Smoked Turducken with Spicy Pork Stuffing

username_taken · 23rd December 2008, 9:07 AM

Turducken is an amazing dish that is virtually unknown creation here in Australia, but over in the USA it has a cult following, especially with the cajun and BBQ enthusiasts. A Turducken is a whole turkey, stuffed with a whole duck, stuffed with a chicken. There can be as many as 3 different traditional stuffings throughout the bird as well.

An important health warning goes here, with our high ambient temperatures it can be quite dangerous to prepare and cook a Turducken from scratch as you run the risk of the poultry spending too much time at the dangerous temperatures where bacteria grown quickly. To reduce these risks you should ask your butcher to debone the birds for you, as they have a cold-room to work in. To further reduce these risks you should also brine your birds, creating a slightly salty environment that bacteria don't like.

Ask your butcher to completely debone a chicken and a duck. You also want a Turkey deboned but with the leg bone and the wing bones left intact. Emphasize to the butcher the importance of keeping the birds, especially the turkey in a single piece. Deboning a bird can be quite a difficult task, but most butchers should be capable of it.

Smoked Turducken with Spicy Pork Stuffing

1 whole deboned turkey
1 whole deboned chicken
1 whole deboned duck
Basic BBQ Rub
2 kg pork mince ( preferably mince it yourself from pork belly or shoulder ).
2kg rindless bacon

You'll want to start preparing the turducken 36 hours before cooking. Assuming you're cooking it Saturday, you'll want to start on Thursday night by brining the birds. First check all the birds that all the bones have been removed. Brine each bird separately in large ziplock bags for 12 hours. Brine is basically a salty water mix that the birds soak in, this helps tenderize the birds and keep the whole turducken nice and moist. If you don't know how to make a brine check here.

24 hours before cooking it's time to prepare the stuffing. To make it easy I chose to do just a single stuffing. mix your pork mince with a fair quantity of the BBQ rub. Use as little or as much as you like to achieve your preference in spicyness. Have a hot frypan handy and fry up small amounts to taste as you add more seasoning.

Once the pork is to your liking, grab out your turkey. Given the size of the birds I've found it's best to plastic wrap your whole benchtop and work with it on that. This helps keep gross raw food off the bench, and also helps you close up the bird when assembled. Sprinkle the plastic generously with the BBQ rub and Lay your turkey skinside down on it. Cover the turkey inside with a thin layer of stuffing.

Lay the Duck skinside down on the turkey, and cover this with a thin layer of stuffing also.

Finally Lay the chicken skinside down on the duck and cover with a thin layer of stuffing.

This next bit can be tricky and is best done with some assistance. You need to close the turducken up. I found the best way to do this is to close each bird in turn ( chicken, then duck, then turkey ) by folding one half over the other half. Once this is done use some cooking twine to tie the bird closed. It can be useful to tie the legs together at this point as well.

Sprinkle the BBQ rub over the turkey trying to make sure the whole bird is covered with it. Wrap the Turducken with the plastic wrap it's sitting on, or use fresh stuff if there's a lot of raw juices and liquid.

Refrigerate the Turducken for about 24 hours. This helps firm the bird into shape.

Get a large foil baking dish and punch some holes through it. This will allow excess fat to escape. Layer the bottom of the dish with bacon. Put the Turducken in the tray with the closed up side facing down. The weight of the bird should assist in keeping it closed. Layer bacon over the turducken, this total coverage of the Turducken with bacon helps keep it moist, and also helps make sure the turducken doesn't burn ( the bacon is sacrificial and can be thrown out after cooking ).

Put the turducken in a smoker or oven pre-heated to 105 C. Cook it until it reaches an internal temperature of 82 C. This could take up to 8 hours depending on the overall size of the Turducken. Oh and don't forget to put a tray under it to catch the fat dripping out of the holes in the pan.

username_taken · 23rd December 2008, 9:08 AM

When the Turducken is cooked, rest it covered with foil for 30 minutes and then slice lengthways down the middle. Slice again the other way so that the bird is in quarters. Take each quarter and slice into reasonably thick slices ( too thin and the layers of birds will threaten to fall apart ). You can leave the bacon on, or throw it out taste it and decide. You'll also want to remove the wings and legs, I'm sure you'll find somebody willing to eat them.

Stooge007 · 23rd December 2008, 11:09 AM

looks amazing!

wonder if a Turducken restaurant in Australia would do well?

scon · 23rd December 2008, 6:01 PM

Good work! You've been making some amazing dishes lately, I'm impressed. I need to pull my finger out - I've been a slack bastard lately.

EMupp · 23rd December 2008, 6:09 PM

That is so fantastic, great work.
Have you seen this? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...as-dinner.html

yanman · 23rd December 2008, 6:25 PM

That looks awesome!

This thread led me to find this strange story:

Quote:

The Rôti Sans Pareil, or "Roast without equal"the largest recorded nested bird roast is 17 birds, attributed to a royal feast in France in the early 19th century. It was a bustard (which measures 41-53 inches) stuffed with a turkey (which measures 39-49 in), a goose , a pheasant, a chicken, a duck, a guinea fowl, a teal, a woodcock, a partridge, a plover, a lapwing, a quail, a thrush, a lark, an Ortolan Bunting and a Garden Warbler (5.11-5.5 in). The final bird is small enough that it can be stuffed with a single olive; it also suggests that, unlike modern multi-bird roasts, there was no stuffing or other packing placed in between the birds.

If you are like me and want to recreate this dish for Christmas it probably could not be legally recreated because many of the birds listed are now protected species.

Amfibius · 23rd December 2008, 7:38 PM

I take my hat off to you, sir! That would be close to the ultimate in hard work!

BTW, only geeks and overclockers have heard of turducken

When I mention turducken to people at work (i.e. "normal" people) they haven't heard of it! I need to join the geek club and make one myself

`X' · 24th December 2008, 7:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amfibius

I take my hat off to you, sir! That would be close to the ultimate in hard work!

BTW, only geeks and overclockers have heard of turducken

When I mention turducken to people at work (i.e. "normal" people) they haven't heard of it! I need to join the geek club and make one myself

not so. a lot of american football fans would know of it thanks to Jon Madden.

sjobeck · 1st January 2009, 8:31 AM

We had two turduckens over christmas - one on Christmas Eve and one on Christmas night.

Both were purchased from AC Butchers in Leichhardt. They call it a 3-in-1. Each was 5-6kg

The first one we coated in prosciutto and slow roasted at around 120 degrees until internal temparture was around 74.

The second one was par boiled (simmered) for one hour and then cooked at 160 degrees for an hour or so. Both birds were very tasty indeed.

AC also does a 5-in-1 bird (? spatchcock and quail).

The record was set in France in the 1800s with 17 birds.

DNX · 1st January 2009, 10:09 AM

And for those really big feasts:
A steer -> pig -> Lamb ->

The Turduken looks really nice though

figrin · 1st January 2009, 11:22 AM

I cooked a turducken once. It really ain't that nice

http://photos.mooh.org/v/misc/turducken/

The problem with it is the duck. Good duck dishes have crispy skin, but when you wrap a whole turkey around it, it just come out sort of soggy.

Iceickle · 1st January 2009, 6:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by figrin

I cooked a turducken once. It really ain't that nice

http://photos.mooh.org/v/misc/turducken/

The problem with it is the duck. Good duck dishes have crispy skin, but when you wrap a whole turkey around it, it just come out sort of soggy.

I've been told several times (when I lived in the USA) that its really just a tradition, you don't actually want to eat it

But that changes after a few drinks.

Great effort, but I think this just isn't worth it.

kingjam · 2nd January 2009, 9:52 AM

Nicely done.

I didn't realise AC Butchery made these, I now have no excuse.

username_taken · 2nd January 2009, 10:34 AM

To those who think they don't taste great, I don't know where you went wrong, but I assure you every time I've made one it's tasted brilliant, and everybody at the table ( family who aren't afraid to be brutally honest ) loved it.

kingjam · 2nd January 2009, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by username_taken

To those who think they don't taste great, I don't know where you went wrong, but I assure you every time I've made one it's tasted brilliant, and everybody at the table ( family who aren't afraid to be brutally honest ) loved it.

How could it possibly NOT taste good??

23rd December 2008, 9:07 AM	#1
username_taken Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 1,293	Smoked Turducken with Spicy Pork Stuffing Turducken is an amazing dish that is virtually unknown creation here in Australia, but over in the USA it has a cult following, especially with the cajun and BBQ enthusiasts. A Turducken is a whole turkey, stuffed with a whole duck, stuffed with a chicken. There can be as many as 3 different traditional stuffings throughout the bird as well. An important health warning goes here, with our high ambient temperatures it can be quite dangerous to prepare and cook a Turducken from scratch as you run the risk of the poultry spending too much time at the dangerous temperatures where bacteria grown quickly. To reduce these risks you should ask your butcher to debone the birds for you, as they have a cold-room to work in. To further reduce these risks you should also brine your birds, creating a slightly salty environment that bacteria don't like. Ask your butcher to completely debone a chicken and a duck. You also want a Turkey deboned but with the leg bone and the wing bones left intact. Emphasize to the butcher the importance of keeping the birds, especially the turkey in a single piece. Deboning a bird can be quite a difficult task, but most butchers should be capable of it. Smoked Turducken with Spicy Pork Stuffing 1 whole deboned turkey 1 whole deboned chicken 1 whole deboned duck Basic BBQ Rub 2 kg pork mince ( preferably mince it yourself from pork belly or shoulder ). 2kg rindless bacon You'll want to start preparing the turducken 36 hours before cooking. Assuming you're cooking it Saturday, you'll want to start on Thursday night by brining the birds. First check all the birds that all the bones have been removed. Brine each bird separately in large ziplock bags for 12 hours. Brine is basically a salty water mix that the birds soak in, this helps tenderize the birds and keep the whole turducken nice and moist. If you don't know how to make a brine check here. 24 hours before cooking it's time to prepare the stuffing. To make it easy I chose to do just a single stuffing. mix your pork mince with a fair quantity of the BBQ rub. Use as little or as much as you like to achieve your preference in spicyness. Have a hot frypan handy and fry up small amounts to taste as you add more seasoning. Once the pork is to your liking, grab out your turkey. Given the size of the birds I've found it's best to plastic wrap your whole benchtop and work with it on that. This helps keep gross raw food off the bench, and also helps you close up the bird when assembled. Sprinkle the plastic generously with the BBQ rub and Lay your turkey skinside down on it. Cover the turkey inside with a thin layer of stuffing. Lay the Duck skinside down on the turkey, and cover this with a thin layer of stuffing also. Finally Lay the chicken skinside down on the duck and cover with a thin layer of stuffing. This next bit can be tricky and is best done with some assistance. You need to close the turducken up. I found the best way to do this is to close each bird in turn ( chicken, then duck, then turkey ) by folding one half over the other half. Once this is done use some cooking twine to tie the bird closed. It can be useful to tie the legs together at this point as well. Sprinkle the BBQ rub over the turkey trying to make sure the whole bird is covered with it. Wrap the Turducken with the plastic wrap it's sitting on, or use fresh stuff if there's a lot of raw juices and liquid. Refrigerate the Turducken for about 24 hours. This helps firm the bird into shape. Get a large foil baking dish and punch some holes through it. This will allow excess fat to escape. Layer the bottom of the dish with bacon. Put the Turducken in the tray with the closed up side facing down. The weight of the bird should assist in keeping it closed. Layer bacon over the turducken, this total coverage of the Turducken with bacon helps keep it moist, and also helps make sure the turducken doesn't burn ( the bacon is sacrificial and can be thrown out after cooking ). Put the turducken in a smoker or oven pre-heated to 105 C. Cook it until it reaches an internal temperature of 82 C. This could take up to 8 hours depending on the overall size of the Turducken. Oh and don't forget to put a tray under it to catch the fat dripping out of the holes in the pan. Last edited by Bern; 1st January 2009 at 5:59 PM. Reason: Fixed brine link.

23rd December 2008, 11:09 AM	#3
Stooge007 Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: The Shire, Sydney Posts: 5,299	looks amazing! wonder if a Turducken restaurant in Australia would do well? __________________ Over 150 successful trades, most recent: Elfanger, peteed1985, alexis, onbail, xsphera, OAG, Duff Man, skiitz, byson, Cestevenson, ShaunDXB, Piroteknik, myf360f1, Thraxeh, austin nguyen, QLDguy1, cooleagles, Temp16, Haillion, nordica-k2, Barra-oz, austin nguyen, MAXKNOTT, LG456, junkie13, Reveng3, sunjet, 2red, jbomb, OnGsTa, k1ll3r, DEMONDOCTOR, dabell, bumthology, Zee, JWM, ricey236, Defyant, Macross, freshwat3r, zzyss, r3s, Henry, Loadingdread, frenzal, Shaker, lonewolf77, raikay

23rd December 2008, 6:01 PM	#4
scon Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Canberra Posts: 4,559	Good work! You've been making some amazing dishes lately, I'm impressed. I need to pull my finger out - I've been a slack bastard lately. __________________ Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. Douglas Adams, "Last Chance to See" - 1990 Food Blog: Wok the Fuck?!

23rd December 2008, 7:38 PM	#7
Amfibius Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Melbourne, Victoria Posts: 6,653	I take my hat off to you, sir! That would be close to the ultimate in hard work! BTW, only geeks and overclockers have heard of turducken When I mention turducken to people at work (i.e. "normal" people) they haven't heard of it! I need to join the geek club and make one myself __________________ -Amfibius

1st January 2009, 10:09 AM	#10
DNX Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Hobart Posts: 1,081	And for those really big feasts: A steer -> pig -> Lamb -> The Turduken looks really nice though __________________ \| Asrock Z77 Extreme 6 - bios v1.60 \| i5-2500k (3201A909) @ 4.5ghz 1.264v (CPU-Z/P95) \| Corsair H80 with Cougar CF-V12HPB fans \| G.Skill Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9Q-16GBXL (4x4GB) DDR3 @1.50v 9-9-9-24 2T \| X-FI Titanium PCI-E \| EVGA GTX670 FTW \| Intel 520 60GB SSD (OS) \| Corsair F120 SSD (Games) \| 3 x 1TB Samsung F3 \| Corsair AX1200 PSU \| 2 x Pioneer 212D Sata dvd-rw \| Silverstone FT02B-W \|ACER HN274H 120Hz 3D \| Win7 Pro x64 \|

23rd December 2008, 9:08 AM	#2
username_taken Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 1,293	When the Turducken is cooked, rest it covered with foil for 30 minutes and then slice lengthways down the middle. Slice again the other way so that the bird is in quarters. Take each quarter and slice into reasonably thick slices ( too thin and the layers of birds will threaten to fall apart ). You can leave the bacon on, or throw it out taste it and decide. You'll also want to remove the wings and legs, I'm sure you'll find somebody willing to eat them.

23rd December 2008, 6:09 PM	#5
EMupp Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,411	That is so fantastic, great work. Have you seen this? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...as-dinner.html

1st January 2009, 8:31 AM	#9
sjobeck Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Posts: 509	We had two turduckens over christmas - one on Christmas Eve and one on Christmas night. Both were purchased from AC Butchers in Leichhardt. They call it a 3-in-1. Each was 5-6kg The first one we coated in prosciutto and slow roasted at around 120 degrees until internal temparture was around 74. The second one was par boiled (simmered) for one hour and then cooked at 160 degrees for an hour or so. Both birds were very tasty indeed. AC also does a 5-in-1 bird (? spatchcock and quail). The record was set in France in the 1800s with 17 birds.

1st January 2009, 11:22 AM	#11
figrin Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Sydney Posts: 2,964	I cooked a turducken once. It really ain't that nice http://photos.mooh.org/v/misc/turducken/ The problem with it is the duck. Good duck dishes have crispy skin, but when you wrap a whole turkey around it, it just come out sort of soggy. Last edited by figrin; 1st January 2009 at 11:24 AM.

2nd January 2009, 9:52 AM	#13
kingjam Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 1,154	Nicely done. I didn't realise AC Butchery made these, I now have no excuse.

2nd January 2009, 10:34 AM	#14
username_taken Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 1,293	To those who think they don't taste great, I don't know where you went wrong, but I assure you every time I've made one it's tasted brilliant, and everybody at the table ( family who aren't afraid to be brutally honest ) loved it.