Ok, now that we all have new turkey fryers, need the how too...

[misfish]

So for those that have done this from the start and have progressed,what is your best recommendation for deep frying up a bird ?

 

I know when I had my first taste of one,it was so juicy and so delis.

 

They say 3 minutes per pound. So a 15 pound bird should take 45 minutes? Or do you cook it a little longer to be sure it,s cooked fully?

 

What are the does and donts?

 

Whats the best injecting juice going?

 

I can see doing a big ole gumbo in this thing too. Crawdads.

 

 

My mouth is watering.

 

[Freshtrax]

The 15 min timer is easy to hotwire.

[Gerritt]

Fish n chips in the smaller pot, corn roast for when company comes over using the strainer, I will do a turkey for the holidays (but SWMBO dislikes turkey)

Stack two chickens and do them for when family comes over.

Homemade chicken fingers and fries

A pile of chicken wings!

 

So many plans! I kinda like the safety feature of the timer in case of distraction. Better to relit then burn 100 bucks worth of food and oil

 

G

[leaf4]

I like the idea of having one and was about to go get one, but then reality sets in and I really shouldn't be deep frying often hahaha

[Pikeslayer]

I can't figure out where to load the charcoal on this darn thing!!!

[misfish]

I can't figure out where to load the charcoal on this darn thing!!!

 

Smart

[Canuck2fan]

When you have used your oil a couple times and it is about at the end of it's life.... You can get extra value out of it by doing a couple of things you wouldn't want to do when it was fresh.

 

If you like farmer sausages for breakfast buy 20 lbs or so and simmer them in water in the small pot until cooked. Then heat the oil and BROWN them in the deep fryer for a few minutes. Freeze them on apart on cookie sheets and then bag them in meal sized lots. Reheat the sausages in the microwave on lower power for few minutes on a paper towels. Once you get the microwaving part down you can have eggs and farmer sausage for breakfast in about 5 minutes.

 

Another thing to cook off in large quantities at the end of the oils life are meatballs. THERE is NO better way to get a perfectly browned, not dried out meatball than in a deep fryer. Use your own recipe or buy frozen uncooked one and once they are cooked again freeze them on cookies sheets covered with waxed paper. Once frozen put them in meal sized packages.

 

One thing that goes GREAT with deep fried turkey or fish are buttermilk onion rings..... Cut a large onion into 3/8" slices break apart and soak in buttermilk overnight in the fridge.

 

In a large ziplock mix

2 cups all purpose flour

2/3 corn starch

1 TBSP Lawrys seasoning salt

 

Drain the buttermilk from the onions. Toss the onion rings in the flour mixture in small batches and separate them on a cookie sheet place them in the fridge for 10 minutes to set the coating. Then deep fry until golden. They will only have a thin coating but people will gorge on them.

 

You can use the exact same recipe for fried chicken just add more of your favourite seasonings to the mix. If you like spicy food instead of buttermilk, coat the chicken with Franks red hot sauce instead but do not leave in the hot sauce for more than 5 to 10 minutes. If using wings cook at 350 F if using bigger pieces then cook at a lower temperature around 330 to 340F, so it will cook the chicken before it gets too dark.. Make sure though to thoroughly coat each piece of chicken with the flour mixture by reaching in and gently squeezing the flour mixture onto each one. Again for best results after coating lay out apart on a sheet and set the coating by refrigerating for 10 minutes to 1/2 an hour before frying.

 

If you have fish n chips made in the fryer you have to have deep fried mars bars/snickers or turtles afterward at least once.

 

Chill your chocolate bars or turtles in the fridge. I like to use bite sized bars myself. I developed a chocolate batter because the standard fish batter most people tend to use is just wrong LOL.

 

Chocolate Batter

Ingredients:

12 Fun Size Mars or Snicker Bars cook better than full sized ones IMO

1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup corn starch
A pinch of baking soda
2 Tablespoons Sugar
Dark Chocolate Milk

Oil for deep frying

Directions:

Chill the chocolate bar by keeping it in the fridge, but don't freeze it.
Mix the flour, corn starch and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) together.
Add Dark Chocolate milk mixing until you get a batter with the consistency of Heavy cream
Do NOT make the batter too thin.
Heat the Fryer until the light shuts off or set at 350 F if you have temp control
Remove wrapper from chilled chocolate bar.
Coat them with all purpose flour to help the batter stick
Then dip completely in batter use a chocolate dipping fork if you have one
Carefully lower into hot oil and fry until golden brown.
Serve, with ice cream and caramel sauce, if you're so inclined.

 

Last item to try are homemade panzerottis. Find a bakery that will sell you wholewheat pizza dough for a really amazing result. I used to buy 24oz frozen wholewheat pizza dough from Buns Master. Do up and fry off a few dozen then freeze them. You won't waste your time buying hot pockets ever again.

Edited September 21, 2014 by Canuck2fan

[Canuck2fan]

I like the idea of having one and was about to go get one, but then reality sets in and I really shouldn't be deep frying often hahaha

 

Umm once you see the cost involved with filling it with oil and the propane you likely won't be doing it every week either. A lot of people in the south though share the cost of the oil and propane by having 3 or 4 families do their turkeys one after another.... Makes is a lot more economical.

[kickingfrog]

If you're doing a turkey Alton Brown has some tips:

 

http://lifehacker.com/alton-browns-diy-turkey-fryer-is-the-safest-way-to-deep-1589937780

 

http://www.altonbrown.com/pdfs/AB_turkey_derrick.pdf

 

 

 

[corvette1]

hi brian 3 min a pound is good try to keep the temp at 350 it will go down when first droped in so i start mine at 370 it will drop quick .i inject mine with butter. good eats

[misfish]

Great replies guys and thanks Rob. Safety first as always.

 

I dont plan on using it a whole lot. It would be cool to drag out for a ice fishing fry day in mid March. Smelt and perch anyone?

 

I like the panzzi pie idea C2F.

 

 

I did post earlier,but it was gone in thin air.

[misfish]

So how do you store your used oil after a fry? Can I just strain it back in the bulk tank and keep at room temp?

Edited September 21, 2014 by Brian B

[Terry]

let it cool strain it

and back in the jugs

[porkpie]

So how do you store your used oil after a fry? Can I just strain it back in the bulk tank and keep at room temp?

Yes, we've done this at our hunt camp for years without issue. The oil lasts a good while!

[Canuck2fan]

Oil will last for a long time if you filter it and store it in an airtight container. Canola fryer oil is the cheapest and will work great, but it does go off eventually. So after you have stored the oil just taste it cold before using it to make sure you aren't going to ruin any food you are going to cook in it.

[mpt]

Make sure the bird is thawed and fairly dry. Use a broomstick or such to drop it in slowly at first. I use a temp probe with a silicone coated wire that gives an accurate temp while in the fryer. Tried the 3min/lb but had differing results. the probe works great.

[misfish]

Thanks

 

Think Im going to start small,like a large chicken first and work my way up. Hate to waste a big bird the first time.

[steelhedrmatt]

Prime rib roast in the fryer is to die for!!

[nancur373]

We always did 5 min per pound. Correct amount of oil is key. Put the bird in and fill with water till it's completely submerged. Take out bird and note how much water is in the pot. Dump water and fill to about half an inch to one inch below the water mark to allow for oil expansion when it heats.

[Canuck2fan]

We always did 5 min per pound. Correct amount of oil is key. Put the bird in and fill with water till it's completely submerged. Take out bird and note how much water is in the pot. Dump water and fill to about half an inch to one inch below the water mark to allow for oil expansion when it heats.

 

Awesome idea just sure you DRY the pot completely before you put the oil in though... Water and oil in a fryer not good unless you want to see the fire department LOL.

[misfish]

So how about this comment? Not centering out the poster,just asking .

 

 

Dont use Canola oil..Nasty ass GMO crap.....

[davey buoy]

Not so sure about not using Canola?,use at home in the deep frier for anything we can,no ill affects here ever!?.

[Canuck2fan]

So how about this comment? Not centering out the poster,just asking .

 

 

Definitely, is GMO whether it is garbage or not is debatable. I can virtually guarantee if you have eaten in a restaurant in the last 10yrs and had fried more than twice you probably had it it fried in canola oil.

 

I don't know what genetically modified means to most people. I do know both my grandfathers who were great gardeners of both flowers and food. Genetically modified everything they grew, by only keeping seeds from any plants that had the traits they wanted to encourage the most. One of them used to do all sorts of cross pollinating and other tricks to get the results he wanted.

 

This guy agrees with what they did too...

 

Edited September 22, 2014 by Canuck2fan

[nancur373]

 

Awesome idea just sure you DRY the pot completely before you put the oil in though... Water and oil in a fryer not good unless you want to see the fire department LOL.

The little water left in the pot after you dump it out will not hurt. Remember you will be heating the oil from room temp. When the oil reaches 212F the water will evaporate and not violently. Water going into oil 212F and above is not good at all.

Edited September 22, 2014 by PURENEWF

[leaf4]

it's just propaganda from the "purists" if you're deep frying your food there's more to worry about (if you use it often I'm saying) than what type of vegetable oil you're using because they're all derived from a vegetable of some sort!