trussing poultry

[guajolote]

Hello,

Does trussing a bird help it cook more 'evenly.' The thigh takes the longer than the rest of the bird to cook. Wouldn't leaving the thighs and legs 'open' expose them to more heat, thereby cooking them faster?

Thanks.

[Harold McGee]

I’ve never looked closely at trussing per se, and intended to do an experiment before answering you—and here the week has gone by and I just haven’t been able to squeeze that experiment in. So I’ll just say that I don’t usually truss chickens or ducks because that does expose the leg-thigh joint to more direct heat. But I’ve noticed that turkey drumsticks seem to get more overcooked when untrussed, and might benefit from being less exposed.