ADVERTISEMENT

OT: Frying the Thanksgiving Turkey

I've always enjoyed a fried turkey on Thanksgiving. I love the way it comes out with lots of flavor and crispyness. It's been awhile since we've hosted on Thanksgiving and therefore it's also been awhile since I've been able to break out my fryer. I'll be using a simple backyard propane burner system with a 30 quart pot. I know the process around defrosting, drying and prepping the bird. I'm looking for advice on two things:

1) Who has the best deals on peanut oil?

2) Any favorite seasoning, brines, injections, etc for the most flavorful fried turkey?

TIA! Gobble, Gobble 🦃🍗🍻
Sam’s has 3 Gallon peanut oil for $41.
 
Agreed with a pure smoke and only smoke. Spoke with a guy that was on a competitive bbq team who won for smoked chicken and his secret was smoking for flavor and render fat and finishing on high heat grill to crisp skin and to bring to temp.

Does he use the fat for grilling (in a pan or something, presumably)?

I've tried both grilling and finishing in a hot oven - better but still not great.

Eventually I switched to indirect/direct cooking over live fire.
 
I've always enjoyed a fried turkey on Thanksgiving. I love the way it comes out with lots of flavor and crispyness. It's been awhile since we've hosted on Thanksgiving and therefore it's also been awhile since I've been able to break out my fryer. I'll be using a simple backyard propane burner system with a 30 quart pot. I know the process around defrosting, drying and prepping the bird. I'm looking for advice on two things:

1) Who has the best deals on peanut oil?

2) Any favorite seasoning, brines, injections, etc for the most flavorful fried turkey?

TIA! Gobble, Gobble 🦃🍗🍻
fyi I think the bj oil might be a blend of peanut and vegetable oil. I’ve only used 100% peanut oil so not sure if that’s and issue or not. Good luck
 
In all honesty, for me it’s all about the sandwiches the next day (or even later on Thanksgiving if we eat dinner early).

Dining out for thanksgiving for the second year in a row. Love that there’s no prep or cleanup, but do miss the leftovers
 
Does he use the fat for grilling (in a pan or something, presumably)?

I've tried both grilling and finishing in a hot oven - better but still not great.

Eventually I switched to indirect/direct cooking over live fire.
I am not sure if he is capturing the fat that renders out of the bird while it is smoking. I will have to ask.

Risk of smoke only is the bird takes on too much smoke to get up to temp and skin doesn’t crisp and it is a gelatinous mess. So he smokes for flavor and crisps skin and brings to temp either on grill or preferably live fire like you suggest.
 
  • Like
Reactions: fsg2
For those that are smoking the turkey, use the carcass for your turkey soup! I did it a couple of years ago not really thinking about it and was shocked at the flavor. So much better than regular turkey soup.
 
Dining out for thanksgiving for the second year in a row. Love that there’s no prep or cleanup, but do miss the leftovers
I have never done that- though, we have often thought of using the holiday as a vacation trip. But friends and family keep making sure my wife's food is going no where. lol
 
I have never done that- though, we have often thought of using the holiday as a vacation trip. But friends and family keep making sure my wife's food is going no where. lol

I have some doozies in the travel category. Traveled on thanksgiving day five or six years ago; after a long day of travel—with a major delay on the tarmac at our destination—we ended up eating at Denny’s! Then we ran it back a couple years later at the same spot just for fun (though they ran out of their thanksgiving food the second time around…it was 2020 so everything was chaos). When I was a kid we ended up at a gas station Taco Bell on a snowy thanksgiving night when we were traveling in the upper peninsula of Michigan…we couldn’t find a restaurant with any tables open.
 
The Fried Turkey is very good.
But no stuffing! Deal breaker.
and no pan gravy... you need 2 Tukeys.. one to sacrifice in the oven for stuffing and gravy and one to fry and eat.. use the oven turkey meat for leftovers.

BTW.. what about deep frying teh stuffing after the turkey is done?

 
Last edited:
As I posted- we don't do Turkey but last Sat- the wife seasoned the Oxtail, Jerk pork shoulder and Currey goat and it goes into the fridge for 24 hours and then the freezer until tonight. Those seasons get a good 5 days to spice up our dinner. Salmon and whole Red Snapper with it as well.
 
says a lot...get out of Mom's basement and explore the world.
Beavis And Butthead Eww GIF by Paramount+
 
If smoking over charcoal in a barrel design, Chef Shelby recommends spatchcocking and cooking the turkey to 150 then remove the shield, ‘flip the bird’ (no, not the gesture), use oil or cooking spray and finish on the top grate over direct heat to crisp the skin.

You’re welcome.
 
Well, the fried turkey came out perfect using a simple butter/oil/Worcester injection and a salt/pepper/garlic powder dry rub.

I went with the BJs peanut oil which was a mix of peanut and vegetable oil. It was very easy to work with and a cheaper alternative.

The oil held up great as we cooked three turkeys yesterday (one for us and two for neighbors) and i plan to do chicken wings in the same oil for football sometime soon.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bethlehemfan
Well, the fried turkey came out perfect using a simple butter/oil/Worcester injection and a salt/pepper/garlic powder dry rub.

I went with the BJs peanut oil which was a mix of peanut and vegetable oil. It was very easy to work with and a cheaper alternative.

The oil held up great as we cooked three turkeys yesterday (one for us and two for neighbors) and i plan to do chicken wings in the same oil for football sometime soon.
Good to know on the oil. Thanks. We also had our fried turkey with the strained Italian dressing injection and rub of garlic, onion, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper. Enjoy the wings.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RUshore99
Well, the fried turkey came out perfect using a simple butter/oil/Worcester injection and a salt/pepper/garlic powder dry rub.

I went with the BJs peanut oil which was a mix of peanut and vegetable oil. It was very easy to work with and a cheaper alternative.

The oil held up great as we cooked three turkeys yesterday (one for us and two for neighbors) and i plan to do chicken wings in the same oil for football sometime soon.
Btw what temp did you fry at?
 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT