It’s not easy to shake things up on Thanksgiving. With so much going on, keeping it simple is often the best defense against a meltdown — at least according to the catering chef we talked to. The turkey is the biggest constant in the sprawling fall feast, but what if I told you that you could have a totally unusual and totally delicious turkey that wouldn’t take up any more of your time and energy than a traditional bird? In fact, it takes even less time to prepare, but it will garner excitement and praise that a boring oven-roasted turkey will never earn.

I’m talking Turducken — it’s a chicken-stuffed, duck-stuffed, stuffing-stuffed turkey — and you can buy them pre-assembled at Goldbelly, ready to pop and bake on the big day. I made one a few years ago and I’m still thinking about it. The meat was incredibly moist, thanks to the rich duck fat that lubricates the meat from the inside out.

The Cajun stuffing gave the famously tender meat the right kick to the pants, and the whole thing just needed to be thawed, placed in the oven, and baked until the meat was cooked through and the outer skin was crisp.

You can find lots of turducken In the Golden Belly It is made and sold mostly by Louisiana butchers, many of whom claim to have invented it. They’re more expensive per pound than a single bird, but each one is packed with meat because the turkey comes off the bone without any carcasses or cavities. Even “little” Turduck According to the product pages, it feeds an estimated 12 people, but I think you could stretch it even further.

After years of wondering about the legendary turducken, I finally baked one for a pre-Thanksgiving gathering a few years ago. It was surprisingly easy to make, and the turducken turned out so tender and delicious that I’m considering bringing it back again this year.

Here’s how to order, cook and serve Turducken and why you should definitely make them this Thanksgiving.

What is Turducken?

Turduckers are whole turkeys that have been deboned and stuffed with a whole chicken, which itself is stuffed with boneless duck. The giant meat roll is roasted like a regular turkey, then sliced ​​and served. One idea is that duck, which is known to be rich in fat, helps keep turkey, which is known to be lean, from drying out.

Turduckens came into our lives mostly thanks to former NFL coach and announcer John Madden, who popped one on live TV during his many Thanksgiving appearances. As the origin story continuesDuring the New Orleans Saints broadcast, a turducken was delivered to Madden in the press box by a local New Orleans meat shop called Gourmet Butcher Block. Madden tried it, loved it, and incorporated it into his on-air turkey day tradition from then on.

I remember seeing this trio of fowl stuffed together like Russian nesting dolls on TV, but I always assumed the congener was more of a spectacle; Before I even knew what memes were, it looked a bit like a food meme. I also assumed that turduckens, even if they were good, were probably more trouble with deboning, flattening, stuffing, and seasoning than they were worth.

That’s not the case with these ready-to-fry versions.

How to cook turducken and how long does it take?

First you will need to defrost the birds; This process can take up to three days in the refrigerator or up to six hours in the sink or cold water bath.

Cooking turducken is quite simple but takes time. The instructions directed me to bake the turducken at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 hours, covered, and another hour, uncovered, to crisp the skin. I used a roasting rack with a pan underneath to catch the drippings. I used mine too. meat thermometer For poultry to be safe to eat, the internal temperature must reach 165 degrees.

Note: Bake Turducken longer than stated in the instructions.

My Turducken was nowhere near 165 degrees after the prescribed five hours. In fact, it didn’t reach that internal temperature for another 90 minutes. Luckily there was plenty of wine and appetizers to fill us up, but it’s something to keep in mind if your turkey day is on a tight schedule.

If you order one, I’d definitely weigh it (mine weighed a full pound more than advertised) and throw it in an hour or so earlier than you normally would, keeping a close eye on the temperature. In a happy coincidence, the extra time in the oven helped turn the skin to a perfect crispy brown, and there were plenty of drippings in the pan to make the sauce. I cheated a bit and put some melted butter on the skin about an hour before it came out of the oven, but I suspect it would be quite crispy on its own.

How did it happen?

Almost everyone agreed that this was the most delicious Thanksgiving turkey experience we’ve ever had. The fat from the duck spread throughout the roast, and all three meats were incredibly moist, tender and delicious. It looked like eating pernil (roasted pork shoulder) or another slow-cooked barbecue the way everything falls apart and falls apart. When I sliced ​​it, all three types of meat were melted off the sides and combined with the duck fat, stuffing, and seasoning blend to create a sauce.

The turducken I ordered had a layer of Cajun cornbread filling on top and some Cajun seasoning on the skin, too, so it had a bit of a kick; Just enough to notice but not too strong. And there’s nothing a dollop of creamy mashed potatoes or sweet cranberry sauce can’t neutralize.

Where can you buy Turducken online?

You can certainly make a turducken from scratch, but it will take a lot of time to debone a whole turkey, a chicken, and a duck, and you’ll need to nail down the dimensions to make sure they all fit together snugly. My advice is to grab one. golden belly this is pre-assembled but not yet cooked.

I chose Hebert’s Cajun cornbread-stuffed turducken. Goldbelly has other options, including a 17-pounder From the Gourmet Butcher Block. Cheapest Turducken at Goldbelly $170 — still quite expensive — but in my experience it can feed about 15 people. Most turducken are still in stock and can be shipped before Thanksgiving (for free if you order soon). Make sure you allow six or seven hours for the turducken to cook. defrost in a sink full of cold water or a few days to thaw in the refrigerator.