Chet The Dog

Talkin’ Turkey

Some questions about deep-frying, Bernie says. Here’s how he does it. First, you have to have the pot and burner, plus a propane tank, the same as you’d use for a barbecue. The pot and burner aren’t expensive, Bernie says he got ours at a big box store beginning with W. Then you have to have the bird. Eighteen pounds or so is about the limit for the pot size normally seen.

The night before you can inject marinade (there are a zillion recipes, he says) and season the outside. Forgot to mention the frame thing you stick the bird on – that comes with the pot, and so does the thermometer. On Thansgiving Day, pour enough peanut oil (very important, Bernie says, because it can get to a high temperature without burning) in the pot so that when the bird goes in it will be just fully covered. (Don’t forget about displacement, whatever that is.) Heat the oil to about 350F. Then, gently, gently, gently, lower the bird into the hot oil. No splashing! Forgot to mention – this is all happening outside, like on the patio or in the driveway. Put the lid on. Lid has a little hole for the thermometer. Keep the temp between 325 and 350. As for the timing: three and a half minutes per pound. So, for example, a 15 pounder – 53-53 minutes. So this is fast! Got a lot of guests? Do a second one right after!

When it’s done, remove carefully, allow to drip off, put on platter, remove frame, let it sit for not long, then get out the carving knife. Any stuffing has to be made separately! The meat is always moist, never oily. We don’t eat the skin (meaning Bernie doesn’t. I do what I can when I can).

As for the results of the German trailer contest, Bernie thinks it ends Nov. 14 so we should know soon after. Someone’s going to tell us, right?

Tags: Bernie, Thanksgiving, turkey

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 7:53 am and is filed under Chet The Dog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.