Coleman Turkey Fry Adventure

[Cruiserdrew]

Not suggesting you do this camping, but you could.....

So, I've never fried a turkey, but hundreds of ridiculous people on YouTube have, so my son and I had to give it a go. I'm here to report that 1) We ate the turkey and 2) We didn't burn down the house or the Mandarin Orange tree.

Coleman products used:
1) 426D Stove
2) 228F Lantern
3) Aluminum stove stand

Read on if you want the details, but it isn't for the feint of heart.

Like I said, I've never done this before so we needed something to support the turkey with. Some steel rod, a small 1/4 plate and some welding, and we had this:

I should mention the steel was cleaned, then seasoned with peanut oil just like cast iron, so the turkey would not stick to it. Worked great.


Here is the initial set-up, we wanted to lower the turkey in a controlled manner and we wanted some light. The line was tested with a weight to make sure it would drop centered on the pot. The weight in this case is a bike pedal that just broke on my commuter bike.

Frying a turkey uses a boat load of oil-in this case about 4 gallons in an 8 gallon pot.

Then waiting the 45 minutes for the 426 to get it up to 375 degrees.

Finally up to temp, and the turkey down:

Here you can see the turkey cooking, the oil thermometer, and the heat probe down in the turkey to tell us when it's done:

Everyone here likes a flame shot (or two):

Primary:

Secondary:

Surprisingly, it all worked to perfection:

To me, this is a goofy way to cook a turkey. It's dangerous, it consumes gallons of cooking oil, It takes at least 2 hours to get ready, and leaves you with a hot bunch of oil to clean up. And that's not to mention the disposal problems of the waste oil. The worst problem? NO GRAVY. Still it was fun, and we learned something.

On the Coleman end of things: The 426 can barely keep it up to temp even at full blast. A bit more heat would have been nice.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

Andrew, Unfortunately growing up in the south.. I have cooked many this way...100s to be exact.. I haven't in a long time though... Peanut oil is what we used and I have seen a lot of overflowing 400+ degree oil cause fires..

If I'm going to spend that kind of time... I'll just smoke now and fiddle with the cruisers at the same time..

Looks like it turned out well.

J

 

[spressomon]

Just drop in a vege oil burner in your 62, Andy: oil disposal problem solved

 

[JohnVee]

Andrew,
I applaud you for trying this method. Plus you did it with a Coleman! Did you have to refuel? Looks like you watched the Alton Brown video with the ladder. Where was your grease rated fire extinguisher, though?

Frying a turkey is a winner for me because of, among other things, the time savings. It takes the same amount of time to prep the bird and cooking apparatus as it does when using the oven, unless you rig a ladder and pulley. The big savings is in 45 minutes of cooking vs. 4+ hours in the oven. Not to mention the fact that it can be overcooked and still remain moist throughout.

I usually combine efforts with a few other people and we'll do 3 or 4 birds while the oil is going. Still takes less time than doing one in the oven.

The oil can be strained and reused so it's not necessarily a one-use-waste. Lasts even more uses if you avoid using a rub. My cook pot has a spigot near the bottom that helps a TON in clean up.

I've gotten to the point where the fryer only comes out once a year and I'll use it until I think the oil is shot. Works great for chickens, carnitas, the occasional vegetable...

I've smoked turkey parts in the past (loved it) and am planning on a whole bird sometime soon.

--john

 

[Cruiserdrew]

I could totally see it if you did like 3 turkeys. You're right-it's about 45 minutes of actual cooking, and the turkey is tasty. Just too much work for what you get.

Yep the ladder idea came from Alton, and I have to say, it took the anxiety out of the bird drop. I was worried about the oil and open flame thing but it all went well.

Did not have to refuel. Total full burn time was about 90 minutes, so we still had 1/2 tank left. Those 3 burners hold almost 1/2 gallon.

One of those big burners would have made a big difference.

 

[KLF]

I have one of those turkey fryer setups, burner, pot, accessories, etc. I got it for Christmas about 10 years ago. It's cooked exactly one turkey. But hundreds of lobsters, and I use the burner with my cast iron frying pan to do blackened catfish several times a year. Keeps the stink and smoke out of my kitchen.

I'm on the "too much trouble" side of this. The turkey was good, not amazing, and the prep was a PITA, not to mention getting rid of 4 gallons of oil. Ya, you can keep it to re-use, but it has to be kept refrigerated now. Who has that much room in their fridge? Turkey without gravy is just not right.

 

[JohnVee]

I was worried about the oil and open flame thing but it all went well.

You DID kill the flame when dropping the bird, right...?

It's also never been an issue for me by using two people and doing it over an approximate 60-count, going slower at first and faster at the end. Of course, remember to remove the wad of paper towels from the cavity first!

--john

 

[JohnVee]

I have one of those turkey fryer setups, burner, pot, accessories, etc. I got it for Christmas about 10 years ago. It's cooked exactly one turkey. But hundreds of lobsters, and I use the burner with my cast iron frying pan to do blackened catfish several times a year. Keeps the stink and smoke out of my kitchen.

I'm on the "too much trouble" side of this. The turkey was good, not amazing, and the prep was a PITA, not to mention getting rid of 4 gallons of oil. Ya, you can keep it to re-use, but it has to be kept refrigerated now. Who has that much room in their fridge? Turkey without gravy is just not right.

Yeah, I use mine for non-frying uses a lot, too.

I've not found a definitive answer on having to keep the oil refrigerated and I've not done it. Cool dark space in the basement or crawl space. I'd imagine you've got one of those in NH. Root cellar, maybe?

--john