Larry,
I'm a little burnt-out on eating Turkey right now after doing so for the past 4 days, but I'm actually anxious to try it again without all the pressure of having it done at a particular time, etc. so that I can taste it juicy and all. I think my big mistake was holding it in the unit rather than doing what you did and wrapping it and resting it in the cooler. Next time!
Sconnie,
I was skeptical about the oil-less "fryer" until I tried it myself last Thursday. My wife actually bought it for me last Christmas and this was the first time I used it. It is a Char-Broil "Big Easy" unit. It connects to your propane tank and cooks ("fries") via infrared. I prepared the turkey the same as I've done over the past 15+ years I have deep fried them just so I could give an "apples-to-apples" taste test. Once the turkey is thawed, I apply some oil to the outside to work as a binder and then cover with a home-made rub. I let it rest in the fridge for a few hours to let the rub do its magic, then its into the fryer. I've injected birds in the past but haven't for the last several years. I've never brined a bird before my smoking experience this year.
To cook the turkey, you simply stand the bird leg-side-down in a wire basket and lower into the cooking chamber. The turkey cooks at 8-10 minutes/pound, so check it with a meat thermometer at 8 min/pound to see how close it is to 165. The last 15 minutes, a wire screen is placed overtop the chamber to brown the top of the bird.
The result was amazing: just about as crispy (but not quite) as my truly deep-fried birds of the past with the same juiciness and flavor. And the best....no messy oil to clean up afterwards. The unit is cool in 15 minutes, cleaned easily, and put away with no fuss or muss. I'll likely never deep fry another. The cost of the unit isn't too hateful either. I think Lowes Home Improvement store sells them for around $80. I'll save that in peanut oil in 2 years of use!
