TURDUCKEN
I made this Thanksgiving 2007 especially for my daughter and her then beau, Zach Gutweiler, who is now a successful pro chef. Maybe I was an inspiration :). Though it took FOREVER, the result was spectacular. I slow smoked it for 14 hours over hickory. As I was working full time, I de-boned one bird each evening, then put the...
Provided by Janus Joy Miller
Categories Seafood
Time 6h
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- 1. Give yourself plenty of time for this project. You'll need 14 to 18 hours just to smoke the turducken. Remember that you can keep it smoking on a lower temperature (180 or so) if it comes to temperature (165 F) too early for your feast, but a late Turducken is a bummer.
- 2. De-bone all the birds. Chef Paul Prudhomme has the best directions: http://www.chefpaul.com/site383.php. Be sure to leave the wings and drumstick intact for just the turkey.
- 3. Remove the skin and fat from the chicken. Discard the fat, but reserve the skin. Remove the skin from the duck and reserve. Reserve the duck fat for rendering.
- 4. Trim the fat as much as possible from the turkey, leaving the skin intact. Separate the skin from the breast without tearing it.
- 5. Brine all the birds separately about 6-8 hours. See my brine recipe, or use your favorite.
- 6. While birds are brining, render the duck fat and allow to cool completely.
- 7. Blend cooled duck fat with butter, garlic and chopped herbs. Keep refrigerated unless you're going to use it pretty quickly.
- 8. Also, prepare the stuffing. See my stuffing recipe, or use your favorite. You'll need about a cup of stuffing per pound of de-boned bird. We all know stuffing/dressing is awesome, so just make a lot of it.
- 9. About an hour before removing the birds from the brine, get the duck/butter/herb mixture out of the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature.
- 10. When you are ready to put the whole package together, remove birds from brine, and immerse in ice water until ready to use. Seriously, water with ice floating in it, not just cold water. It's important to keep the birds cold while working with them. The purpose of the ice water is twofold: keep the birds cold and leech out some salt.
- 11. Thread two large needles with at least an arm's length of heavy thread, and have them ready.
- 12. Remove turkey from ice water, pat dry.
- 13. Lay the turkey skin side up on a large cookie sheet, and push rendered duck fat, butter, garlic, herb mixture up under the skin. Try to cover as much as possible without breaking the skin.
- 14. Turn the turkey skin side down. Spread a few dollops of duck fat/butter/herb mixture. Then spread a layer of stuffing evenly over the meat about an inch thick, and press 1/2 the shrimp and scallops into the stuffing. Use your judgment for the distribution - there's no fault in having a bit of seafood leftover to create a little appetizer or something.
- 15. Remove duck from ice water and pat dry. Lay your duck on top of the stuffing/seafood, and add another layer of duck fat/butter/herb mixture and stuffing on top of that. Press more shrimp and scallops into the stuffing.
- 16. Remove chicken from ice water and pat dry. Lay your chicken on top of the stuffing. Spread duck fat/butter/herb mixture and add another layer of stuffing. Press in more shrimp and scallops.
- 17. Working from both ends, pull the two sides together and carefully stitch the skin to form a tight seal. After stitching up an inch or two, start at the other end. Go back and forth toward the middle, pushing and forming the package to contain all the ingredients Take your time with this, being careful not to leave any large holes. Use the reserved duck and chicken skin to patch any open spots. Your turducken should kind of look like a box with legs when you're done. Tie the legs together somewhat so that they're not dangling.
- 18. If you're doing this project alone like I did, cover and refrigerate your turducken while getting the fire going in the smoker. I used hickory wood, but a fruit wood would be nice as well. Applewood, I imagine, would be great. You'll be smoking it for about 14 - 18 hours, so have plenty of wood handy, and be prepared to keep an eye on the temperature. Ideally, one person should be solely in charge of the smoker while the rest of the feast is being prepared.
- 19. Periodically baste the turducken with any leftover duck/butter/herb mixture.
- 20. Using your smoker as you normally would with the fire on the bottom and water in a pan above, smoke the bird at 200 F. Use a meat thermometer, and check the temperature of the bird at several spots. When the deepest internal temperature hits 165 F, it's done.
- 21. Remove the trussing thread before serving.
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Lee Colquhoun
[email protected]This is a great recipe for a special occasion. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it. The turducken is cooked perfectly and the stuffing is delicious.
Héctor Raúl Torres
[email protected]I'm so glad I found this recipe. It was the perfect dish for my holiday dinner. The turducken was cooked perfectly and the stuffing was delicious.
Edidiya Edu
[email protected]This is the best turducken recipe I've ever tried. The meat was tender and juicy, and the stuffing was flavorful and moist. I will definitely be making this again.
Naveed Writes
[email protected]I've made this dish several times and it's always a hit. It's a great way to impress your guests.
Mdkhat Rubel
[email protected]This was a delicious dish! The turkey, duck, and chicken were all cooked perfectly and the stuffing was flavorful and moist. I would definitely recommend this recipe.
Grace Boom
[email protected]This is a great recipe for a special occasion. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it. The turducken is cooked perfectly and the stuffing is delicious.
Dalaini Angello
[email protected]I was a little hesitant to make this dish, but I'm so glad I did. It was easier than I thought and it turned out amazing. The turducken was cooked perfectly and the stuffing was delicious.
HAMAD Ge
[email protected]This is the best turducken recipe I've ever tried. The meat was tender and juicy, and the stuffing was flavorful and moist. I will definitely be making this again.
Vincent Waithaka
[email protected]I've made this dish several times and it's always a hit. It's a great way to impress your guests.
Jamek Palmer
[email protected]This was a delicious dish! The turkey, duck, and chicken were all cooked perfectly and the stuffing was flavorful and moist. I would definitely recommend this recipe.
Avwunukpa Blessing
[email protected]This is a great recipe for a special occasion. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it. The turducken is cooked perfectly and the stuffing is delicious.
Agata Delrocco
[email protected]I was a little hesitant to make this dish, but I'm so glad I did. It was easier than I thought and it turned out amazing. The turducken was cooked perfectly and the stuffing was delicious.
Ehtisham Malik
[email protected]This is the best turducken recipe I've ever tried. The meat was tender and juicy, and the stuffing was flavorful and moist. I will definitely be making this again.
Alex lex
[email protected]I've made this dish several times and it's always a hit. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it. The flavors are amazing and the presentation is really impressive.
Khalil Abbasi
[email protected]This was a great recipe! The turducken was cooked perfectly and the stuffing was delicious. I would definitely make this again.
Bint Zainab
[email protected]I made this dish for my family for Thanksgiving and it was a huge success. Everyone raved about how delicious it was. I would definitely recommend this recipe to anyone who is looking for a show-stopping dish.
CourtneyLee Jones
[email protected]This is the best turducken I've ever had! The meat was tender and juicy, and the stuffing was flavorful and moist. I will definitely be making this again for my next holiday dinner.
Christopher Victoriano gonzalez
[email protected]I was a little intimidated to make this dish, but it turned out great! I followed the recipe carefully and everything came out perfectly. I would definitely recommend this recipe to anyone who is looking for a challenge.
Chinaza Satya
[email protected]I've made this dish a few times now and it's always a hit. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it. The flavors are amazing and the presentation is really impressive.
Fatema Tul Nishi
[email protected]This was an amazing dish! I made it for my family for Christmas dinner and everyone loved it. The turkey, duck, and chicken were all cooked perfectly and the stuffing was delicious. I will definitely be making this again.