the oil, and use a scrubby.

2) We use Emeril's Fried Turkey marinade and inject it into our turkey the day before and let it sit overnight in a large (clean) trashbag in the fridge. It is SOOOO good.

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Yay! Sounds awesome, this is making me hungry.

Who the hell frys a turkey in a turkey fryer? I thought those were intended for making beer.

EvilTOJ said:

Who the hell frys a turkey in a turkey fryer? I thought those were intended for making beer.

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They are! 18 batches of homebrew vs. 1 turkey

EvilTOJ said:

Who the hell frys a turkey in a turkey fryer? I thought those were intended for making beer.

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Hmmm... well, hell, you boil the wort, maybe I should chuck a turkey in there next time.

jmulligan said:

Hmmm... well, hell, you boil the wort, maybe I should chuck a turkey in there next time.

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mmmmmmmmmm. Turkey Ale. Yummy. Just be sure and stuff it with the right grains first.

I would reccomend brining it for 16-24 hours before and make sure it is VERY VERY dry and the oil isnt to hot.

Alton Brown did an episode on deep frying a bird. May want to check that out via youtube or a torrent if you swing that way.

Laurel said:

Alton Brown did an episode on deep frying a bird. May want to check that out via youtube or a torrent if you swing that way.

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I'll check it out.

If you go to his website AltonBrown.com there is actually alot on there about it just having to do with safety conerns and how to do it safely. The turkey derrick is pretty bad ass too.

Well it looks like my plans are shot, it's $15 a gallon for peanut oil! Im not paying $50 to fry a turkey, that's friggin expensive!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E270Qx5OpxU]YouTube - Alton Brown Fried Turkey 1/3[/ame]
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLNLYL24qUA&feature=related]YouTube - Alton Brown Fried Turkey 2/3[/ame]
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9mq29BaLLk&feature=related]YouTube - Alton Brown Fried Turkey 3/3[/ame]

Around this time they usually sell much bigger containers than 1 gal (probably around 3 or so) for around 25 I think.

I'm surprised Alton doesn't recommend killing the flame for dropping in the bird.

Might have to try cooking one up this way this year - looks tasty!!

dataz722 said:

I would reccomend brining it for 16-24 hours before and make sure it is VERY VERY dry and the oil isnt to hot.

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+1
brining brings out the flavor

And if your birds not dry, you will definitely regret it.

wildwest450 said:

Well it looks like my plans are shot, it's $15 a gallon for peanut oil! Im not paying $50 to fry a turkey, that's friggin expensive!

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You might not need as much oil as you think. Fill your pot with water, put in your frozen bird, when the bird is totally submerged it should push out quite a bit of water. Pour out a little more water so that the water level is a couple of inches below the rim while the bird is still in the pot. Remove your bird and measure the water that is left. That's how much oil you will need.

Laurel said:

Alton Brown did an episode on deep frying a bird. May want to check that out via youtube or a torrent if you swing that way.

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We followed the instructions on this exactly and got a bird that cooked uneven. I suspect our bird was not completely thawed. (it was out for a very long time in a cooler with water.)
I think the most important is bird temp here. You dont want the oil to cool down dramaticly if you can. It seemed we had a hard time getting the temp back up after bird was lowered.

This was all last year, as no one wants us to try it again around my house.

Mine came out great! Definitely going to do it this way again.