# Turducken?



## Corey123 (Jan 5, 2008)

Has anyone ever done this?

It involves boning the turkey (taking out the breast and ribcage, lying the breast meat flat, layering some stuffing alternately between boned duck and boned chicken breasts.

Then the entire section is closed and sewed together. The wings and legs are left intact. But the thing takes much longer to roast -possibly up to 13 hours
depending on the size of the turkey itself.

I'd like to someday do a scaled down boneless breast version without the legs and wings. has anyone done it that way before? The regular way feeds an Army. I don't want that much.


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## Andy M. (Jan 5, 2008)

I've never done it, but hope to one day.  I have saved Paul Prudhomme's recipe with pictures for that fateful day.

PP's version starts with a whole boned and stuffed chicken.  Then a whole boned duck with stuffing is wrapped around the chicken.  Then, as you said, a partially deboned turkey (leave the leg and wing bones intact) is layered with stuffing and wrapped around the duck/chicken.

Here is the link if you want to check it out.


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## Corey123 (Jan 5, 2008)

I forgot to mention that I saw Paula Deen do one on her cooking show Paula's Home Cooking. Her hubby Michael helped her fasten it up.

Also, on Guy Feri's show Diner's, Drive-ins & Dives, he visited a restaurant where it was done as well.

I read the link. Thank you.

Good recipe, but it's way too much for me! I'll just have to devise a plan to make a scaled-down roll version of it with just the breast meat from all three, layer them with the stuffing, roll it all up and roast it.


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## Andy M. (Jan 5, 2008)

Corey123 said:


> ...I'll just have to devise a plan to make a scaled-down roll version of it with just the breast meat from all three, layer them with the stuffing, roll it all up and roast it.


 

That should work too.  Keep us posted when you try it.


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## Corey123 (Jan 5, 2008)

Ok. But I more than likely will be doing it in the spring for a Sunday dinner.

And I'll have to work on getting the meat for it.


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## babetoo (Jan 5, 2008)

Andy M. said:


> I've never done it, but hope to one day. I have saved Paul Prudhomme's recipe with pictures for that fateful day.
> 
> PP's version starts with a whole boned and stuffed chicken. Then a whole boned duck with stuffing is wrapped around the chicken. Then, as you said, a partially deboned turkey (leave the leg and wing bones intact) is layered with stuffing and wrapped around the duck/chicken.
> 
> Here is the link if you want to check it out.


 
can anyone tell me why and what is the point of making it?  seems like a lot of work just for a convsation starter.

babe


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## Andy M. (Jan 5, 2008)

It's not just a conversation starter. 

It is a traditional holiday roast in the South.  While it is a lot of work, it's done for special occasions when special meals are part of the celebration.


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## GB (Jan 5, 2008)

babetoo said:


> can anyone tell me why and what is the point of making it?


The same as making any other type of food...It tastes good.


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## Corey123 (Jan 5, 2008)

It also nearly doubles the size of the turkey, thus it can accommodate a huge crowd - hence the reason that I want to do a much smaller scaled-down version of it.

I couldn't possibly eat all of that alone! This idea wasn't around when we were all at home and my mom would cook for the holidays. I could be wrong though.

Yes Andy, it IS a favorite in the South, though no one in my family has done it. I never knew how deep-fried turkey tasted until my dear late brother who lived in SC told me about it and had me try some of it.

He and his two sons would always call me and ask; "When are you going down to visit us?" My reply always was; "Will you guys deep fry some turkey?"

I've done that one only once because still, it's too much and the huge deep fryer uses a lot of peanut oil and the oil is ridiculously expensive!


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## Andy M. (Jan 5, 2008)

Corey123 said:


> It also nearly doubles the size of the turkey, thus it can accommodate a huge crowd - hence the reason that I want to do a much smaller scaled-down version of it.
> 
> I couldn't possibly eat all of that alone! This idea wasn't around when we were all at home and my mom would cook for the holidays. I could be wrong though.
> 
> ...


 

We visited family in Florida for Christmas and they did a deep fried turkey for Christmas dinner.  It was as good as ever.

I was charged with making Christmas Eve dinner which was more traditional in nature (roast beef and mashed potato, etc).


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## Walt Bulander (Jan 5, 2008)

Terducken kinda scares me - way too long before the center cooks.
But I have done it with a boned out from the back chicken with stuffing inside, then a chicken breast pounded flat, more stuffing, and in the center, a hard boiled egg. You wrap the egg in stuffing, wrap the flattened breast around it, more stuffing, and insert into the chicken from the back. Sew it up and kind of plump it so it looks like a normal roasted chicken.  You get the funniest looks when you start just slicing it up, instead of normal carving. Makes for a nice presentation on the plate, too. Kind of like a rolled roast.


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## babetoo (Jan 5, 2008)

Andy M. said:


> It's not just a conversation starter.
> 
> It is a traditional holiday roast in the South. While it is a lot of work, it's done for special occasions when special meals are part of the celebration.


 
funny, i was raised in the south. tennesse, va. fla. ala. and never heard of or saw one cooked. my mom was a good cook. if it was a tradation , she would have done it. who told u it was a southern thing?

babe


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## Corey123 (Jan 6, 2008)

It probably started in the South. Like most Southern cuisine.

Both my mom & dad were from the South (Georgia) as well, but I don't think this method of doing a turkey was around then.


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## camp_cookie (Jan 6, 2008)

It is more of a Louisiana thing than something to be associated with the entire South.


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## Corey123 (Jan 6, 2008)

I thought the South was the South regardless where it is.


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## auntdot (Jan 6, 2008)

I have wanted to make one for years, but never have the time.  It is on my to do list when I retire.

It sounds so good.


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## Corey123 (Jan 6, 2008)

One word of precaution though to anyone who wants to do it;

As soon as you do it, it has to go into the oven imediately, to begin roasting. Do not call yourself putting it in the fridge overnight and start cooking it the next day!!

Bacteria can thrive in the stuffing and grow just in that short amount of time and the whole thing could spoil, causing possible food poisoning and possibly death!!


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## camp_cookie (Jan 6, 2008)

Corey123 said:


> I thought the South was the South regardless where it is.



Nope.  Is all of the the north the same?  Don't you have dishes associated primarily with Boston that aren't associated with the rest of the north?

Turducken is not that common around the South outside of Louisiana.  I do believe that it has its origins in Cajun cooking.  

Turducken - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## David Cottrell (Jan 6, 2008)

I think it must be a Louisiana thing, I was born and raised in North Carolina on traditional cooking and never heard of it. Learned about it only recently on the food net work I think.


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## BreezyCooking (Jan 6, 2008)

Hebert's Specialty Meats of Maurice, Louisiana is credited (most frequently & most authoritatively) with inventing the Turducken.  Anthony Zimmern of The Travel Channel's "Bizarre Foods" show devoted quite a large segment of one of his episodes to them, & it was quite interesting to hear how it came about & see how they prepared it.

Hebert's Specialty Meats - boudin, turduckens, cajun food, turducken, boneless stuffed chicken, boneless stuffed turkey, stuffed rabbit, stuffed cornish game hen, shrimp and crab stuffing


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## BreezyCooking (Jan 6, 2008)

In fact, for those of you who get "The Travel Channel" - the "Bizarre Foods" episode that features "Turducken" is going to be on in about 15 minutes - EST - i.e. 6 p.m.  Enjoy.


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## Corey123 (Jan 6, 2008)

The channel is acting up.


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