How to Make Turducken

Guide Note: Make this Thanksgiving a memorable one and cook a turducken. It takes time and money, but How to Make Turducken will guide you through the rigorous process.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

  • This Thanksgiving, leave an impression on your family and friends by making a turducken. A turducken consists of three de-boned birds; a turkey, duck and chicken, and three types of stuffing. The chicken is stuffed inside of the duck, which is stuffed inside of the turkey. In between each bird is a layer of stuffing, creating a strata of meat and stuffing that you will be able to slice right through.
  • The turducken is Cajun in origin and although there is no documented proof of its genesis, the turducken has been traced to Hebert's Specialty Meats in Maurice, Louisiana who has been selling turduckens since 1985.

Step 1: Getting Started

  • Before you start salivating, understand that making a turducken is a serious undertaking. It will take you almost an entire day to prepare and cook the turducken, but if you pull it off successfully, you will be a Thanksgiving legend.
  • There are many factors to take into account when planning out your turducken. Because turduckens take such a long time to prepare, it is a good idea to enlist help. If possible, have your friends make the stuffing so you can focus on de-boning the birds. If you are in it all by yourself, use the day before you serve the turducken for de-boning the fowl and for making the stuffing.
  • Once you have prepared the birds and the stuffing, allow eight hours to cook the turducken, with one hour for it to cool. That's why it is wise to prepare the turducken the day before you cook it.

Step 2: Basic Ingredients and Equipment

Tur....(Creative Commons Photo by Jenny Mealing)
Tur....(Creative Commons Photo by Jenny Mealing)
  • The size of the turkey, chicken and duck depend on how many people you intend to feed. Most turducken recipes serve approximately 20-30 people. If you aren't feeding that many people, you can use smaller fowl, or eat turducken leftovers for the foreseeable future. This turducken recipe will be based on 26 servings.

Fowl

  • 1 turkey, 17-22 pounds
  • 1 duck, 5-6 pounds
  • 1 chicken, 3-4 pounds

Equipment

Duck....(CC Photo by Heather)
Duck....(CC Photo by Heather)
  • Keeping each bird separate and chilled is recommended. The more a bird sits at room temperature and is exposed to other foods, it increases the chances of acquiring a foodbourne disease. Separate baking pans, Tupperware containers and plastic wrap/aluminum foil will be necessary to keep your food safe.
En. (CC Photo by Aaron)
En. (CC Photo by Aaron)
  • You will need the following:

Storage

  1. Clear out room in your refrigerator for the three baking sheets that hold the birds. The sheet that holds the turkey will be bigger than the baking sheets that hold the chicken and duck. Make room for the three containers of stuffing.
  2. After you purchase your fowl, bring them directly home and refrigerate them immediately at no warmer than 40 degrees.
  3. Store each bird separately in its own dish to prevent cross-contamination. Use extra plastic bags to wrap the bird in so that excess fluids don't contaminate other food.
  4. Store the fowl for no more than two days before you use them.
  5. Wash your hands in warm, soapy water before and after you handle the poultry. Also wash your knife, cutting board and other utensils that have handled the raw birds.
  • In addition to the fowl, you will have to make three types of stuffing and gravy. Because the types of stuffing that can be used vary based on one's taste, there are several stuffing recipes listed in the next step that are ideal for the turducken.

Step 3: Prepare the Stuffing

  • What would a Thanksgiving turkey be without stuffing? What would a turducken be without three different types of stuffing? In the case of the turducken, stuffing isn't just the filler, it's the glue that holds the three birds together. And, who can argue against three different kinds of stuffing?

Tip: Prepare the stuffing before you handle the fowl. This reduces the risk of contamination and allows the stuffing to cool.

Cornbread stuffing recipes

Oyster stuffing recipes

Shrimp stuffing recipes

Other stuffing recipes

Step 4: De-bone the Birds

  • De-boning is a necessary step in preparing the turducken. Most people have never de-boned a bird before so make sure your knife is sharp enough and that you adhere to the USDA's Poultry Preparation checklist to make sure that you avoid foodbourne illnesses.

De-boning your turkey

  • Before you de-bone your turkey, it is good to understand the concept of a boneless bird. Basically, you want to cut the turkey down the middle of its back and open it up so that it's rolled out flat. You're not only cutting the bones away from the meat, but you're cutting through some of the joints to remove the bones entirely. All of this must be done while keeping the meat attached to the skin. Fabulous Foods has pictures of the de-boning process in case you get confused along the way.
  • The only bones you will leave in the turkey are the tip ends of each leg bone and the first two joints of each wing. The bones you will be removing are the upper wing and leg bone's, back and rib cage. De-bone one side at a time and remember, de-boning a turkey will take some time so allow yourself plenty.
  1. Wash the bird thoroughly before boning.
  2. Keep as much of the skin intact as possible.
  3. Place the turkey on its stomach and make an incision through the skin and meat down the length of its spine from neck to tail.
  4. When cutting the bone away from the meat, make sure that the meat stays attached to the skin.
  5. Starting on one side, cut through the ball-and-socket joint (hip) and disconnect it from the rest of the turkey.
  6. Very carefully, cut the meat away from the thigh bone, from the hip joint to the next joint.
  7. Remove the thigh bone by cutting through the hip joint.
  8. Now that you have de-boned the hip, use the same method on the shoulder.
  9. Cut through the shoulder joint and separate the wing from the rest of the turkey.
  10. Very carefully, cut the meat away from the wing bone, from the shoulder to the next joint.
  11. Remove the upper wing bone by cutting through the second and third joints.
  12. Once the hip and wing bones have been removed, start teasing the meat away from the rib cage but don't remove just yet. Continue to separate the skin away from the breastbone.
  13. Move to the other side of the turkey and remove the thigh bone and upper wing bone. Now you can finish scraping the meat away from the rib cage and breastbone.
  14. Detach the breastbone and rib cage. Now you should have a de-boned turkey that is ready to be stuffed!

De-boning your chicken and duck

  • When de-boning the chicken and duck, you will be following the same procedures as the turkey. The only difference is that you will be removing all of the bones. These steps will walk you through the rest of the boning process.
  1. With the duck/chicken on its breast, make the same cuts and remove the same bones as the turkey.
  2. Cut the meat away from the thigh and remove the bone.
  3. When you get to each wing, cut and remove the first two joints leaving the drumstick. Once you have cut the meat away from the drumstick, remove the bone.
  4. Remove and excess fat and trim the skin from the neck area. Use some of the extra skin for the gravy.
  • Now you should have three de-boned birds ready for stuffing.

Tip: Be very careful while cutting that you don't puncture the skin.

Step 5: Assembling the Turducken

  • Now that you have your fowl de-boned and your stuffing prepared, you are ready to assemble your turducken. Each bird will need its own baking sheet and will have to be refrigerated once stuffed.

Stuffing the birds

  1. Take one of your baking sheets and lay the turkey skin down, making sure that you are exposing as much meat as possible.
  2. Stuff each leg cavity with the cornbread dressing. Stuff the dressing in with your fingers, but not too tight.
  3. Stuff each wing cavity with the cornbread dressing and like the leg, don't stuff the wing too tight.
  4. Add enough cornbread stuffing to cover the entire turkey cavity by 3/4".
  5. Cover and refrigerate the turkey and extra stuffing.
  6. While in the refrigerator, take the duck and your second stuffing and stuff it the exact same way you stuffed the turkey. This time, cover the duck with 1/2" of stuffing.
  7. Cover the duck and the stuffing and place both back into the refrigerator.
  8. Take out the chicken and your third stuffing and cover the chicken with 1/2" of stuffing. Leave the stuffed chicken out, but place the stuffing back into the refrigerator.

Building the turducken

Layers of fowl and stuffing. (CC Photo by Nate Vack)
Layers of fowl and stuffing. (CC Photo by Nate Vack)
  • All that is left is to wrap each bird inside each other. You will need the three skewers.
  1. Take one side of the chicken and roll it toward the center. Do the same with the other side so that it now resembles a chicken. If it won't hold together, use a skewer to attach both sides.
  2. Take the chicken and place it on top of the duck. Roll both ends of the duck around the chicken and use a skewer to hold the duck in place.
  3. Now take the duck/chicken and place it on top of the turkey. Wrap the both sides around the duck/chicken, including the neck flap and fasten with a skewer. Now you should have successfully stuffed all three of the birds.
  4. Take the 15" x 11" pan and place it on top of the turducken with the opening facing the turducken.
  5. With the pan facing down on top of the turducken, turn the turducken over into the pan. This might be difficult so try to have someone help you.
  6. Once the turducken has been flipped so that the breast is facing up, slide the skewer out from underneath the turducken.
  7. Take the aluminum foil and cover the tips of the wings and the front and back openings of the turkey so that the stuffing stays intact.
  8. Place the pan that the turducken is in into the 2 1/2" pan so that any drippings will be caught.
  9. Place the turducken in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook it. Don't refrigerate the turducken any more than one day before you're ready to cook it.

Tip: Make sure that each bird is refrigerated when it's not being stuffed. This decreases the chances of foodbourne illness.

Step 6: Cooking the Turducken

The finished product. (CC Photo by Nate Vack)
The finished product. (CC Photo by Nate Vack)
  • The hard part is now over. Cooking a turducken will take eight hours, including one cool down hour so if you're planning on eating at 6 pm, it would be wise to put the turducken in the oven at 9 am.
  1. Place your oven thermometer in the oven and get the heat up to 225 degrees. Do not rely on your oven temperature gauge.
  2. Put the turducken in the oven and set your timer for eight hours.
  3. At the four hour mark, cover the turducken with aluminum foil.
  4. Start preparing your gravy and various stuffings at the seven hour mark.
  5. Place a meat thermometer in the turducken before you remove it from the oven. If the interior is 165 degrees, it is safe to to remove the turducken. If not, continue to cook until the center is 165 degrees.
  6. Once removed, let the turducken stand for one hour.
  7. When carving, cut across the turducken from left to right so that you get all three layers of meat and stuffing.
  8. Don't forget to take pictures because this will be one of the most memorable Thanksgiving cooking experiences of a lifetime!!

Resources for How to Make Turducken

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