What all the fuss is about

Of all the ways to prepare a holiday bird, it has the highest rate of failure.

There is serious risk to life and property in undertaking such a venture.

But the payoff is so worth it. Seriously...when was the last time you ate a turkey and willingly went back for seconds?

After educating himself on the finer points of turkey frying under the tutelage of Alton Brown of Good Eats, Justin built his turkey pulley system, cleared some snow and staged our cooker a safe distance from the house, then carefully lowered a 10 pound bird into a pot of hot oil. Forty minutes later, he pulled out a fried-to-perfection, deliciously moist turkey that is the best holiday bird I've ever eaten.

Combine turkey frying with my family's long-standing tradition of cooking the big meal on Christmas Eve so mom doesn't spend Christmas day in the kitchen, and we've got ourselves a holiday tradition worth repeating.