"I've done it a few times and every time I swear it'll be the last." This according to Steve Nubie, an author who explores turkey frying adventures in his new book, Real Men Eat Meat.
"You have to wonder when the cost of the oil to fry the turkey is twice as much as the bird"
That hasn't discouraged Nubie from thinking about it again this year. "Right now, that's all I'm doing. Thinking about it. I've had my share of close calls and I'm just not sure if I want to do it again."
The origins of turkey frying are not clear although many believe it originated in the south.
"I don't know who figured this out but if you don't have the right equipment and follow some critical steps I guarantee you will never do this again."
The critical steps Nubie alludes to are what usually cause most of the problems with this medieval cooking method. "It's all about the oil. You have to put the bird in the pot and add enough water to just cover the bird with plenty of head room left in the pot. You take the bird out and mark the water level on the stick. Dump out the water. Dry the pot and add the oil to the line on your stick and you got a 50/50 chance of surviving this thing."
But it's not just about the oil according to Nubie. It's the bird too. "14 to 15 pounds is about tops for any turkey you want to fry. The most important thing is to make sure it's totally thawed and dry inside and out. It's the moisture in the bird that makes the oil bubble up and boil over. If that hot oil hits the flame there's not much you can do except run away and call the fire department."
One of the reasons some people still attempt this has to do with the short cooking time.
"Yeah, it's done in a little under an hour. But taking the bird out of the pot is just as delicate and dangerous as putting it in. My advice is to remember to shut the flame off before you pull the bird. Once that flames out it's possible you're only problem is figuring out what to do with a few gallons of leftover oil."
Nubie covers turkey frying in more detail in his book, Real Men Eat Meat. "It's one of the early chapters." Nubie said. "In fact, you can download the first half of the book for free at www.smashwords.com and that chapter is one of the free ones. Just go to smashwords.com and search for Real Men Eat Meat and then they'll tell you how to do the download."
So is Nubie going to do the turkey fry again this year? "My advice is don't do it. Whether or not I follow my own advice remains to be seen."
Real Men Eat Meat is available online at:
https://www.smashwords.com/
and at www.Amazon.com
