'Doctored-up' Ragu

If it's the night before the Super Bowl you can be sure of one thing...
There are turkeys being deep-fried at my friend Roy's house.

The concept is pretty simple. You bring a turkey and some GOOD beer. There is a pot of boiling oil provided in which to deep-fry your turkey as you consume some of your or someone else's beer. Tonight's was the 8th annual event. I am happy to say I have been there since the beginning and it's now graduated to two burners designated as 'old pot' and 'new pot.'

The logic that created it is pretty simple, too. My friend Roy is a home-brewer of fine beers. As such he has the 'technology' to heat large amounts of liquid in a short amount of time. A propane 'jet' and a LARGE pot. He decided years ago he wanted to use them to deep fry a turkey; which he did.

He enjoyed the turkey very much but thought it was a lot of trouble for just one bird. He thought, 'When is a time when people might want to cook a turkey?' The Super Bowl. He decided that if he was going through all the set-up to deep-fry a turkey might as well do it when there might be some 'demand' and invite some friends. Deep-frying a turkey the night before the game would give people the chance to take a fine fried turkey to their Super Bowl parties the following day. It is really good turkey; was a really cool concept, too.

The event has now morphed into a neighborhood event for him. There is now a framed-canopy and two burners/two pots. It's not just his old friends anymore. People drop in all day, fry their birds, drink some beer and leave. The ever-changing crowd is very diverse. There are doctors and lawyers. There are electricians and Cable guys. Usually every one gets along just fine. It's always a great time.

This year a record total of 237 pounds of poultry were deep-fried in the two pots. WOO HOO!

Sorry to say, this year there was a bit of 'tension;' the result of a miscommunication. One of Roy's neighbors made Sauce and Meatballs for the event. Roy knew that he started with a 'base sauce' of Ragu to which he added freshly roasted garlic, bay leaves and other stuff to make one kickin' sauce for the meatballs. One of the other guests must have said something to him about how good the sauce was for being 'doctored-up Ragu.' The poor guy took offense. He was cold to Roy after that feeling he had 'slighted' his efforts; which he had NOT. He was misquoted/paraphrased. I thought it was funny; we did laugh about it. I am sure they will work it out.

Roy is meticulous with the details surrounding the cooking of the birds. He sets standards in his invite. 'You a guest and a turkey under fifteen pounds are invited to attend...' He sets standards for the beer you can bring, too. Nothing manufactured by Coor's, Anheuser-Busch, or other mass-producing piss-water makers. He records and calculates your bird's cooking time; assigns your pot and your place in line, too.

You do the work. Remove the gizzard/neck where it's stuffed in the cavity; place it on the patform/spit. You then don the 'heat gloves,' grab the hook and slowly lower the completely-thawed bird into the boiling peanut oil. You drink beer for the calculated amount of time, if not longer, and pull the cooked poultry from the oil. You wrap it up to take to enjoy with others. It's a party that keeps on giving.

A very cool concept, indeed.

Hope you all had fun today, too.