Turducken... A Good Idea?
Dad's very excited about having Turducken for Thanksgiving this year. While normally I'd think more meat is better than less, I'm not so sure a duck stuffed in a chicken stuffed in a turkey is the best thing to do...
Has anyone had any success with this? Or should i start thinking of lots of side dishes?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turducken
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11 Comments:
I've had a commerical one (mail ordered) and it was um ... not good. The meat most prone to overcooking (turkey breast) was on the outside of a very dense mass of meat. It got very dry while waiting for the duck meat in the center to cook.
Perhaps a well-done, hommade version is better but I don't see how it can work. Maybe borrow a page from the Bacon-Wrapped tukey recipe and cover the outside with something to keep the breast meat from drying out?
kjgibson at 1:33PM on 11/19/07
Cook's Illustrated tested some mail-order turduckens and as kjgibson said...they sucked. Or weren't worth the money.
Chef Paul Prudhomme has a detailed recipe accompanied by lots of photos.
Robyn Lee at 1:58PM on 11/19/07
On last night's rerun of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Guy went to the Alpine Steakhouse in Florida where they serve Turducken. In their recipe, the duck and chicken are butterflied boneless, then partially pre-cooked before the three birds are intertwined with a stuffing. Cooking time after assembly is still 12 hours at 200 degrees, and then a little bit more at 325 ... The from-scratch recipe they provided is at:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_85721,00.html
LunaPierCook at 2:39PM on 11/19/07
Last year I made a Turken....i.e. a Turducken sans the duck. I decided to do the scaled back version for a few reasons:
1. I was deboning the birds myself, so it would cut the prep time by 1/3.
2. The duck would have cost more than all the other ingredients combined.
3. I was smoking it on the grill, so the size would cook in the time available.
4. It was my first attempt at this oddity, so simpler was better.
In the end, I was quite happy with the results. I used Paul Prudhomme's technique & instructions...and for the most part, his Cajun sausage stuffing. I brined the boneless carcasses 48 hours before, then stuffed them the night before.
On Thanksgiving day I open roasted/smoked it with apple/hickory chips on the grill for approximately 7-8 hours.
It is the same concept as a stuffed rolled pork tenderloin, just much larger.
If you have or can find a good butcher, he or she will debone the turkey & chicken for you for a nominal fee...do a stuffed (deboned) chicken as a trial run.
If you want a challenge, and an interesting alternative to the traditional bird, this is fun project...It was something I had always wanted to do, and while it may be quite a few years before I do another one, It was worth the effort to have done it at least once.
2qrs at 2:45PM on 11/19/07
oops...
Here's the link to prudhomme's recipes & instructions:
http://www.chefpaul.com/turducken.html
2qrs at 2:58PM on 11/19/07
I had one at someone's home about 16 years ago. It was prepared at a local butcher and roasted as per their instructs. It was the most fowl thing I have ever tasted (meaning it was like poultry to the third power).
I did not "get it" and it is not something I would ever buy. I tend to be a purist with flavors. I think too many spoils a dish. I think if you like it you should get it from someone proven to put a good one together. It is expensive and to get a not so good one would be a real crime.
JerzeeTomato at 3:04PM on 11/19/07
Hi, I made one for New Year's Eve last year:
http://betterthanramen.blogspot.com/2007/01/last-meal-of-2006-turducken.html
salty_sticky at 3:12PM on 11/19/07
In theory it is great, but in reality (in my experience a couple of times) it isn't that great. Although I did see the one on the Guy Fieri show and it looked pretty great.
missus_p at 3:24PM on 11/19/07
This is so reassuring. I ordered a turducken for Christmas a few years back and was less then impressed so I was stunned to have it requested again by my husband and college age nephew. The only rationale I can come up with is: it's a lot of meat! I do it but I make a goose or turkey too (we sit about 20 people at the holidays). Nice to know I'm not crazy!
smallblondemom at 8:48PM on 11/19/07
Wow, thanks for the response! I'm thinking it's going to be a little risky, and I'll make sure to bring plenty of side dishes just in case. And maybe I can even convince good ol' Dad that this isn't the best idea in the world.
tonyleachsf at 9:38PM on 11/19/07
smallblondemom- HI MOM!!! hahaha I knew you'd love this place as much as I do. I'm so glad you don't like the Turduckin too! I thought I was the only one:) Larry and Dad only like the Turduckin because it's so much meat. And men like meat.... Even if it's dry meat.
waterbaby at 12:09PM on 11/20/07