So, a client sent me a 16-pound Turducken from Herbert's Specialty Meats, and I am planning to serve it for Thanksgiving. Their directions call to put it in the oven covered for 4 hours, then one hour uncovered. I am thinking that smoking the turducken could be better. That being said, I am not sure exactly how to go about it and how long it will take. Anyone with experience have any advice?
You might want to check the pull date on that turducken, they have been out of style for over a decade.
Smoking a turducken? I think the hardest part will be finding big enough rolling paper. HEY O! #dadjoke
Based on the density and difference in meats, I’d just follow the package directions. I’d also consider firing the client over a something like that.
Mais Cher, jus cook dat like da instructions say! Seriously, I would not smoke it unless you put it in the smoker for a couple of hours and finished it in the oven. And don't knock the gator...it will make your sticker peck out. I keep my plane hangared at KIYA; it is about 10 miles south of Hebert's. Although I am not the biggest fan of the turducken they do have a great variety of other prepared meats as well as great stuffed chickens.
Truthfully, I would have rather had the alligator meat...and I have had fried rattle snake. Back several years ago I went to Sweetwater, Texas. They were gathering up rattlesnakes, and the called it the Sweetwater Rattle Snake Roundup, sponsored by the JayCee's They had a portable pool there, full of rattle snakes. The guy would pick one up by the tail, then lop off the head. Another guy would skin it, cut it up into small pieces, roll the pieces in flour and drop them into a boiling pot of oil. Then they would sell it for a dollar a plate. There was a line a mile long waiting to get a plate of fried rattle snake. It was actually pretty good. There was a representative there from the ASPCA. He was there to make sure they killed the rattle snakes right. I asked him... ''How do you kill a rattle snake wrong.??''
Pick one up by the tail, roll it in flour, drop it into a boiling pot of oil, when cooked lop off the head, skin it, and cut it into small pieces?
That's what I may be leaning toward. Throw it on the pellet smoker for an hour and then cover it and put it in the oven like the instructions say. Then uncover to finish in the oven.
I would expect that putting it in the smoker would result in smoked turkey and baked duck, baked hen and baked stuffing. Not sure if that's the intended outcome.
As long as you finish it in the oven it should be okay. However if you never had one I'd try it first with no smoke. We tried only smoking a couple and it didnt quite come out as planned. The best way to cook in my opinion is with a Cajun Microwave which is nothing but a huge dutch oven. I guess you're not a top tier vendor then. There was a time you could get all the alligator meat you wanted basically free. Then some other people decided they liked it and poof no more. Dont know what you're missing.
I've done a full turducken once and a turducken "breast" once. Frankly, I've never found it as good as it was cracked up to be. The illusion is that you'll get a nice slice with the three concentric meats on it, but in actuality it never seems to work out that way. Seeing how the preassembled ones seem to go for ten times what a turkey and a duck would cost (you can keep the goose), I'll stick to cooking them seperately.
Alligator would have been better. I served Turducken to my in-laws over 15 years ago. They still haven't forgiven me or stopped making fun of me for that.
Start by removing the bird out of the frig 1 hour before cooking. Next 250 degrees on the smoker for 2.5 hours Next increase temp to 275 to 300 degrees and wrap with foil or in a covered in a foil pan with 1 pound of butter for as long as it takes to get the internal meat temp to 160 degrees. It should be 1 more hour. I debone a turkey and stuff it with Cajun andouille cornbread stuffing. I use the above times to smoke it. Works great. Enjoy. Scott
I was thinking about this and because you have three layers of meat, it my take longer to get the center meat up to 160. Be sure to give yourself enough time in case it take longer.
Let's please address this destructive food myth. It is not necessary to get the meat up to 160*. If that results in your desired level of doneness, that's fine. But the meat is safe before that. Use a remote probe thermometer for best results. https://www.yourdoctorsorders.com/2013/06/dont-overcook-healthy-cooking/
The one I had was not terrible. Of course, you have to not have an aversion to duck or turkey, which some people do. Mine employed a Creole-ish sausage stuffing to absorb the duck fat (that stuff is gold). I wouldn't bother investing the time or money if it were my budget, though.
believe it or not, I didn’t get it at first. I was like “well yeah, when you wrap it you’ll need extra wide butcher paper and…”
