Oven roast turkey or deep fried? It's the $64,000 question because that's the average amount of damage done to the house when the "deep fried turkey plan" goes horribly wrong! I like the deep fried. Juiciest turkey ever, and done in a half hour. What's your preference?

Oven Roasted, or smoked on the BBQ

My brother-in-law deep fries the turkey, and my sister bakes the ham.
It's the best of both worlds. Mmmmm~.

Smoked!!

How do you deep fry a turkey?


And JamieD must have big lips if she can smoke one?

With a big pot and a propane burner:


Of course, there can be problems:

How do you deep fry a turkey?
One would hope carefully, but alas and alack about 15 houses burn down every year due to deep fried turkeys.  See - and it's pretty obvious when one thinks upon it - in order to fry a turkey you need a hella lot of oil.  Lots.  More oil than most people are used to dealing with.  Lots more.  And oil upon being heated to the temperature that is needed to deep fry a turkey has - shall we say - a certain 'explosive' quality in certain conditions.  And my guess is that frequently what happens is there is still ice/water in the bird when it's slipped in and whamo.  Or - because this is more oil than your used to using, and since you have to it outside, its' being heated in a way that harder to monitor than the kitchen stove and it just gets way too hot over an open flame.  Good eats and holiday horror stories.

Anyway, just like you deep fry a doughnut but in a much bigger pot with a lot more oil, and for a longer time.  It does taste fantastic (and really, what doesn't taste fabulous deep fried?), outside skin very crunchy, meat under hot and moist - yummo.  I'm a big fan of the Webber Turkey myself, slow smokin' on the the BBQ all morning and afternoon out on the deck - Cali/Southern/Southwest Style.  Lots of ways to smoke and rub it and baste it and the dome of the Webber cooks the top of the turkey perfect.  Also yummo.

I have to admit I've never heard of it before this thread!

We do lots a BBQ smoking cooking but I was lost for the concept of a whole turkey in a big cauldron of oil.

I'm sure it would taste great as I love fried chicken, but I do that at a breast at a time. The whole 3 kg turkey! Whow.

And yes as you say if there is any water present it must be horrendous as far as burns and accidents can happen.

I've learned something, thank you all. But I think I'll roast mine at Christmas.

An addition .

USA people seem to love mashed potatoes with their chickens or turkey.

I was told by my mother in law (90) and my wife who are both in nursing homes (and from the USA originally)  that if I serve up mashed potato at Christmas that  I will not require SRS as they will do it themselves.

They are both on 'soft' diets so everything is mashed potato based. I had to laugh when MiL was given a pizza and the base was replaced with mashed potato.

Too much of a bad thing?

I've always liked that in the American way Thanksgiving came so close to Xmas.  The turkey is out of the way early in the season and the decks are clear for a more choice driven Xmas food table.  Like Salmon or crab (both are in season right now), or the standby Christmas Ham - or some years I've done Prime Rib and Yorkshire Pudding which is a nice change.  Its' also an excellent day to go out and eat Chinese or get it to go.  We've done that a few times, got a huge Chinese to-go deal and went out to the Coast and had a Xmas Picnic warming up the food in the fire pit or on the BBQ.

The rules are:
1 Outdoors only.
2 Use a thermometer to monitor the oil temperature.
3 Wear gloves and SLOWLY lower the turkey into the oil.
No kids, drunks, or dogs allowed within ten feet of the apparatus.

Quote from: tekla on November 24, 2012, 07:37:24 AM
I've always liked that in the American way Thanksgiving came so close to Xmas.  The turkey is out of the way early in the season and the decks are clear for a more choice driven Xmas food table.  Like Salmon or crab (both are in season right now), or the standby Christmas Ham - or some years I've done Prime Rib and Yorkshire Pudding which is a nice change.  Its' also an excellent day to go out and eat Chinese or get it to go.  We've done that a few times, got a huge Chinese to-go deal and went out to the Coast and had a Xmas Picnic warming up the food in the fire pit or on the BBQ.

I think you in LA and Australians are similar, we have Christmas cards with snow etc and 'warm' thoughts. Geex it's 34C here. Seafood and salads are the way to go and eating outside with the kids playing in the pool. Many of us have a picnic at the beach. Some are really funny, get dressed up in vintage clothes and have turkey etc as a hot meal at the beach. The idea of a hot meal is very UK & Irish immigrant driven. We now are far more Asian mixed and their food is out there and great. But I have to say I'm not PC as I think it is fun to celebrate festivals from every culture and not hide them so as to not offend. Hells Bells the more Festivals the better. Any excuse for a celebration is good for me.

Quote from: Devlyn Marie on November 24, 2012, 07:38:35 AM
The rules are:
1 Outdoors only.
2 Use a thermometer to monitor the oil temperature.
3 Wear gloves and SLOWLY lower the turkey into the oil.
No kids, drunks, or dogs allowed within ten feet of the apparatus.

Rules out Australians 

I would rather go someplace where someone else makes the turkey.

I have not tried deep fried turkey.