Buzz
The turducken reigns as the ultimate bird-within-a-bird-within-a-bird (yes, it's that wild!) on today’s dinner tables. ©MytourAt first glance, it almost seems like a skit from SNL. A deboned chicken packed inside a deboned duck, all nestled inside a deboned turkey. Can that really be happening?
Despite the outrageous level of culinary creativity needed to craft such a dish, the turducken has been a U.S. favorite for over 30 years. It has moved past its novelty stage, becoming the ultimate holiday meal for those seeking a little bit of everything.
But several lingering questions remain for those who've never sampled this mysterious and baffling dish: Who is the mastermind behind the turducken? How do you bring this meat marvel to life? What does it actually taste like? And where do you even begin when it's time to tackle this Matryoshka doll of meats? Like many outlandish (and outrageously delicious) dishes, the turducken's roots can be traced back to — where else? — the Southern U.S.
History of the Turducken
The turducken's true origin remains a mystery. One popular claim is that the legendary Louisiana Cajun chef Paul Prudhomme invented the dish. He trademarked the name turducken in 1986 and helped bring the poultry trifecta into the mainstream. Prudhomme later told New York Times journalist Amanda Hesser in 2002 that he was the first to envision this towering creation. From Hesser's account:
However, another story suggests the dish was conceived by two brothers working in a butcher shop, Hebert's Specialty Meats in Maurice, Louisiana. Junior and Sammy Hebert, the shop's owners, were approached by a local customer who brought his "birds to the shop and asked the brothers to combine them." Today, Hebert's, which proudly calls itself the "home of the world famous turducken," can prepare as many as 200 turduckens a day during the holiday season.
There are other tales surrounding the turducken's origin, but the concept of engastration (stuffing one animal inside another) is an age-old tradition. During the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe, engastration symbolized wealth. It was Grimod de la Reynière — one of the first food critics, and the publisher of the world's first food journal, Almanach des Gourmands — who is credited with the idea of stuffing a bird inside another bird.
In 1807, Grimod included a recipe for rôti sans pareil, the "roast without equal," in his journal. This extravagant dish featured 17 different birds, starting with a garden warbler and concluding with a buzzard. While there's no proof that he or anyone else ever actually cooked the rôti sans pareil, it certainly makes the turducken seem tame in comparison.
Regardless of who truly invented the turducken, it was football icon John Madden — a man with no food industry ties — who brought the dish into the mainstream. Madden was introduced to the dish by Glenn and Leah Mistich. Leah, from the family that owned Hebert's, gifted Madden a turducken during a 1997 game at the Superdome — a gesture that would change Madden’s life forever.
Shortly thereafter, Madden began requesting a turducken every Thanksgiving. In 2014, the word "turducken" was officially added to the dictionary, securing this ambitious, albeit quirky, dish a permanent place in culinary history.
Unless you're an expert in bird butchery, it's probably best to buy a pre-stuffed turducken from your local store or online.
Flickr/CC BY 2.0How Do You Make a Turducken?
Making a turducken from scratch isn’t for the faint-hearted, but it can be done with the right ingredients: one deboned chicken, one deboned duck, and a deboned turkey to hold the aforementioned Frankenstein of fowls:
- First, debone your birds. (Deboning the turkey is by far the most challenging task, as it requires keeping the meat and skin as intact as possible. The duck and chicken can be deboned with less precision, since they’ll just be stuffed inside the turkey and duck.)
- Place the deboned turkey skin-side down, and cover its meat with stuffing to ensure it stays juicy and plump.
- Lay the deboned duck skin-side down on top of the stuffed turkey. Add another layer of stuffing over the duck.
- Put the deboned chicken skin-side down onto the stuffing-covered duck and top it with the remaining stuffing.
- Next, comes the tricky part: wrapping up the turducken. Using thick butcher’s twine, carefully roll the turkey up tightly.
- If needed, sew the seam shut with a trussing needle and butcher’s twine, starting from the tail and finishing at the neck. This will make the turducken resemble a normal turkey, though remember: nothing about this is normal.
- Season the outside of the turducken to your taste, with Cajun or Creole spices being the usual choice.
- Finally, the easy part: cooking the mighty meal. Generally, roast your turducken for about 25 to 30 minutes per pound at 375°F (190°C), though you can also barbecue or smoke it. The method is up to you, as long as the internal temperature hits 160°F (71°C).
Of course, if all of this sounds overly complicated, that’s because it is. Unless you’re skilled in bird butchery, you’re better off purchasing a pre-stuffed turducken from the store or online. These are already deboned, stuffed, and ready to cook — perfect for anyone who doesn’t have the stomach (or skills!) to debone three birds.
What Does a Turducken Taste Like?
Finally — the big question: What does it actually taste like? Naturally, the answer is subjective, but having had a taste of turducken myself, I can assure you that one bite is enough to understand the power and deliciousness of this meaty masterpiece.
Each type of meat brings its own unique flavor to the table, and when combined, the result is a truly extraordinary and unexpected taste. It’s a savory, wild-flavored experience that excites the taste buds while, quite literally, killing three birds with one dish.
However, be warned: the turducken is not for the faint of heart. One serving is practically a full meal in itself, packing in about 510 calories, so indulge with caution.
The turducken has become so iconic in American cuisine that even vegans and vegetarians have created their own version — the vegducken. The first known version was made by Dan Pashman, the host of the podcast "The Sporkful" and the Cooking Channel's "You're Eating It Wrong." His recipe features yams inside leeks inside a banana squash, with vegetarian stuffing layered in between. Other versions of the vegducken include layers of pumpkin, apples, potatoes, and even parsnips.
