Product Review: Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-less Fryer

When Char-Broil first introduced the the The Big Easy Oil-Less Infrared Turkey Fryer I have to admit I was skeptical that you could fry things without oil.  I’ve see many “low fat” recipes that call for “oven frying.”  And have never been all that fond of any frying technique that didn’t include some type of oil or fat.  Let’s be realistic here, flavor comes from that oil or fat and flavor is what food is all about.  Isn’t it?  So, when I got the chance to give the Big Easy a try I jumped at it.

The Big Easy requires some assembly and it wasn’t all that difficult to put together.  It would have been a great deal easier if the cooking basket, which requires removal for assembly, had not wedged underneath the top lid so it wouldn’t come out.  I had to remove the four screws that held on the top rim.  A step that isn’t supposed to be required.  Either a better system of packaging or a note that this might happen would keep people from trying to get the round basket through a hole that’s to small.  A minor inconvenience, but it did add about 10 minutes to the assembly time.  Other than that small mishap the Big Easy it was simple to assemble.  Very few people should have problems with this process.

Just like most other outdoor cooking devices the Big Easy requires a little seasoning.   After hooking up your propane tank you need to coat the cooking pot and roasting basket with a thin coating of oil and heat it for about 15 minutes.  This step is essential to getting an even cook the first time.  Over time the cooking pot will season even more making cooking even better.

My first cook on the Big Easy was a simple fried chicken.  After brining the chicken I let it dry and brushed it all over with olive oil.  I used a “beer can” chicken holder to center the chicken inside the roasting basket and inserted the whole thing into the Big Easy

The chicken took about 45 minutes to reach the desire 165 degrees.  The chicken was then rested for 15 minutes, sliced and eaten.  As you can see I only thought I coated the whole chicken with olive oil.  I missed the botton of the bird where you can see it didn’t brown as well as the top.

The chicken was amazing.  The skin was “bite through” and tasted very much like it had been fried in oil.   I’m very excited about adding this product to my outdoor cooking arsenal.  By reading the Char-Broil website you can see the Big Easy is very versatile.  From vegetables, to chicken/turkey to pork loins.  Lots of options and you’ll be seeing much more about the Big Easy here at the BBQ Grail.

A couple of negatives other than the assemble problem.  The thermometer doesn’t appear to be all that good, I’d recommend either a digital probe thermometer or an upgraded oven thermometer.  And getting the chicken in and out of the roasting basket was a challenge.  The optional hinged roasting basket is a must in my opinion.

But those are minor inconveniences when compared to the awesome food this “fryer” can help you produce.

You can read more about the Big Easy here.