Turkey fryer/crawfish cooker question

[Rag]

Looking to pick up an outdoor fryer.
I'm thinking 30 qt is an ok size for turkey frying and shrimp/crawfish boils.
Is a 10 psi gas set up produce enough heat?
Or should it be a 30 psi rig?
I don't want to kill the temp when dropping food in the oil, and not have enough btu to bring it back quickly.
Stainless or Aluminum?
Recommended brand?
Thanks for the help.

 

[Thatgrimguy]

You will definitely want 30psi. I use a Bayou Cooker for crawfish. We do about 5 - 10 boils a year. And I fry one turkey every thanksgiving.

I have an aluminum 120 quart pot that works great, never wished for a larger one. Would never consider a smaller one. I would at least look at the 60 quart. 30 quart wouldn't make a dent in crawfish.

Bayou cooker makes a great product, I'm sure plenty others do too.

 

[mytmouz]

You will definitely want 30psi. I use a Bayou Cooker for crawfish. We do about 5 - 10 boils a year. And I fry one turkey every thanksgiving.

I have an aluminum 120 quart pot that works great, never wished for a larger one. Would never consider a smaller one. I would at least look at the 60 quart. 30 quart wouldn't make a dent in crawfish.

Bayou cooker makes a great product, I'm sure plenty others do too.

Same here, but I don't have anything larger than the 60. I used to do a LOT of boils of various kinds and usually had 3 going at the same time. Their distribution warehouse is close to me, the have some killer scratch and dent deals usually, but the never had anything larger than the 60 when I went, but the drive is a tad far for the original poster....

 

[STCL01]

You will want the larger psi. I'd consider getting separate pots for boiling and frying. You might want the larger pot for the boil... cause bugs go fast if you have the right crowd. You might not want to fill that larger pot with oil for frying because of the cost. I'd go stainless because it just cleans up easier.

 

[Rag]

I knew the right guys were out there and would help me. Thanks

So, it will be stainless and 30 psi Bayou.

What is a good size for turkeys? I'm thinking of a 30 qt.

I don't have access to 30 pound bags of crawdads, so a single pot would work for me.

Boils would more often be clams, crab, corn....

 

[Swine Spectator]

I think you need two separate pots. I have a 100 qt that I use for boiling on a 260K BTU jet burner. I holds a 50 lb sack of crawfish and fixin's with room to spare.

I don't fry turkeys anymore since I started smoking them, but they make special pots for that purpose that minimize the amount of oil you need. Peanut oil costs more than the turkey. When I used to fry, we would get 3-4 families together to split the cost of the oil and fry them one after the other at somebody's house.

I think the jet burner is a bit much for frying. I use a 160K BTU high pressure cast iron burner for frying fish, shrimp, and chicken. I am looking for a heavy duty fry pot in the 10-12 quart size, but having a hard time. Everything I find is so flimsy and lightweight.

David
The Swine Spectator

 

[yakdung]

I have an 80qt with a stainless 30psi jet burner. Jet burner is the only way to go IMHO

 

[IamMadMan]

My wing and turkey fryers are 30psi burners that heat things up in a reasonable amount of time.

 

[eddieh70301]

Definitely go with two pots. As Swine said, too big a pot will cost a fortune for oil to fry. Get a turkey fryer for that purpose. The 36 qt cooker would probably be enough for you since you said no large boils.
I never was a big fan of fried turkey-too much of a hassle. I just smoke them now as my family prefer smoked vs fried.
You may want to look into an infrared turkey cooker. I find those cookers work better than actually frying. It's healthier and cheaper as no oil is needed.

If you buy a pot and burner set up, make sure to get an adjustable regulator. The preset ones are junk.