The food phenomenon known as the turducken can be traced back to southern United States cuisine. As a popular dish to serve at Thanksgiving, family events and Christmas, it has spawned many turducken-producing businesses that ship thousands a year. The length of time a turducken takes to cook is entirely dependent on the type of cooking method, though the finished results generally taste the same.
Turducken
To make a turducken, lay out a deboned turkey and begin to layer with duck, a deboned chicken, stuffing, and sausage. You can ask your butcher to debone these meats if you call in advance. Roll up the turkey like a rug with the layers inside and tie the body with a string holding everything together. You can personalize the inside with anything you want as long as you use duck meat and chicken. Some recipes call for Cajun spices, raisins, corn bread dressing or bread crumbs (see Resources). While it's tempting to throw the turducken in the fryer, you must refrain because fried turkey must be hollow to ensure the meat is all the way cooked. Be sure to have a meat thermometer handy for various cooking.
Baking the Turducken
Strategically place four meat thermometers in the thickest part of both of the turkey's thighs, and on the breast. Stick one meat thermometer inside the bird. Set the oven for 225 F. Let the bird cook for 8 to 10 hours until all the meat thermometers read 165 F. The size of your birds, the amount of stuffing you used and the other accouterments that you used for the recipe will dictate the amount of cooking time. Every bird is different and making sure the thermometer gives the proper reading is absolutely essential. If your turkey starts to burn on the top, place a piece of foil just on the slowly burning part. It's best to allow 4 hours of uncovered cooking and the last 4 hours to have the aluminum coat. Let the bird stand for 1 hour before carving so that it retains its juices.
Grilling Your Turducken
Oil the outside of you turducken with either olive oil or butter. Roll aluminum foil around the bird and pack tightly. Poke meat thermometers through the foil so that they are visible. Make sure the grill's heat is at 350 F with a thermometer. Place the turducken on the grill and close the lid. If you purchase your turducken through a store and it arrives frozen, allow two to three days for it to thaw. Never use a turducken that has arrived warm. Your turducken's temperature will reach 165 degrees F after 5 to 7 hours depending on size and weight. It's best to never leave the grill on when you leave the house.
Tags: meat thermometers, meat thermometer
