Breaking in the new fish fryer

SpurgeonH

Active member
I've cooked bacon a couple of mornings this week (on the stove) in my new Sportsman fryer, but this is the first time to use it for what it was designed for ... Frying fish on the Sportman's grill. The fryer has significant pitting, I've got my fingers crossed the pits will fill in with oil from all of the fish I plan on frying.

First up: hush puppies. (Lesson learned with the fryer. I got the oil too hot and the hushpuppies were burned on the outside by the time they were done of the inside. They still tasted good!)

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Then I threw 3 flounder filets and 2 catfish filets in there ...

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Then, while the fish were sitting for a couple of minutes, I threw some squash on there ...

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I also made some potatoes (in the oven) ... (This is actually a picture from earlier this week. It's a new recipe and I liked it so much, I made it twice this week!)

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Thanks. I learned a couple of lessons.

It doesn't take as many coals as I thought it would to heat the fryer. The oil was too hot and I had to finish the hushpuppies in the oven because they were getting burned on the outside and the inside was not getting done. It worked okay because I had to give the potatoes a few more minutes anyway.

I also learned something about my usual beer consumption while grilling.. I don't drink often. My alcohol consumption is pretty much limited to a beer or two when I'm grilling. (Although I prefer a Maker's Mark - neat) The problem tonight was, the grill took longer to heat up than my gas grill, which increased the available drinking time, which meant several beers instead of one, which means my head is buzzing now when it shouldn't be.
 
Good job on using the fryer and having the brews! I have the deep fryer, but have only ever used it on a coleman 2 burner stove. Easier to control the temp of the oil. I gifted my Sportsman grill to my nephew several years ago. The deep fryer with lid was passed down to me when my Dad passed 20 years ago and he had it for 20 years before that. There's been a heap of hush puppies and fish cooked in that thing.
 
Hey, Spurgeon, cool on the cooking, but watch the beer--stuff sneaks up on you! A lovely use of the CI--may all your hush puppies come out great in future! Thanks for sharing!
 
Well done on the Sportsmans Grill. That's on my bucket list of things to acquire, but the ones I've seen were out of the state AND too expensive.

Enjoy,
Steve
 
Steve, I bought mine new. I got it from a Cabella's which is about 40 minutes from my house. At the register, I mentioned to the checkout girl that I was too impatient to order it from Walmart online even though it was cheaper there. She said, "we will price match with Walmart." I didn't expect that! And wasn't even asking them to. Anyway, they matched the price of $86.

I've also seen them for $69.99 online, but I had never heard of the company selling them. The last time I checked, that deal was gone.
 
Spurgeon, thanks so much for the added info. about obtaining the Sportsmans Grill. Hubby's BD is coming up soon, and it just occurred to me that he would have great fun with that. So far our only "grill" is an old hibachi--which works--but...you know;) The Grill would sure be better! By the way, if I ever made it as far from home as Georgia, I'd have to drop in on you and Hilditch--might never make it north again after all the yummy food. Thanks to both of you for the sharing and the good ideas!
 
Steve, I bought mine new. I got it from a Cabella's which is about 40 minutes from my house. At the register, I mentioned to the checkout girl that I was too impatient to order it from Walmart online even though it was cheaper there. She said, "we will price match with Walmart." I didn't expect that! And wasn't even asking them to. Anyway, they matched the price of $86.

I've also seen them for $69.99 online, but I had never heard of the company selling them. The last time I checked, that deal was gone.

Thanks for the point-out on Walmart, and Cabela's! Both have gotten plenty of my $$ over the years, and I think I have a Cabela's gift card hanging around.

I'd prefer to find a BSR one, but practicality may trump sentimentality on this one...

Thanks again,
Steve
 
Looks fabulous! I was worried my grandmother’s fish fryer wouldn’t fit on my new Sportsman because of the edge ridges on the grill top. 👍
 
First up: hush puppies. (Lesson learned with the fryer. I got the oil too hot and the hushpuppies were burned on the outside by the time they were done of the inside. They still tasted good!)

When the wife and I pan fry fish we make fritters instead of the thicker hushpuppy. They look like little pancakes and cook evenly. Flip them like pancakes in the oil and you have an even cook.
 
What oil did you use and what did you do with it after cooking? Looks neat, but a healthy oil like olive oil woukd be expensive if you pitch after each use. If using an electric conventional deep fryer, it is easy to store with oil left in it. I have the sportsman grill as well and its great, but it alone is a lot of work let alone the cleanup from a fryer like that. Great job though!
 
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