Turducken problem

irishrog · December 2006

HAppy New Years Greetings from Ireland.
I tried to cook turducken for Christmas and had a problem.
I had a bread and herb stuffing between the duck and the chicken, and found the stuffing did not conduct the heat through to the chicken.The stuffing seamed to act as a barrier. I had sausage meat stuffing between the turkey and the duck, and the heat travelled through fine, but when it came to the bread stuffing it was like there was nothing to carry the heat, and when I probed the joint the turkey was cooked (4 & half hours) but the chicken was not even warm.
It was a big bird ,21 pounds, ready for the oven, and I ended up cutting it in half, behind the legs, and letting the heat in that way. This worked fine, and the bird was beautiful, but the turkey breast was a little overcooked by the time the chicken had cooked and it was a bit messy for carving.
Anybody got any ideas how to overcome this problem, or had similar difficulty.
P.S. I prepared the birds myself, and it was a lot easier than I expected, so if anyone is thinking of doing your own not be afraid.

djm5x9 · December 2006

<p />irishrog:[p]I have cooked turducken direct on an elevated grill at 325º dome with no problems reaching the desired internal in about four to four and a half hours with birds aproximately sixteen to eighteen pounds.[p]Can you elaborate on yout technique?

Clay Q · December 2006

irishrog,
Whenever I use stuffing I have it pre-cooked and hot when it goes in the bird. This makes the cooking go quicker and more safely. A moist stuffing carries heat better than a dry stuffing.
I'd like to try a turducken. Or a gookenham, (goose, chicken, ham).
Happy New Year,
Clay Pots[p]

tstick · December 2006

irishrog,
That is interesting. I did a stuffed pork loin for Christmas. I didn't realize when I bought the loin that it was completely sliced in half. Anyway, the stuffing was cold when it was placed and tied between the two pieces of pork The bottom was done in time but the top wasn't even close. However I did forget to pound the pork flat before tying and that probably had something to do with it. tstick

Lord of the Eggs · December 2006

irishrog,
From the Prudhomme Family Cookbook, the Turducken recipe there cooks a 20 lb turkey, 4 lb duck and 3 lb chicken at 190 degrees for 12 to 13 hours, until the center reads 165. He removes drippings every couple of hours to prevent "frying" the bottom. [p]What recipe were you following?

Unknown · December 2006

irishrog,[p]never done a turducken, but i speculate your problem was the "insulating" stuffing was fairly dry. dry bread would be a pretty good insulator. try making the stuffing wetter next time.[p]
ken[p]

irishrog · December 2006

djm5x9,
Thanks for the interest. I started the bird at 350 indirect in a V rack over a pan of stock to catch the juices. The EGG was stabelised for about 40 minutes with the platesetter in before I put in the bird.
Having thought about it for a few days I am sure the problem was the stuffing acting as insulation. I had origionally planned to put the sausage meat stuffing inside the duck, but felt it would take too long for the heat to penetrate. How wrong can you be. Next time I will use 2 layers of meat stuffing which should conduct the heat better.
The flavours and succulence from this cook are second to none, and I really want to get this right. So I have to keep practicing.
Happy New Year to All
Roger

irishrog · December 2006

ClayQ,
How about boning the goose and stuffing it with a side of turkey breast.
Traditionally in Ireland you cooked a turkey and a goose in the same oven, at the same time. The idea was that the drier turkey would draw the fat from the goose, giving a drier goose and a moist turkey. I have to say I never tried it, I dont have a big enough oven. In fact I dont think I have seen an oven big enough to roast the two birds at one time, outside a commercial kitchen.

irishrog · December 2006

Lord of the Eggs,
I tried this last year. I put the bird on at 1.00 a.m. for eating at 2.00 p.m. Xmas day. When I got up on Christmas morning the bird was cooked, at 8.00 a.m. I ended up wrapping the lot in tinfoil and towels and putting it in a large picnic box to keep it hot until meal time.
That is why I tried the quicker cooking method this year.
Roger

irishrog · December 2006

Ken Baker,
You can be sure there will be a next time. I found the preperation of the bird easy enough, and the end results are well worth the effort.
Roger

Turducken problem

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