At a TGD gathering yesterday, the host was using one to cook one of two turkeys. A few glitches and technical difficulties later, I actually got to see it in action. It was a Char-Broil Big Easy "Infrared" Turkey Fryer. It basically has a ring propane burner between the inner and outer chambers. The inner chamber gets very hot and radiates heat inward 360 degrees. At first it didn't seem to want to light or stay lit, but when it finally worked, it seemed to work great. After the fact, I learned that it had just been purchased and assembled that day, and they couldn't figure out where a part called a heat shield went. I looked it up later online, and I think that that was the problem. I don't know if I would pay $139 for one, but for the deal they got, I might consider it-- $89 on sale, and another $50 off for opening a HD credit card account. You can see it here:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obi...N/B001HBI7D8/tvwb-20

Drippings fall through a hole in the inner chamber bottom to a pan in a drawer underneath. And yes, there is no real cover, only a chromed grate. I'm not sure if the technology can actually be termed infrared, nor if it can technically be called a fryer, either.

My Aunt has one and swears by it. But alas, she has not cooked one for me, so I can not truly attest to the quality.

Doug, here's a guy that was cooking on one a couple years back and looks like it comes out great!

Big Easy w/Mike Hedrick

folks on another bbq list that have it love it. i plan on getting one if i can get it cheap. i already have a oil frier, its just to much trouble.

I looked at all the videos about it on the Char-Broil site, and was impressed that the emphasis, time and again, was that "it's done when it's done", by temp and not time. (Somebody should tell Mike Hedrick to pull his turkey at 158-160 next time.) It also appears that Char-Broil is somewhat committed to the product, as there are a few accessories for it that make it even more versatile. They say it's not just for poultry, that it's good for beef roasts, etc. I also believe there are instructions for using chips to add smoke.

Thanks guys for this post and for making me find out about this product.

I was reading up on it online for a bit and i found out there is a new version out in link below .

It looks like i found my next "want to get" BBQ item to add to my cooking tools

It looks like a nice product and dont mind giving this a try when i have the money.

Now, if i can only find a sale on this instead of the $199 regular price, that would be great.

http://www.charbroil.com/Consu...x?ProductSeriesID=95

quote:

Originally posted by Doug D:
(Somebody should tell Mike Hedrick to pull his turkey at 158-160 next time.)

LOL! I agree Doug, when I was watching the videos I heard that and was like WOW.......

I like it! You could cook a bunch of diff stuff in there. Thanks for posting this Doug.

Please jump on me and correct me if I'm wrong here but isn't that just a portable oven?

My oven is fired by natural gas. The burner is on the bottom under a heat plate. So wouldn't that be the same type of heat, just coming up instead of all the way around?

Just doesn't look dangerous enough to be any real fun

Cost effective in the long run though, no oil to buy.

One of the guys I work with has one. He got it instead of a regular fryer and loves it.

If there is no oil wouldn't that be about the same as cooking a turkey in a convection oven? It would just be radiant heat at that point.

I have the smaller unit that will do a 16lb turkey.

Cons:
The turkey does not come out like a deep fried turkey.

Pros:
You rub the skin with oil (i use peanut oil) salt pepper and put it into the unit cold and turn it on. Turkey was done in two hours.
The turkey had a crispy skin and was very moist including the breast.
There is a drip pan and you can use the drippings to make the gravy(Can not do that with a deep fryer)
No cost in cooking oil and no hassle with clean-up. The inside of the fryer is removable and is easy to clean.

Overall I am very pleased with the unit.

Modification:

I am thinking of adding a 3-4 inch flexible duct to my WSM and attach it along side the drip pan. Smoke turkey with crisp skin!