http://www.ul.com/consumers/turkeys.html

There is a cool video of what can go wrong while frying a turkey. That place looks like a fun place to work.

From the article:

A longtime food favorite in the southern United States, the delicious deep-fried turkey ...

Bzzzt.

Some other Southerner correct me if I'm wrong, but I never heard of a deep fried turkey until about 8 years ago, at the outside. That's hardly a ``longtime food favorite''.

I have to back Bitt up on this one. They seem to have increased in popularity only in the past few years.

Some of the guys I work with were stationed at Ft. Rucker in UCLA (Ugly Corner of Lower Alabama) and they use to have turkey frys down there, and most of them have been retired for 15+ years. No clue how long ago they were at Rucker (since the military tends to move people around quiet a bit).

For the record, I didn't hear about them (or even consider the idea) until a couple of years ago when one of them invited me over for it..

They seem to have increased in popularity only in the past few years.

The Costco effect, I think. Once they start carrying something....

My friend has one and has used it for several holiday meals over the past 2-3 years. OK, so he burned down his garage, but it was the best turkey *I've* ever had!

"Some other Southerner correct me if I'm wrong, but I never heard of a deep fried turkey until about 8 years ago, at the outside. That's hardly a 'longtime food favorite'."

No, I'd never heard of this until I got married. Then I found out this is the only way my wife's family eats turkey. I was initially revolted until I finally tried one and haven't looked back since.

This was introduced to my family about 4 years ago when my sister was married. He, my brother-in-law, fryed one for us and we have been eating fryed turkey every thanksgiving and christmas since.

They really are good. I suggest everyone try it at least once. I doubt you will turn back...

My roommate is a good ol southern cooker, and so we've got a turkey fryer at my house now. I have yet to try it though.

He makes damn good pies though. Mmmm...pecaaaan....aaaggghhh

Mmmmm... They best one I've had was made at a Popeyes Fried Chicken. I know, I know... fast food, but it was GOOD. BTW, It wasn't really fast, you had to order a week in advance and it was a whole turkey.

Also, has anyone else had a turduckin? Mmmmm.... Especially with oyster dressing.

Also, has anyone else had a turduckin?

AHHH! Madden!

Personally, I really dislike fried turkey. I much prefer a standard oven roasted/baked/whatever turkey.

And, BTW, for those of you that don't know, a fried turkey is not breaded or battered like fried chicken. It's just deep-fried.

Fried Turkey? Wow, never even heard of that. Well, frying makes everything better (spoken like a true overweight American). I still want to try those fried Twinkies that I heard about all summer, but I never made it down to the fair where they supposedly had them. Maybe next year.

I went to the Minnesota State Fair a couple of years back, and the big thing there was deep fried candy bars. Alas I didn't try one, as I didn't feel up to having a heart attack that day.

Actually the deep frying seals the juices into the bird. They're really juicy and don't have a "fried taste" to them. The frying time isn't near long enough to get it as greasy as fried chicken. Fastest way to cook bird. About 38 minutes for a 14 pounder. Any bigger and it won't cook as well. 12 to 14 pounds is the optimum size... Peanut oil too, smokes less if you get it too hot.

Yeah, i can back you up on that.

how about the TurDuckEn though? a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken stuffed with a quail or pheasent. Now that's some southern goodness.

I don't anybody over here in the UK deep fries their turkey. Not that I've heard of anyway...

Is there anything left that can't be deep fried? I've tried deep fried ice cream which was interesting. Just in case anybody wonders how you can fry ice cream, you have to dunk the ice cream block into batter first and then quickly deep fry it.

- Trevor

Its not a southern thing, I beleive its more of a cajun thing, correct me if Im wrong, a good friend of mine from the bayou in Louisiana fried the first one I had ever seen, and he said he been doing all his life. I think this falls under many things that come from the south so they are deemed southern things

Yeah, but cooking large fowl that quickly leaves a good chance that there will still be salmonella when you're done.

Can you say ``turkey tartare''? Good! Now can you puke your guts out and die? Even better!

Yeah, but cooking large fowl that quickly leaves a good chance that there will still be salmonella when you're done.

(Methinks I detect a fellow hohophobic)

Not to worry, if you stick the nozzle of a firehose into the turkey's Great Void, you'll eliminate about 90% of the salmonella burden, ITIS.

Can you say ``turkey tartare''? Good! Now can you puke your guts out and die? Even better!

Cooking fast doesn't mean undercooked. Oil just keeps the heat on more effectively. Oh, and healthy adults don't die from salmonella. They just wish they had!

hohophobic

Okay, I'm at a loss as to that word. I am a serious puke-o-phobe, though.

Cooking fast doesn't mean undercooked.

No, it doesn't. However, it does mean that there becomes a much narrower window between undercooked and overcooked. It also means that it's possible to overcook the outside while undercooking the inside.

hohophobic - (adj) An unrational fear of Hostess Ho-Ho's. See: "Twinkie-tremors" and "Ding-Dong doldrums".



-Zeke

Fair enough. But what does that have to do with deep-frying turkeys, salmonella, or projectile vomiting?

No idea. It's getting late and I'm getting punchy.

-Zeke

Okay, I'm at a loss as to that word.

In this context, hohophobe would be someone whose concerns about Meleagrididaeical safety are amplified by the premature approach of a particular overblown, overcommercialized winter holiday characterized by an overabundance of electric shaver advertisements.

OK, that's me ("I'm Jim and I'm a hohophobe!"...."Hi, Jim!"), but that may not be you.

I am a serious puke-o-phobe, though.

Puke-o-phobes should really join the Natioinal Association to Say Bad Things About Staph Food Poisoning. Membership in the Salmonella Action League is open to puke-o-phobes but is really intended for diarrhea-phobes.

No, it doesn't. However, it does mean that there becomes a much narrower window between undercooked and overcooked. It also means that it's possible to overcook the outside while undercooking the inside.

Good point WRT the "narrower window", but I don't think it bears too specifically on salmonella risk except that you run a higher risk of an overcooked turkey if you indulge a little paranoia (and maybe a little higher disease risk if you ignore undercooking risk) . Salmonella is an enteric colonizer and winds up as primarily a surface threat. There are pretty clear guidelines on thawing, holding and cooking that, if followed, can reduce the risk to near zilch regardless of cooking method used. OTOH, if you cook a partially-thawed, salmonella-ridden turkey, there isn't any specific cooking method that will protect you. No substitute for a good meat thermometer, and, sure, quicker cooking in a fryer probably requires a little more attention. Much of the risk nowadays comes from improper prep and unintentional transfer of bugs to other foods like salads.

FWIW, I have never had turkey near as good as the ones that came out of a fryer. Of course the peanut oil can cost twice as much as the turkey...but it was worth it.

I wonder if you can combine a fryer with "beer can chicken"?

but cooking large fowl that quickly leaves a good chance that there will still be salmonella when you're done

I have to disagree. Recommended cooked temperature for turkey is 180F the oil should be between 180 and 200F. The oil fills the chest cavity of the bird as well as surrounding it. A 12-14 pound turkey will definitely be at least 180F throughout after 38 minutes in hot oil. that's why I mentioned bigger birds may not cook properly, but a 12-14 pounder is very safe. That is assuming you do defrost the entire bird first.
Of course no one says you have to eat it or believe it is safe to eat. Lots of people think a smoked chicken or turkey isn't safe either because it will have a pink ring which has nothing to do with the doneness, it's actually the smoke and salt creating a chemical reaction.
I've done probably 100 deep fried turkeys, no one got sick I know of...

I'm leaving work early, right now, to go pick up our turducken, made by Hebert's (that's pronounced "hey-BEARS"). We're getting the "standard" model: a chicken inside a duck inside a turkey, stuffed with cornbread dressing: First we brown beef, pork, and turkey giblets. Sauté onion, bell pepper, and other vegetables with that special Cajun seasoning. No, it does not taste like giblets. It is roux based. We mix this wonderful stock with cornbread to create a great Cajun spiced cornbread dressing.

There's a fantastic article in the NY Times all about turducken. I had it for the first time, last year, at a friend's house, and now we're doing one for family and friends. Yum.

Fair enough. The first one I ever saw was cut open and had large portions of uncooked meat in it. I've been turned off ever since.

Perhaps I should have said ``a greater chance'' instead of ``a good chance''.

The first one I ever saw was cut open and had large portions of uncooked meat in it. I've been turned off ever since

YIKES! I can't blame you then, sounds like it was too big and not cooked long enough, or not 100% thawed.
I won't eat those baby corn ear things because I saw my brother hurling them up once when I was 4 years old... I still won't eat them to this day. First impressions go a long way, don't they?

I think that it was too big and the oil was too hot. In addition to sealing in the juices, I think it can also create a skin that works as a heat insulator once it becomes thick and inpermeable enough.

I have a friend who cant touch rasberries because of eating too many as a kid - he's like 51 now. Of course, I can't stand butterscotch (even the name makes me nauseous) ever since I puked my guts out on them about 22 years ago.