The Thanksgiving festivities at James' house went well. I think I had the turkey in the oil just a little too long, but all in all it turned out fine. The stuffing was good, the gravy turned out all right, and the masses of food brought by other folks was all excellent. Here are some pics of the deep-fryin' process. Clicking on the thumbnail will open a larger version of the picture.

The setup: a large pot, a propane burner, and a thermometer to measure oil temp. I was able to mooch from my folks as they're in Arizona and they left the necessary equipment at home in Washington.

Step 1: Get the oil to 350 degrees farenheit. I got it higher, when the turkey gets put into the oil, the temp goes down. This was just about right to settle the temp at 350.

Step 2: You need a turkey. Note the apparatus the turkey is on, also note that the cavity is facing up, not down.

Step 3: Lower the turkey SLOWLY into the heated oil. Take your time, there's no reason to rush this step.

Step 4: Nibble on some more of James Van Noord's fabulous cheese-ball.

Step 5: After appropriate frying time (3 minutes per pound) remove turkey from oil.

Step 6: Check temperature. The bird should be at 160 degrees farenheit.

Step 7: Bring bird inside, let it sit for 10-15 minutes, and then carve it up.

More photos from the day (including Vincent Setterholm preparing Creme Brulee!) are online at my photo site.