Tuesday, December 4, 2012

DIY Turducken - I Dare You To Try It!

My family became hooked on Turducken (chicken stuffed inside a duck which is stuffed inside a turkey) many years ago.  We have ordered it just about every year from the Cajun Grocer, except when we lived in New Zealand when we begged the butcher to make us one.  

TURDUCKEN with Cornbread & Pork Rice Dressing
Cajungrocer.com
Seeing as how I'm the "Fake-It Frugal Lady" now, I decided that it was high time that I learned how to make my own Turducken, so I did some research:

First, I watched this video on how to de-bone a chicken.

Next, I read this article about how to de-bone a turkey.

Finally, I read this article about putting together the Turducken.  

I felt totally prepared to tackle this feat.  I mean, how hard could it be???

Credit:  Butchbellah.com
I assembled my three fowls and two stuffings (family stuffing & cornbread stuffing).  

I started with the duck to practice my de-boning technique.   It was going well until I had to start breaking some of the bones to pull them out of the duck.  That turned my stomach a bit... OK, that turned my stomach a lot!

I was in too deep to stop now, though, so I forged ahead with the turkey.  I couldn't quite get the entire breast bone out without destroying the shape, so I left that piece in.  

Instead of de-boning an entire chicken as well, I decided to "fake it" and use a chicken cutlet.

I then proceeded to layer the turkey according to the instructions:  Turkey, Stuffing, Duck, Stuffing, Chicken.  

As gross as the de-boning process was, it was the sewing up of the Turducken skin that did me in.  All I could think of was Silence of the Lambs and that dude who was making a dress out of women!  Terrible!!!  

Credit:  Rob's Movie Vault
I apologize for not having any photos of my final product.  I was too grossed out by that time to take any pictures!

The Turducken did retain it's shape and my family thought it was delicious - even better than the store-bought one.  But, was all my preparation angst worth it? Check out the Breakdown below!


The Fake-It Yourself Breakdown:

DIY Turducken (Turkey $12.00, Duck $12.00, Chicken $4.00)

Total Fake-It Cost:  $28.00

Compare to the Cajun Grocer's Turducken ($59.95 + Overnight Shipping $59.44)

Total Fake-It Savings:  $91.39

OK, Yes, it was definitely worth it!!!

Do you think YOU have the courage to make your own Turducken?


8 comments:

  1. I'm very lucky because I live in God's country (central Louisiana), a hair above cajun country, but I was born along Bayou Teche in South Louisiana near sugar cane farms. I've had the luscious, lip-smacking turducken and so much more: boudin, cracklings, etc... Luckily, it's really cheaper to buy the food here than make it, but that's because I can get it locally. I love my state and our cuisine and magnificent swamps. It's the most beautiful place on earth. Visiting the Atchafalaya Swamp (biggest swamp in the USA) is like visiting heaven with it's giant Cypress trees, bald eagles and abundant wildlife. I enjoy your blog often. xo

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  2. I just personally couldn't imagine ever ordering food in love with it or not for $100! That's more than 1 weeks food budget for my family of 4! You all must just REALLY love it. :)

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  3. Our family is so satisfied with regular turkey.

    I just noticed that the Silence of the Lambs guy was still taking his Bichon Frise to the groomer. That's some time management!!!!

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  4. Maybe over time you'd get used to the gross deboning and sewing? Or perhaps you can get your husband (or another strong stomached family member) to do it? I used to get grossed out at the mere thought of touching raw chicken, but now I have gotten used to it.

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  5. I made a pre-Thanksgiving turducken this year - it was a LOT of work and was tasty but rich. Made the best leftover noodle casserole I've ever eaten! http://bit.ly/X3gk33

    I also brined a regular old turkey on Thanksgiving - in comparison, this seemed like the simplest task ever!

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  6. Loved this post. We made our own turducken this year too. When I say "we" I actually mean my husband. I was pretty impressed. He soaked it in brine overnight, and that made for a very moist turducken. We had some very skeptical guests for Thanksgiving, but the turducken impressed everyone from the gourmet style diners, to the kids, and even the cleaning service. I told my husband that he's in charge of Thanksgiving from now on. Not sure if he's glad he aced it or not!

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  7. Your contribution to this blog is greatly appreciated. Thank you for sharing your experience and providing us with so many insightful details.



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