Ah, but this year, I'll be doing curbside pickup. No in-person feasting! Phone first!
Q: What about food?
A: I provide the turkeys, both oven roasted and (generally more than two) deep fried, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. Anita will provide stuffing and sweet potatoes pie - and maybe more!
Q: What should I bring?
A: At the RSVP page, folks indicate what they are bringing, so we can avoid half-a-dozen people each bringing mashed potatoes :-)
And no, you really don't have to bring anything other than your sparkling personality. We *will* have more than enough food.
Q: What else goes on?
A: We have a hot tub, deck, two fireplaces, an outside play gym with two towers, etc. Enough to keep everyone entertained.
Q: Parking?
A: If you are early, park on the front lawn. Pull forward as far as you can onto the grass. Heck, park on the side of the house, although you will be staying a while... The ground beneath the lawn is very hard, so it won't matter, even if it is rainy.
Q: So what about this deep-fried turkey I hear about?
A: Deep-fried in 100% peanut oil (no trans fats here!) at 375F for 4 minutes per pound.
Q: More details!
A: Ok, but beware. Serious deep-fried geeking ahead...
Whether the turkey is fresh or previously frozen matters less than preparation and cooking.
When I use frozen, I make sure I buy it from a good store, as once the turkey is frozen, it needs to stay that way until *I* thaw it. I've tried most of the major turkey brands (Butterball, Jenny-O, etc) and found all turn out wonderfully juicy and tasty. Note that kosher turkeys are better for roasting, as they generally contain many more unplucked pin feathers. As many people like the uber crispy skin of the deep fried turkey, a fully naked turkey is best.
I'm very careful when I thaw my turkeys. At no time does the external skin temperature rise above 40F. Thawing a turkey via the fridge method can take upwards of 4 days. I use the "swaddling clothes" method to cut thaw time down to 48 hours. Note I do not use the cold water method. This leads to soggy, waterlogged turkeys - fine for roasting, but less optimal for deep frying.
Spread out towel. This will absorb the meltwater from the surface frost
Leave out on counter and flip every couple (breast side down, then up again) of hours until the frost on the turkey melts.
Add a large towel on top of the turkey. Continue rotating. Add more towels (increase thickness of towels) as the thawing continues. Alternatively, place the turkey in a cooler by itself.
Move to fridge for final thawing. If I can't watch the turkey at any time during this accelerated thawing, I'll move it into the fridge.
You will use about 30lbs of oil or 3.5 or so gallons. That works out well for me, since I use the 35lbs square containers. This will fill the pot approximately 50 to 60% full. Although I use peanut oil, regular deep-frying oil works just as well.
It takes the oil about an hour to heat up. If it's colder or windy outside, allow an extra 30 minutes. Start prepping the turkey(s). Wash them up, take out the neck, giblets, and gravy pack! Make sure there are no ice chunks left, either (this will cause steam explosions). Let drain, pat dry, and then coat with seasoned salt - I use Lowry's. Get a big plastic bag, add turkey and seasoned salt and shake, shake, shake.
That's it - I don't brine, inject, or do anything more fancy that coat in seasoned salt. Lots of seasoned salt. Don't worry, you can't over salt the turkey.
Then, into the hot oil. Don't let the oil get too hot before adding the turkey, or it will foam out. Gently lower it in. You are wearing jeans, long sleeves, and large leather gloves, right? Deep fried you is right out.
Leave the lid off enough so steam can escape. The oil temperature will drop to about 325F and slowly rise. Make sure it does not rise above 375F or the skin will cook too much.
Cook for 4 minutes per pound. Adjust time slightly based on temperature of oil at the end. If the oil makes it to 375F - done. If it doesn't rise above 350F, leave in for an extra 10-15 minutes.
Note, the exterior darkness of the bird does not necessarily reflect the level of doneness on the inside!
Take out, and let drain for a couple of minutes. Do a quick check and see if the thigh is done. If not, put it back in for 10 minutes. Otherwise, done!
Let's say you want to eat at 7pm:
3:00pm - *Two* days earlier, start thawing
3:20pm - Turn on Fryer
4:50pm - Cook
6:20pm - Cool Down
6:40pm - Carving
7:00pm - Serve
Store the oil inside, or at least move it inside a few days before. Otherwise it will congeal. In 2009, the oil came out the consistency of toothpaste. A little colder and I would have had to cut open the container.
After the first turkey, the smoke point of the oil will drop to about 375F, due to the introduction of turkey fat. Don't let the oil rise about 375F. It's not super critical, but as the temperature increases, more smoke will occur. I don't think this substantially affects the flavor if the turkey, but it's best to keep it under 375F.
If it is windy or very cold outside, build a metal heat shield around the burner and pot. Sheet metal works fine.
As long as the oil has not been overheated it can be reused for multiple turkeys. If you wish to save the oil until next year, pour back unto the plastic container, and place in the deep freezer. Me, I retire it after one year as I do several turkeys - I get my use out of the oil.
Faux-T-FAQ