Turducken Recipe for Wood-fired Bake Ovens

By Marge Padgitt

A turducken is a chicken stuffed inside a duck which is stuffed inside a turkey and it's becoming more popular for Thanksgiving dinner. Each slice contains portions of chicken, duck, and turkey with stuffing in between the layers. If your bake oven is outdoors, this is a great way to keep heat out of the kitchen or allow room for other dishes in the indoor stove.

Ingredients:

• 5 cups prepared bread stuffing of your choice
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1 (10 to 14-pound) turkey, deboned
• 1 (4 to 6-pound) duck, deboned
• 1 (3 to 4 pound) chicken, deboned
• 5 Tablespoons butter at room temperature
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons fresh or dried thyme leaves, chopped fine
• 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
• 6 fresh or dried sage leaves, chopped fine
• 1 – 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• Sea salt or Kosher salt and black pepper
  

Preparation:

Place a small fire in the bake oven the night before cooking, then build another small fire in the early morning. The temperature of the oven should be between 300 F and 325 F. When the oven is at the desired temperature remove any remaining ashes. Place a pan of hot water in the oven for moisture.

Debone the turkey, duck and chicken (do the day before if desired) and save the bones for soup stock. Keep the poultry refrigerated until ready to use.

Chop the garlic, sage, parsley, and thyme and mix with the butter.

Run your hand under the skin to separate and make a pocket, but do not separate skin completely from the meat. Place the butter herb mixture evenly under the skin.

Rub the skin of the Turkey with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Place the turkey skin side down, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Spread the stuffing evenly over the turkey cavity. Place the duck on top of the stuffing, skin-side down. Spread stuffing over the duck, then place the chicken on top of the duck, skin-side down. Spread stuffing on the chicken, then sprinkle pecans over the stuffing, Skewer the back of the chicken, then duck, then turkey until they are closed. Turn turn the turducken over, so it is seam-side down and breast-side up and place in a heavy roasting pan. Remove all of the skewers except the one holding the turkey together. Alternatively, tie the birds together with heavy string or twine.

Roast 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 hours, basting every hour with pan juices, until meat thermometer inserted in the very center of the chicken stuffing reaches 165 F. Place a tent of aluminum foil over the turducken after it is a nice golden brown so it doesn't get too brown. Cooking in a wood-fired oven is not an exact science so you'll need to be flexible with dinner time. If there is room, bake other prepared dishes along side the turducken during the last hour of cooking.

Let the turducken rest for 20- 30 minutes before carving so it will hold together better. To serve, slice turducken across the breast to show off each layer.

Yield: 12 to 16 servings