My Blog

Steak and Potato A rainy day didn’t keep me away from the grill. Found a couple of beautiful ribeyes on sale and I had not had a good basic “Meat and Potato” meal in a while. Nothing fancy, just the ribeyes, baked potato and green beans. The ribeyes were hit with salt, pepper and a little Montreal Steak Seasoning and the green beans were sautéed with a tablespoon of bacon grease and a generous sprinkling of Old Bay seasoning mix. I was in Heaven. Pork Ribs & Bean Salad Every day that I am alive and kicking is worth celebrating. The 4th of July is an especially important day to celebrate. Nothing like some slow Smoked Pork Ribs and a cold summer Mexican Bean Salad. The Ribs were pork spare ribs cut St. Louis style. The ribs and the pieces cut off were all smoked at 270F for about 2.5 hours, then wrapped with a little brown sugar and apple juice and put back on the heat for another 2 hours. The Mexican Bean Salad was made the day before and allowed to chill in the refrigerator overnight. Deep Fried Turkey Waring Pro Rotisserie Turkey Fryer WhoooHooo....it’s that time of year again. Just got my brand new turkey fryer. Decided to do a test cook with it and make sure it lives up to all the hype...before I rely on it for those all important dinners coming up. This particular model is the Waring Pro TF200 Rotisserie Turkey Fryer and Steamer. (Besides being a Turkey Fryer, it can also be used as a steamer, so you can also have your very own Clam Bake in your backyard this summer). Prepping the Bird I started out with a 14.75 Lb. turkey, completely thawed and all “innards” (neck, giblets etc) removed. In the morning I gave it a good rinsing and pat dry. Then seasoned with some Lemon Pepper seasoning I had laying around. I then put the bird back into the refrigerator (uncovered) for several hours to dry naturally. This helps dry out the skin some, giving it crispier skin later on. About an hour before the cook, I took the bird out and allowed it to rest at room temperature. At this time I trussed it up nice and tight with kitchen string, tying the legs together and then the wings. I made sure the wing tips were snug against the body. This is a VERY important step. The bird is then mounted on the rotisserie. I thought mounting it on the rotisserie would be difficult for one person, however it only took me about 30 seconds. The rotisserie is then mounted on the cooking basket and spun to make sure it clears the basket on all sides. This is where a good trussing is very important. You then allow the bird to rest at room temperature while you prep the fryer. Prepping the Fryer While the bird is resting I filled the fryer with oil. You can use several different types of oil, although Peanut oil is preferred by most people** (see Tips below for information on choosing the right oil). What makes this fryer unique is that the bird sits on a Rotisserie and is cooked in the horizontal position as opposed to most fryers where the bird is lowered into the hot oil. Since the food is constantly rotating, you only need about 2.5 gallons of oil to cook it. Because of this you don’t run the risk of boiling oil overflowing the cooker as your lowering the bird in ( a tremendous safety advantage). Once the oil has heated to 375F, the basket with the bird is slowly lowered into the oil. The handles of the basket are spring loaded which prevent you from accidentally dropping the bird into the oil. Once down all the way, the gear on the rotisserie engages the motor gear. You simply flip the switch on the panel and away she goes...spinning slowly through the hot oil, cooking it on all sides. All Done... It’s that easy. No mess, no overflow, no fire danger. This 14.75 Lb bird took just shy of 60 minutes to cook. And cook it did. It came out crisp and juicy. I pulled her up, let her rest above the oil for a minute or so to allow excess oil to drip back into the cooker. Took the whole thing inside, removed the rotisserie and allowed it to cool for about 30 minutes. It was absolutely delicious. I immediately devoured the wings...hey, cooks treat. Tips When choosing the right oil for frying you need to find one with a high smoke point, such as Peanut, Canola, Corn, Sunflower etc. As a rule, vegetable-based oils have higher smoke points than animal-based fats like butter or lard. Although many people use Peanut oil I have found that Canola oil, while less expensive, will do just as well. Depending on what you are frying, the oil will be good for several cooks. The life of your oil is dependent on WHAT you are frying and how HOT you are frying it. Here is a good article on how cooking oils work and how to prolong the life of the oil (very good read). As I have said time and again...If you have never tried “Fried Turkey”, its time to get on the wagon and give it a shot. You will NOT be disappointed. I have found that I usually get more “usable” meat off of a fried bird then one that has roasted in its own juices for hours. You don’t get that “mushy” meat that you come across on the bottom of the bird. Now this doesn’t mean to give up your traditional method of cooking turkey, whether it be in a roaster, roasting bag or smoking. It just allows you to have another “tool in the arsenal”. Try it once and I think you’ll be convinced.

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