Turducken

[MarkinHouston]

Colonel Klink, may I ask a question about your smoked turkey now? (Can't wait for the class!) Do you brine your smoked turkey? I have brined my roasted turkey for several years, but I would like to try smoking this year--the masses are very insistent that I repeat the brining, so are the two compatible? Thanks. By the way, I followed your instructions for smoking corned beef--outstanding!

[col klink]

Brining is something you want to do regardless of cooking technique. It should be as natural as breathing. Glad to hear you're enjoying the brisket, it's one of life's creature comforts.

[Sweet Willie]

So, has anyone ever made or eaten one of these? Is it worth the effort?? With Thanksgiving coming in the US, it seems more-or-less timely to ask.

skip it, seriously. One of those dishes that sounds good but in reality.

The skins of the birds inside does not get crisp (my largest complaint).

Flavor was nothing special, I prefer the birds on their own rather than all together.

[John Braise]

I found an online meat shop that has something ridiculous, check it out at the bottom, a "Fowl De' Cochon."

I remember seeing an Australian(??) version of the turducken called an osturducken. Ostrich, turkey, chicken, duck. I thought that was horrific, but bringing mammals in adds a whole new dimension.

OK, how about a side of beef wrapped around a lamb, ostrich, turkey, chicken, duck? With maybe a single, perfect soft boiled egg inside the duck.

[snowangel]

Diana (age 13) has decreed that Christmas dinner this year will be turducken. She's capable in the kitchen, and it's high time she learned to bone a bird. Sounds like a good, long older kid project. She's aware that this is a long and involved process, and has committed to seeing it through.

Two questions:

1. Should I choose to smoke it, I need to do it the day before. Should I choose to roast, I can do day of. Which is the better choice?

2. I assume most of the above-mentioned turkuckens used commercial ducks. Any advantage or disadvantage over using a wild duck?

[fifi]

Oh snowangel... How fun.

I have never done a turducken but, from what I have read and from the experience of friends, you had better start two days ahead. There are the dressings to be made as well as birds to be deboned, then assembled. Steingarten's experience has also convinced me of this. He also found that Prudhomme was the originator of the darn thing. So, if he has instructions in any of his books, that is the way I would go. Sounds like a trip to the library may be in order. Smoking one is intriguing and if you can control the temperature in your smoker over the very long haul, that would be an interesting approach. I would be a little more timid on my first outing and go for the oven where I have more control. But, what the hey. If a 13 year old is wanting to tackle this, I say go for it.

[snowangel]

Yes, it is a 13-year old who wants to do a major cooking project. With her mom, no less. I have done something right.

I'm thinking prep this thing on the night of the 23rd. We are both night owls. Fridge it until time to cook.

I seek advice for smoking the "thing" only on the chance that weather will permit smoking. I've never smoked anything (as in meat on a grill, that is) in cold temps. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever done it sub-40 degrees, and the coming season could be warm or cold (given the latest snow blast, I tend to think the latter). Wisdome could determine the oven is the more reliable method. But smoking the thing has the ring of "make it an event."

[fifi]

Hmmm... I would check with klink on the smoking thing. PM him, maybe. I don't even know anyone that has tried it so I am no help there.

Wouldn't it be absolutely cool if the 13 year old pulls this off? She will certainly come out of it knowing how a bird is put together. Maybe another science geek is being created. (OK... That is a particular prejudice of mine. )

It would be SO neat if you started a thread on this whole experience. Sort of a 13-year-old-does-turducken blog.

[snowangel]

Hmmm... I would check with klink on the smoking thing. PM him, maybe. I don't even know anyone that has tried it so I am no help there.

Wouldn't it be absolutely cool if the 13 year old pulls this off? She will certainly come out of it knowing how a bird is put together. Maybe another science geek is being created. (OK... That is a particular prejudice of mine. )

It would be SO neat if you started a thread on this whole experience. Sort of a 13-year-old-does-turducken blog.

She (Diana) has determined that this will not only be a culinary delight, but also an extra credit project for school.

Stuffing suggestions? When I mentioned this, she immediatel said bacon (she's her mother's daughter) and water chestnuts (for chrunck factor). Come to think of it, she's witty enough to wing it, and wing it successfully (mother puffs chest in pride).

[col klink]

Diana (age 13) has decreed that Christmas dinner this year will be turducken.  She's capable in the kitchen, and it's high time she learned to bone a bird.  Sounds like a good, long older kid project.  She's aware that this is a long and involved process, and has committed to seeing it through.

Two questions:

1.  Should I choose to smoke it, I need to do it the day before.  Should I choose to roast, I can do day of.  Which is the better choice?

2.  I assume most of the above-mentioned turkuckens used commercial ducks.  Any advantage or disadvantage over using a wild duck?

1) Why can't you smoke the day of? If you can smoke a pork shoulder or a turkey, you can smoke a turducken. Probably the best aspect of smoking versus oven roasting on a big day is that you free your oven to cook everything else. I was orignally going to roast my turkey-day point-buck venison shoulder but since there was so much need for the oven for all of the sides, I smoked it along with the turkey. Of course I was already going to have the smoker going so it didn't make any sense to roast, but I still stand by smoking.

2) For a turkducken, if you have access to a wild duck, I'd use it. Wild ducks are very lean and as such, the texture of the turducken will be better since it will be inside and there will be no subdermal fat to render. With farmed duck there's so much fat that it doesn't render and is the only chewy component of a finished turducken.

[NeroW]

She (Diana) has determined that this will not only be a culinary delight, but also an extra credit project for school.

Whoa! Extra credit for turducken? What kind of school is this?

[Mayhaw Man]

2. I assume most of the above-mentioned turkuckens used commercial ducks. Any advantage or disadvantage over using a wild duck?

As an onld hand in the Turducken World, I have used wild ducks both times that I did one for myself (which falls highly into the doing it for the experience category, as I live in South LA and those things can be bought at any number of butcher shops). There is so much fat between the Turkey and the chicken that I think that it makes for a much better cooking experience, as wild ducks might as well be a different species from their farm raised cousins. Wild ducks are very, very, lean (at least here, in the winter, after they have flown down from the Upper Midwest and Canada).

So I say, if you got one use it.

[snowangel]

She (Diana) has determined that  this will not only be a culinary delight, but also an extra credit project for school.

Whoa! Extra credit for turducken? What kind of school is this?

She's going to make it into a "real" project -- history of dish, cost of ingredients (per serving), nutrition, food safety, perhaps work art into it as well.

[jogoode]

I bet she'll get lots of extra credit -- maybe the school will skip her ahead a few grades -- if she brings in Jeffrey Steingarten to make one. At least, she should ask Jeffrey a few questions during the Q&A on Monday!

[snowangel]

So I'm thinking now to smoke the turducken. Add some science of smoking to Diana's project. I'm thinking that I should change our plans and have the people here instead of going to their house.

How long do we figure it will take to smoke the thing?

Should we use three different kinds of stuffing or just one?

I'm getting a wild duck from my uncle, who also offered a goose. So, as I lay in bed last night, tossing and turning, I wonder what would happen if one substituted a goose for the turkey, or made it into a "turgoucken?"

[snowangel]

So, back to the turducken. I will have organic chicken and turkey and wild duck. My father (former butcher) and me (killed, cleaned and cut up my first chicken when I was 8 or 9) will bone the birds, so that part should be easy. We have a wide variety of sharp knives.

I think, perhaps, that I want stuffing(s) with crunch and some dried fruit, but thought I should check with the opinions of the wise and wonderful. I know that Prudhomme's recipe calls for three different stuffing, but none of these stuffing really "spoke to me."

Should I brine the wild duck?

Diana (13 and the insistent one on this project) and I have been working on knife sharpening skills this week, so I figure we can add that into the school project aspect of this.

[hillvalley]

So.....how did it turn out? Did Diana think it was worth the effort?

[Gifted Gourmet]

(bumping up an old thread) Tis the season for all things turkey-ish .. anyone trying a Turducken for Thanksgiving?

It was this item which reminded me ...

Turducken is a savory southern combination of turkey, chicken and duck accompanied by hearty

whole grains, delicious vegetables and fruits. This bayou classic allows dogs to get in touch with their southern senses. The delicious combination of Turkey, Duck and Chicken all cooked together in their wonderful juices makes even vegetarians reconsider their pledge. It's time that all of our dog friends had a taste of this Cajun Treat. The Merrick family says – “geaux for it!”

[fifi]

No turducken topic would be complete without linking to this post by jackal10.

Warning: hard core food porn

[Guest JonB]

I've made Turduck (small turkey, small duck and skip the chicken) for several years now. I've tried a few variations with success--like a very meaty oyster stuffing which was fantastic--but I'm looking for ideas or recipes for alternate fillings. There are a few oblique references in this thread to forcemeat, eggs, etc.

Any proven recipes? Thanks for suggestions.

Here's some Thanksgiving porn from a couple of years ago:

Edited November 15, 2005 by JonB (log)

[jackal10]

Look in Escoffier under "Ballontine" or "Galantine"

Essentially you can use a mousseline forcemeat (liek a quenelle: whizz breast meat or veal or pork +egg whites + cream), studded with cubes of ham, tongue, truffles, chetnuts, cranberries or what you will...

In fact I plan to do this for a chicken on Sunday if you can wait until then..

[I_call_the_duck]

Turducken sounds delicious. For some reason I'm thinking of making one and stuffing it with foie gras.

[Adam Balic]

Look in Escoffier under "Ballontine" or "Galantine"

Essentially you can use a mousseline forcemeat (liek a quenelle: whizz breast meat or veal or pork +egg whites + cream), studded with cubes of ham, tongue, truffles, chetnuts, cranberries  or what you will...

In fact I plan to do this for a chicken on Sunday if you can wait until then..

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Is a Turducken a specific style of stuffed bird (I have read that it has Southern USA or even cajun origins) or are people simply using it as a synonym for "Ballontine".

[Susan in FL]

We're having turducken Thursday, but I'm not making it. I ordered it from a local butcher. I've been curious, but I don't think it would be worth the trouble to make it myself.

[fifi]

. . . . .

Is a Turducken a specific style of stuffed bird (I have read that it has Southern USA or even cajun origins) or are people simply using it as a synonym for  "Ballontine".

←

Turducken was supposedly "invented" by Paul Prudhomme some years ago but that has been disputed. Then, I read somewhere that he really did and this was documented. So, yes, it does have a southern US origin, southern Louisiana to be specific. The original stuffings were Cajun style. It is a turkey stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a chicken. Some even go so far as to put a quail in the chicken. If I can find it (been looking, no luck yet), jackal10 has a series of pictures somewhere that are an excellent record of the preparation for the gorgeous thing up-thread.