Philip Henderson with his Thanksgiving Turducken.
“Several times I have made Turducken at the homes of friends. It required me to virtually move into their homes on Tuesday and Wednesday. I worked on the birds starting Tuesday morning about 8 am then put everything in the refrigerator about 5 pm. I returned to work about 4 pm on Wednesday and put the Turducken in the oven about midnight. It cooks for 14 hours at 195 degrees Fahrenheit, below the boiling point of water.
Turducken during assembly.
“On Tuesday I prepared the dressings for each bird. I chopped up onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic for several hours. I removed all the bones from the turkey, duck and chicken. I cooked cornbread. On Wednesday I put everything together including about one hour sewing the bird together. I can do everything alone except for the sewing together, that takes at least another set of hands.
The finished product.
“Turducken is a project well worth the investment of time. It freezes well too. I used at 26-pound turkey a six- or seven-pound duck and a four-pound chicken. Even with the bones removed the bird weighed at least forty pounds with the dressing. You have to place it in a sturdy baking pan. The flimsy aluminum pans will crash and burn, they cannot take the weight. This size Turducken gives ample first course meals for 30 people.”
This is a guest post from Philip Henderson, the Ethical Magician. Philip is a long time friend and a frequent commenter on Burnt My Fingers.
You too can prepare Turducken at home. Several recipes can be easily found on the Internet. I use the family recipe of the Paul Prudhomme family for my inspiration.
A goal for thanksgiving 2024!