The Franken-bird
A turducken is not just a chicken stuffed into a duck stuffed into a turkey with layers of stuffing in each bird. It is a 30 pound monstrocity of meat. One Christmas, I joked about making one. Then I couldn’t stop thinking about it and decided to make my joke into reality for New Year’s Eve.
Since I had deboned and stuffed chickens before (to make my favorite filipino dish, see below) I didn’t think a turducken would be that much work. I was so naive.
Rellenong Manok (Rolled chicken)
The Turducken
If x = the amount of work it takes to make a rellenong manok, then making a turducken is not 3x, it is x to the 3rd power.
It is unlikely that I will make Turducken 2.0, but if I did, I would have to remember the following:
1) The birds should definitely come in large, medium, and small. My duck was too small to be medium, so I couldn’t quite close the duck all the way. I had used tooth picks to close the stuffed chicken before I placed it in the duck (that was splayed open with a layer of stuffing patted on the inside.) I had to use skewers to close the duck.
2) I always think of that crispy, deep brown roasted skin when I think of eating duck. Duck skin just looks like a thick layer of fat in a turducken.
3) Vary the stuffings. I got tired after deboning 3 birds, so I felt justified in being a little lazy and using some of the same bread and meat for the stuffing. The recipe called for 3 completely different stuffings comprised of corn bread, white bread, clams, sausage, mushrooms, celery, etc. I forgot that you have to cook the stuffing beforehand.
4) Don’t make too much stuffing! You are fitting whole birds into other birds. There is not that much extra room.
5) Get a pan that can hold the turducken and all of its juices comfortably. Mine was kind of snug.
6) Finish preparing it a day before you plan to eat it. It is huge and takes 8 HOURS to cook at 150 degrees. I finished it atound 1 am and thought, “Cool, I’ll just cook it while I sleep.” Turducken just does not seem right for breakfast. Plus, nobody wants to get out of bed to baste.
7) Have more than one person over to help you eat it.
Looking back, I am glad I made the turducken. I was too overwhelmed to enjoy it at the time, but that was a damn good medley of birds.
I’m just using you…
..for another entry for a contest giveaway. Given my current income, I can’t afford anything fun so it’s back to scratch-offs and contest entries.
This one is pretty dandy, and would make a cook drool. Hopefully not into the food…
Better Living Through Vacationing
I came to Portland this weekend to visit my brother and his girlfriend. I decided to make this a real vacation, where we didn’t run around trying to do stuff and I didn’t do any work either.
It’s been awhile since I did something like that. What was the last relaxing vacation you took?
Great Quotes: Coolio
I know that Coolio’s cooking show isn’t news, nor is his book.. but, even if it’s not news, I thought this quotation was too good to pass up.
“I like Rachel Ray. I like Bobby Flay. I like all them cats. But they are not the Gourmet Ghetto, baby. My motto is, I cook better than your Shaka Zulu mama. And I wash my hands a lot.”
