Published October 25, 2006. Web Exclusive.
Could we buy a turducken to rival our perfected roast turkey?
Here in America's Test Kitchen, we take Thanksgiving very seriously—we've roasted thousands of birds over the years to perfect the turkey centerpiece. So when one of our editors confessed one day that for Thanksgiving he spends 12 hours preparing a turducken and another 12 hours roasting it, we wondered whether a turducken could rival our perfected roast turkey.
To prepare a turducken, a chicken, duck, and turkey are boned (except for the turkey's wings and drumsticks); the chicken is then stuffed into the duck, and that, in turn, is stuffed into the turkey. Three different stuffings, traditionally cornbread, oyster, and andouille sausage, are layered between each bird. Paul Prudhomme, the famous Cajun chef, is often given credit for inventing the dish, although a 2005 National Geographic magazine story credited Hebert's Specialty Meats in Maurice, Louisiana for its creation. The sheer exuberance of the dish has inspired a lot of interest, especially after John Madden gave turduckens national exposure by eating them while broadcasting football games (he keeps all 6 drumsticks on his version). In our research, we found several variations including chuckeys (a duckling is stuffed inside the chicken), gurducken (goose instead of turkey), and a turgoduckmaguikenantidgeonck (turkey, goose, duck, mallard, guineafowl, chicken, pheasant, partridge, pigeon, and woodcock).
To understand the dish, we analyzed Paul Prudhomme's recipe (see below for links to recipes and other information) which confirmed our opinion that preparing a turducken at home is not a project for anyone with limitations on either time or kitchen space—a group that certainly includes most of us. Besides preparing three different stuffings, the dish requires precise boning to keep each bird in one piece with its skin intact. After sewing, the turducken is roasted at a low temperature until done (8 to 14 hours, depending on size).
But with our curiosity aroused, we wondered if we could "cheat" and roast a mail-order turducken. While Hebert's and many other smaller Cajun sources can't ship turduckens (they do not have USDA certification), we found three purveyors who, for a hefty price of between $90 and $125 each (including shipping), could.
Accompanying instructions sounded easy—defrost for 48 to 72 hours in the fridge, roast at 325 degrees for 4 1/2 to 5 hours, (uncovered during the final hour) to 165 degrees, and then serve. Each turducken provides approximately 20 servings.
The result? Cheaters don't prosper. Although defrosted for a full 72 hours, the birds still took 2-3 hours longer than directed to reach the proper internal temperature. We allowed them to rest to redistribute the juices (none of the
instructions included this step), but the meat still came out uniformly dry and bland—only the duck had flavor, and some testers felt it was "livery". The stuffings were also disappointing. Each of our turduckens came with a cornbread and a pork/sausage stuffing; none came with three varieties. During cooking, the stuffing compacted into mushy, gummy bundles—only a rice-based version wasn't packed. And, finally, presentation was a disappointment. Rather than evenly layered strata of meat and stuffing presenting an attractive portrait on the plate, the uneven clumps of meat and stuffing fell apart on carving.
Upon reflection, we shouldn't have been surprised. Roasting stuffed birds is problematic—for safety, stuffing needs to reach 165 degrees, by which time the poultry temperature is often 185 degrees or more, leaving it dry and chewy. And while turducken meat should be moist from the internal basting provided by each bird's skin, we found that vacuum-packing and freezing caused the clumps of meat and stuffing to compact and separate into isolated pockets—and losing the strata meant losing the basting. Finally, the sodium solutions that the companies injected into the meat gave the birds (especially the turkeys) a flavor and texture reminiscent of commercial deli turkey loaf.
We did consider a slow roasting at a lower temperature to solve the dryness issue; some recipes, including Prudhomme's, recommend 190 or 225 degrees. However, a consultation with our food science editor gave us pause. Stuffing provides an especially hospitable environment for bacteria (this is why you should not stuff a turkey too long before roasting), and the environment in a warm versus hot oven is particularly friendly. To reduce this risk, the USDA recommends a minimum roasting temperature of 325 degrees. (See the link below to the USDA fact sheet,
"Turduckens Require Safe Food Handling.")
So, sadly, a turducken is not in our immediate future, and we'll continue to look to our tried and true turkey recipes this November.
