I want to smoke AND fry a turkey - need some help on picking the pot/setup.

[realdocBBQ]

I am thinking next weekend (Dec 13-15) I want to try to smoke and then fry a turkey.

I have a burner.

I need a pot, a stand/lifting hook and ideally maybe a basket, too, for fries/chips or things on other frying/boiling occasions.

What size pot is best in your turkey frying experience for accommodating different sized birds? I can't imagine needing to go over 20lbs. If I need more than that, these things cook quick enough, I'll just do 2 birds, I think. Measuring in quarts, ok, 32qt, 36qt, 40qt, 50qt... I dunno. I would like to get stainless and still be able to use it on my induction cooktop inside if I want to, for boiling, for soups, etc. So, no aluminum, I don't think - unless someone here can convince me of the absolute superiority of an aluminum stock pot - in any other way except weight, I don't care about that. Stainless should hold heat better, as well.

What works better in your experience for turkey, the stand and hook, or putting it in a basket? I could use a basket alone and save the need to buy the stand/hook, but I worry about rub coming off on the insides of the basket before it's lowered into the oil. Not sure if this is a significant consideration or not.

Narrower and taller pot means less oil needed to submerge a large bird to a certain depth. Also if frying fries, chips, etc., I don't need 5 gallons of oil to get it deep enough. But, too narrow and my bird size is limited. What is the best compromise in your opinion? 13" dia, 15" dia, something else?


Essentially what size/diameter pots have you used for frying turkeys, which lifting/containment method and what do you like/dislike about them? What pitfalls should I look for in purchasing a pot? Should I get one of the 'all in one' kits with a pot, a stand and lifting hook, a basket and other goodies I don't need. They're packaging these with gloves, with injectors, with thermometers, etc.


Oh yeah! Have you used wired thermometers for the oil and for the bird? Like Fireboard probes and the like? I know some of the true wireless ones will work, but I haven't invested in a Pulse or RFX or Combustion yet, so I'd be using my wired probes, if anything. Not sure if submerging them beyond the probe joint in hot oil will work or not.

I'm not in a dreadful hurry, but prolly need to order in this week for sure.

Appreciate any help, I've never done this before, and I'm excited to try it out.

[TripleB]

Did it once many years ago, so not much help. But looking forward to the pics and process.

[realdocBBQ]

I'm excited about it. Something new I haven't done before, and I like the idea of having a cooking setup for other things like large frying events, big batches of soup or stew, seafood boils, etc.

[TripleB]

realdocBBQ Yes, that is good planning. I have a very large pot and burner and have done Crawfish boils (35 lbs at a time). A lot of fun and a big crowd pleaser. Also for steaming Dungeness and King crab. Yum, Yum.

[Oak Smoke]

This is what I bought. I would do it again in a heart beat. It does an excellent job, is much safer, does more than just fry, and is easy to clean. It is the same as the Butterball fryer, it just has the real manufacturers name on it. You can use this one in the garage. If you follow the instructions it’s a joy to use.

[realdocBBQ]

Awww, you're a spoilsport! Tryin'a make things all easy, safe and sensible! What's wrong with you?? This is The Pit! lol

There's a reason I want an oil-based deep frying setup at the moment, though... and much much larger capacity, as well.

[jfmorris]

Most of the propane turkey fryer kits have an aluminum 7 (ish) gallon pot included. I had one of those for 20 years until recently giving it away, but only used the pot for making beer when I first started that hobby.

Looking at Bayou Classic, who makes a lot of this type of equipment, I see this:

https://www.bayouclassic.com/products/32-quart-stainless-steel-turkey-fryer-kit

That is a 32 quart or 8 gallon pot with a capacity to do UP TO an 18 pound turkey. To go up to 25 pounds, they refer you to their 42 and 44 quart sized pots.

I picked my 7 gallon (28 quarts) on the side of the road with a burner, so cost was FREE! I gave it away this year to get it out of here...

Here is a list of various sized pots and such that they sell:

https://www.bayouclassic.com/collections/turkey-frying-gear

I am sure it is all much cheaper on Amazon, or at your local Walmart. A lot of that stuff goes on clearance after Thanksgiving at the local stores, as they don't want to return it, and don't want to stock it until next November.

For limited use, I would go with the cheaper aluminum pots in this size range. Mine was aluminum. Stainless costs about twice as much.

[BruceB]

Something I've never understood about the deep-frying thing for turkeys and such -

What do you do with the used gallons of oil? Is it a one-and-done thing, or if not, how does it get cleaned and stored for possible re-use? I'm sure my sewer district isn't going to want to see it coming down the pipe, and pouring it out on the ground doesn't seem like an eco-friendly thing to do.

Seems like a lot of bother for the annual or even semi-annual turkey!

[captainlee]

That is the problem. You can filter it and store it again for another use, but you can't keep the oil forever. I don't know the time period. We fried one this year, nobody wanted the leftover oil so out in the trash it went. I believe the kids got it at Costco for around $60 , total waste. I wouldn't do it again unless there was a commitment for re-use.

[jfmorris]

The only person I know who deep fries turkeys filters his oil and puts the jugs in his garage deep freeze until the next time, and uses it for several years that way. I don’t have freezer space to devote to 3-4 gallons of oil.

[captainlee]

Agree, I would keep it in the garage like if i was going to do something with it for the Super Bowl or something. As of now I had no plans for anything.

[Allon]

If your buying a pot, get the largest size you need. Smaller items will still fit but you're ready for the big meal.

A basket and turkey / chicken scewer setup like Oklahoma Joe's are just made f..r smoking and deep frying. The basket will keep unruly small items better organized, but the Oklahoma Joe's scewer setup will handle cooker to fryer operation with ease. And, they are cheap money....

[Bad Hat BBQ]

My Bayou Classic works well....the fancier ones have a nozzle/spicket for draining.....that would be nice.
I rarely fry anymore....spatchcock & smoke is my go-to

[synodog]

I’ve done deep fried turkey for a long time. Finally stopped this year because I was tired of the cleanup and the oil containers were all broken enough I didn’t want to buy more containers or deal with it anymore.
the two pots I have are aluminum and I don’t have baskets just the stands although part of me wishes I had a basket to fry fish, french fries or wings.

I first used my BIL’s setup and we would fill the pot up with water and the turkey in it to gauge where to fill the pot to after removing the turkey. I then bought my own setup and the pot had its own markers for different sized turkeys. It was pretty accurate for the most part.

we used the long candy maker thermometers to check the oil temp (325 - 350 was the target oil temp to put the turkey in) and all the instructions say 3 and a half minutes per pound and that hasn’t steered us wrong in the time we’ve done it. I don’t think the wired probes will take too kindly being submerged in the oil but maybe they will.

this year I did the oil-less char broil fried turkey and while it isn’t deep fried it still was good.

[PGH_RAM]

I don't know about other brands, but ThermoWorks recommends against submersing their wired probes. The RFX, on the other hand, is fully submersible and rated up to 1000F. They specifically say it can be used for deep frying.

[realdocBBQ]

I was hoping to get an answer from Fireboard on their Pulse - if it is submersible, I will probably go that route, as I am already invested in their ecosystem. If not, I'll need to decide between RFX and Combustion, Inc.