Thanksgiving Turkey?

Just a thought, if the indians had only given the pilgrims a donkey instead of a turkey we could all be enjoying a piece of a** for thanksgiving.

samhill wrote:Just a thought, if the indians had only given the pilgrims a donkey instead of a turkey we could all be enjoying a piece of a** for thanksgiving.

Hah! That's good, especially at 6am....

Chris

jpete wrote:

whistlenut wrote:Is anyone thinking about a 23 pound deep fried bird? Do U need any links to the ongoing cholesterol problems in America?
Not to rain on your parade, but when they have you splayed open in the OR, you might think back at some choices you made that might not be working out real well. I've seen deep fried birds, and had to opt out when it was my turn to get served. Roasting is still pretty darned good!

Done right, deep fried turkey isn't oily in the least.

Also, peanut oil isn't all that bad for you.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionso ... olesterol/

1. Use liquid plant oils for cooking and baking. Olive, canola, and other plant-based oils are rich in heart-healthy unsaturated fats.

Someone mentioned to avoid brineing but I have done it without any problems. The key is making sure the bird is dry before frying. Oil and water and all that......

Also, I tried the deal with putting it in the pot and filling it with water to figure out how much oil to use but I didn't count on how much oil expands when it's at 400*.

My advice is to short fill it and top off as needed.

This is the one I got and it's got some really nice safety and convenience features.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=p ... lpage=none

I agree with the oil expansion!!! I usually fill to an 1 1/2" below where the water line was.
That is a nice fryer!! Mine is so old it has no safety features. I sit near mine the entire time I am cooking to make sure no people or pets get near it.

Just be careful. Several years ago we had a fellow burn down his garage deep frying a turkey. I guess that’s why they instruct you to do it outdoors in an open area.

Remember the recent State Farm commerical?? Too funny!!!!!!

Just saw the local wal-mart had 30qt turkey fryers on sale for $49.
I didn't look to see what brand.

Alton Brown on the show Good Eats has an excellent Fried Turkey episode.

wanna try something? trash can turkey. they are delicious. the 20 lb bird we got will take about 2 hours and fifteen minutes. i will post pics of the whole set up

Growing up in an Italian family we never had turkey on Thanksgiving, or Christmas for that matter. It was homemade ravioli with homemade gravy and meatballs and Italian sausage. Oh some roast chicken thrown in there as well, or something called a capon from time to time. I miss those days.

Just to update. We had two small turkeys this year.

My father in law put the 18 pounder in for me as I was with my dad at the ER. That one was down for about an hour straight from the cold brine. He was a bit "underdone" in the center.

I took the 15 pound bird out of the brine and let him sit on the counter for a while to warm up before getting dunked in hot oil.

45 minutes after he went in, he came out PERFECT!

Just a note for people who haven't deep fried. This is not the method to use if you like skin. It WILL be burnt to a crisp.

And we made a delicious turkey soup with stock I made from the carcasses and the innards. I think that may be my favorite part of Thanksgiving!

I think the best turky that I ever had was one that a friend of mine smoked, don`t know what kind of wood used or the length of time but it sure turned out right.