How To Make A Derrick For Turkey Frying

Every year someone ruins a perfectly good Thanksgiving turkey with improper (and potentially unsafe) fryer usage. Such a shame! But, you could always build a homemade derrick! Most people are familiar with oil derricks, and here we have another kind of “oil” derrick known as a fry derrick.

Alton Brown shows us how to make one via Youtube video using an eight-step ladder (fiberglass recommended, but not necessary), a 2 inch swivel pulley, a 2 inch eye hook pulley, a 3 inch spring link, 2 cable ties in the 11″-15″ range, a 6 inch window shade cleat with the appropriate fastening hardware for your type of ladder, cotton sash cord, a screwdriver and a drill. He warns that

“failure to the instructions provided could result in fire or explosion, which could cause property damage, personal injury, or death; not to mention ruin a perfectly good turkey.”