The post-Turducken report

Sandra Fernandez Food & Drink, General

**This is a follow-up post to Hunting Turduckens in Houston, which was a Thanksgiving post.**

Last month I convinced my family to let me cook a Turducken for Thanksgiving. I gave all of you a heads up it was happening, and talked a lot of friends of mine in to the concept of this being a good idea, then I never reported back. This is me letting you know how it went.

My family loved the Turducken. I really enjoyed the flavor, and I think that the choice of an traditional version with the sausage stuffing was a good one. The stuffing was phenomenal.

As it turns out, 16 pounds of “boneless turkey stuffed with boneless duck stuffed with boneless chicken” is a lot of food. But, amazingly, we didn’t have as much left over as we normally do after Thanksgiving. I think that part of that was that it was easier to pack, and a lot more interesting as a “must have” leftover.

And it also turns out that I’m not good at following instructions. Things I learned for next time:

  • Follow the instructions. The baking instructions stated to cook covered for four hours and uncovered for an hour. Then to let it sit for 45 minutes or so to set. I opted to bake it uncovered in an oven bag. Which means that the top got extra crispy and that I had to stop cooking earlier than what the recipe called for.
  • Get a food thermometer. I worried, a lot, that the inside wasn’t fully cooked. Mostly I worried because I was supposed to check with a food thermometer and I didn’t have one and didn’t get one for this occasion. For next year that will change.
  • Use a better baking dish. I made the mistake of cooking the Turducken, in the oven bag, on a raised rack. When it came time to cut the meat, I couldn’t actually remove it to cut clean through.

Otherwise, this was a perfect choice. All I had to do was buy it, thaw it, and put in the oven for the correct amount of time (and at the correct temperature). The Turducken was already seasoned, stuffed and ready. That’s my kind of turkey!

This is what the Turducken looks like after thawing. It's in a sealed bag.
This is what the Turducken looks like after thawing. It’s in a sealed bag.
And this is the oven bag I cooked it in, instead of the correct covered dish.
And this is the oven bag I cooked it in, instead of the correct covered dish.
Notice the extra crispy top?
Notice the extra crispy top?
I was absolutely certain I'd burned it.
I was absolutely certain I’d burned it.
And, of course, cutting it was interesting in the raised rack.
And, of course, cutting it was interesting in the raised rack.
But all's well that ends well... the dish was very tasty and a big hit with my family.
But all’s well that ends well… the dish was very tasty and a big hit with my family.

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