I'm a "Why not both?" kind of guy but turkey gets the nod
by thatguy (2020-11-24 20:22:47)

In reply to: Xmas Ham > T'day turkey. Prove me wrong.  posted by Wooderson

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A turkey roasting in the oven perfumes the house with anticipation in a way which ham could only dream of. Crisp turkey skin is a thing of beauty. White meat, dark meat, doesn't matter to me but a turkey gives people options ham does not. A proper turkey gravy (a biproduct, not a side) can be slathered on anything and everything on the plate imbuing it with turkey goodness. I'd also argue that stuffing is not a side here but rather a component of the Thanksgiving turkey which cannot be topped by ham.

Lastly turkey leftovers are far more versatile. Ham may have morning-after breakfast on lockdown but since trying the linked recipe, turkey carnitas has become my most anticipated leftover meal of the year.



Has anyone here ever done a turducken?
by TCIrish03  (2020-11-24 20:31:57)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

I bring up the idea every year, and every year my wife says "yeah right, that's gross".
Yep. They’re pretty amazing. But a huge amount of food. *
by 3rdSt  (2020-11-24 21:06:04)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Yes. And it was glorious. *
by tar  (2020-11-24 20:52:06)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

It seems the turkey would get very dry. *
by ndtnguy  (2020-11-24 21:00:12)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

That wasn’t our experience. *
by tar  (2020-11-24 22:06:32)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Does fat from the duck keep it moist?
by ndtnguy  (2020-11-24 22:56:52)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Or did you baste it? I'm just curious how the duck gets cooked without the turkey getting overdone.
A lot of work
by HTownND  (2020-11-25 10:06:18)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

And lots of basting as mentioned below.

Turduckens are not for the set it and forget it crowd.

Me, I'll continue to fry the turkey.

And for anyone who asks

1) I measure the displacement for the bird with water before adding the oil
2) I always turn the flame off when the bird goes in (that 1 minute isn't going to materially drop the temp of the oil, and it ensures that it can't catch fire).


I'm amazed at how amateur hour people are with frying turkeys.
We basted it. Frequently.
by tar  (2020-11-25 06:16:21)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

But I’m not sure that was really necessary.

It wasn’t dry at all.

And the corn bread stuffing was awesome
Basting doesn't really do anything.
by grnd  (2020-11-25 09:59:30)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

The theory is that it cools the bird so it cooks more slowly, thus preventing the meat from drying out. What really causes the bird to cook more slowly is not the basting but the fact that you keep opening the oven door to baste it an in the process let heat out.

Cooks Illustrated tested this a while back.