I’ve always stuffed my Thanksgiving turkey with a bread stuffing, which I have greatly enjoyed and which has never, to my knowledge, killed any of my guests. But I keep reading about the dangers of food poisoning from in-the-turkey stuffing and it’s finally built up enough anxiety in my mind that it’s time to change.
But there’s that nice big cavity just waiting to be filled, so what could go into it? With a roast chicken, I would fill it with two lemons, rolled around on the counter until soft and then pierced many times, but I don’t think lemon is the flavor I’m looking for on Thanksgiving Day.
I have tried the lemon route and it just tasted bitter. I would shove some fresh thyme in there and a couple of sprigs of rosemary. Don’t overdo it on the rosemary. Maybe a little sage. How about an onion?
Yep, aromatics. Onions, herbs, and I’ve even sliced an apple into the turkey. I don’t eat it, but the aroma’s nice and fitting. I also rub the insides with kosher salt. Mostly just because I have it on hand.
Second the aromatics. I usually place part of an apple, an onion, a celery stick, and rosemary in the cavity. And absolutely use kosher salt all over the bird.
Personally I love the stuffing that comes out of the bird, but nobody else will eat it, so I’ve been skipping it.
OnCommand that comes with my local Comcast cable includes a “Food” section under The Travel Channel. (Not in the Food Network menu.) Yesterday, this included a 7 minute featurette on Holiday Cooking–starring Anthony Bourdain.
He’s also anti-stuffing but had some amazing hints on how to cook a flavorful dressing “on the side.”
Yup. And a couple of cinnamon sticks. And I took a hint form Alton Brown I think and very briefly microwave the whole mess with just a little water, before pouring it in. Along with brining it helps keep everything moist and flavorsome.
I’m really disgusted with what America is becoming. Don’t give in to the fear mongers. Follow directions for prep and execution and you’re fine. I’ve been stuffing turkeys for over 40 years now and never a problem.
This is a new one for me. What’s wrong with stuffing the cavity of the bird? How the heck else are you going to infuse the wonderful flavor of roast turkey into your stuffing?
I have never liked the stuffing from inside a bird. When I finally starting making Thanksgiving dinner myself, I started stuffing with oranges and apples. Cut them into halves or quarters and stuff away.
Stuff the bird then, when it’s done, pull the yummy flavored, but disgusting textured mass out, spread it in a baking pan and crisp it up. It’ll have that awesome “roasted in the bird” flavor without the slimy roasted-in-the-bird texture.
We compromise. We have two batches of stuffing (or, technically, one batch of stuffing, and one batch of “dressing.”) One is cooked in the bird, another outside the bird. So everybody’s happy. I’ve been tempted to do Fenris’s solution in the past (or run the stuffing in a pan under the broiler for a crispy crust), but have never gotten around to it, figuring the two cooking method solution keeps everyone happy.
So long as you’re meticulous about the temperature – stuffing has to reach 165 degrees at its core and must be measured with a proper probe thermometer – stuffing in the bird is no less safe than the bird itself. If you enjoy that flavor and texture, go for it. Just do it safely.
What’s wrong is that there’s some debate over whether stuffing cooked inside the bird gets to a safe cooking temperature before you pull the turkey out because the white meat is about to turn to chalk.
Me, I simply heat my stuffing up to steaming before I stuff it in the bird. Duh. Stays plenty hot, the breast stays juicy and I’m a happy camper. Because stuffing cooked outside the bird is good, but it ain’t the nirvana of stuffing cooked inside.
But, all that being said, AB’s roast turkey w/ aromatics inside is awfully, awfully good. Almost good enough to make up for the stuffing cooked in a roasting pan.
The problem is that the outside-the-bird “dressing” doesn’t have 1/100th of the flavor of the inside-the-bird stuff.
But life isn’t worth living without stuffing with a crispy top. The broiler thing sounds like an ideal compromise. You could have the slimey 'inside the bird" stuff underneath, but with a crispy top.
