Turkey Fryer Pot

I searched, I searched.....


OK, Wife is wanting to get a Turkey Fryer after having some fried turkey the other day. I am wanting to get a large pot to get back into brewing (I made wine for a few years in college, it tasted like butt and I think I'm ready to make some adult alcohol...).


My question is would a pot used to fry turkey's be acceptable to be used to brew with? This is assuming it is cleaned and sanitized before brewing of course. My worry was with residual grease from the oil skunking the brew. If it is not a big problem I was going to get a fairly good sized kit so I can step to all grain in a year or so.

Convince her that bigger burners are better burners,then buy a descent kettle for brewing.

i use a turkey frier but have never used it to fry a turkey. so i am no help

The answer is YES a turkey fryer pot will work well for brewing. I brew all my beers in a large aluminum turkey fryer pot. There are many aluminum vs. stainless threads on here, and both work just fine. If you're using a used pot, then make sure its degreased really well, and you should be good to go. Or get a new pot, thats another option.


beerloaf

There is a good deal on Amazon for a 7.5 gallon Bayou Classic Turkey fryer with burner, plus a thermometer.

However - these Turkey Fryers have one downside - they tend to be tall and narrow, so your chiller nozzles may not reach over the top. Measure your chiller against the fryer (I googled the fryer on several website sto get the dimensions, specifically the height).

They are a bargain for brewing.
But I am planning on spending a little more and getting a "cheap" 7.5 gallon pot that is shorter and wider, plus a slightly more expensive burner (that has a flame guard)

I inherited an 8 gallon turkey fryer pot that was used for several years. I took some simple green and warm water soak overnight, scrubbed the h*** out of it making sure all the grease residue was gone. Filled with water and boiled for 90 minutes to cure it and I’ve had on problems with off flavors.

Been looking at these for a spare. www.foodservicewarehouse.com/polar-ware/c7878/p372087.aspx

If I am reading correctly you are asking if you will be able to use the pot for brewing after it has been used for frying a turkey.

The short answer is yes it can, but the down side is it will give you beer off flavors. No matter how long you scrub, clean, boil or cure, you will always have an oily residue left on the pot after frying a turkey.

With that being said, I use a turkey fryer burner to do all of my brewing, 58,000 BTU I think. Basically my suggestion would be get the turkey fryer (you can get some cheap right now) and buy yourself another kettle for brewing. This way you make both happy, your wife gets the fried turkeys and you get your burner for your brew.

Just my .02

I have two turkey fryers, one for turkey and one for beer.

Convince her stainless is the way to go and you won`t have the off flavor problem.

VB

VegasBrew said:

Convince her stainless is the way to go and you won`t have the off flavor problem.

VB

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Why is that? Is it because the stainless is easier to clean/sanitize?

I am getting one soon but I like my turkeys roasted better =D. Also I will consider the kettle a temporary deal.

dz1087 said:

Why is that? Is it because the stainless is easier to clean/sanitize?

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Man-O-Man that seems to be a seriously controversial topic around here!

Search aluminum vs. stainless (which is better?) and you’ll find several threads about that. It really comes down to personal preference. That's like asking glass vs. plastic????

If cost is a concern, just do aluminum. Give it a good scrub with dish soap immediately after brewing and you won't have any problems.

IMO, the only advantage of stainless is aesthetics. The cost is a major disadvantage. You could brew an extra 2-3 batches with the money you save by going with aluminum.

I've never had any off flavors caused by aluminum.

dz1087 said:

Is it because the stainless is easier to clean/sanitize?

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You may (key word) get metallic off flavors from aluminum if your wort has high alkaline with pH about 8.5+. You can cook your pot or boil water in it to increase oxides in the metal which will significantly decrease your chances of this if it's even a threat to you. Also, cleaning and maintenance for aluminum is a bit different, certain cleaners aren't recommended. Alot of people never have any problems, myself included, but it's one of those endless arguments aluminum vs ss, primary vs secondary etc etc.

I was forced by the wifey to brew outside she dosent like the smell of wort LOL.
Anyway I had an old turkey fryer and I havent fried turkey in a long time. So I boiled probly 20 gallons of water in it first. Then made Wort. No problems. Now I dont use it for anything but brew now. And It works just fine. Just dont scrub it and dont use oxy clean I just use hot water and a fresh sponge. and before I brew I run 2 gallons of boiling water on the inside just to make sure it is clean.

drathbone said:

You may (key word) get metallic off flavors from aluminum if your wort has high alkaline with pH about 8.5+. You can cook your pot or boil water in it to increase oxides in the metal which will significantly decrease your chances of this if it's even a threat to you. Also, cleaning and maintenance for aluminum is a bit different, certain cleaners aren't recommended. Alot of people never have any problems, myself included, but it's one of those endless arguments aluminum vs ss, primary vs secondary etc etc.

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It's almost impossible to achieve a basic wort. Beer is acidic, with an ideal mash ph being around 5.2ish. If you manage a wort ph of 8.5, you might want to think about another hobby.

Average ph of finished beer is around 4

o4_srt said:

It's almost impossible to achieve a basic wort. Beer is acidic, with an ideal mash ph being around 5.2ish. If you manage a wort ph of 8.5, you might want to think about another hobby.

Average ph of finished beer is around 4

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+1
For a minute there, I was wondering if the beers I had last night were coming back to me...

If I were you, I'd buy the fryer and an "extra" pot for makign beer in. If you have an old turkey fryer pot and clean it up well, you can make beer. But I would not like to have to do that if the pot were to be used to fry a turkey all the time too.

Just have a separate pot for the turkey and for the beer.

I doubt the pot would be used for turkey more than twice a year or so. I think I could probably manage cleaning for as little as I'll probably be making anyway.

I got a used turkey fryer and it cleaned up fairly easy using some hot water, dish washing soap and a plastic abrasive sponge. No off flavors in my beer at all. I prefer to smoke my turkeys, but if I were to fry one, I would pick up an extra 30qt pot from Academy Sports for only $19.

shelly_belly said:

I got a used turkey fryer and it cleaned up fairly easy using some hot water, dish washing soap and a plastic abrasive sponge. No off flavors in my beer at all. I prefer to smoke my turkeys, but if I were to fry one, I would pick up an extra 30qt pot from Academy Sports for only $19.

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Is that your kid stirring your turkey pot in your profile pic there?

o4_srt said:

It's almost impossible to achieve a basic wort. Beer is acidic, with an ideal mash ph being around 5.2ish. If you manage a wort ph of 8.5, you might want to think about another hobby.

Average ph of finished beer is around 4

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I completely agree. There is endless threads about people being concerned about aluminum causing metallic off flavors. I just wanted to make sure the OP new it is virtually a non-issue.

ArcLight said:

There is a good deal on Amazon for a 7.5 gallon Bayou Classic Turkey fryer with burner, plus a thermometer.

However - these Turkey Fryers have one downside - they tend to be tall and narrow, so your chiller nozzles may not reach over the top. Measure your chiller against the fryer (I googled the fryer on several website sto get the dimensions, specifically the height).

They are a bargain for brewing.
But I am planning on spending a little more and getting a "cheap" 7.5 gallon pot that is shorter and wider, plus a slightly more expensive burner (that has a flame guard)

Click to expand...

i have a 7.5 gallon bayou classic pot and a 50ft, 1/2 inch chiller that fits perfectly in it. i don't use that pot for brewing anymore since i got a 10 gallon pot but i do store the chiller in the 7.5 gallon pot.

dz1087 said:

Is that your kid stirring your turkey pot in your profile pic there?

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Yes it is. He's 1 of 2. He like's to try and do what I do.