stuffing. in the bird or in the oven ?

floydo · Dec 4, 2013

wife makes a stuffing ........probably a typical one.....with bread, sausage mushrooms , etc.

after reading the great recent posts on smoked turkey ....and viewing the great, titillating pron........ I may try one over the next holidays.

wondering how you would handle a stuffing like that .
Stuff the bird or cook the stuffing on the side ( ie., in the oven ) .

Probably apple and cherry wood...........unless you talk me out of it.

Thanks.

57borntorun · Dec 4, 2013

You may end up over cooking the turkey to get the stuffing up to a safe temperature for consumption.

sliding_billy · Dec 4, 2013

Dressing cooked on the side.

dport7 · Dec 4, 2013

I would say oven or separate pan in the smoke,r if you wanted to try it that way.

Shagdog · Dec 4, 2013

I always cook it on the side because by the time you get the stuffing cooked, you've sacrificed the bird (its overcooked, dried out) I just read a good idea from Alton Brown recently where he said he makes the stuffing separately, then stuffs it in the turkey right after he takes it off the grill. As the turkey rests the juices flow into the stuffing. Haven't tried it yet, but it sounds pretty good.

IamMadMan · Dec 4, 2013

floydo said:
wife makes a stuffing ........probably a typical one.....with bread, sausage mushrooms , etc.

after reading the great recent posts on smoked turkey ....and viewing the great, titillating pron........ I may try one over the next holidays.

wondering how you would handle a stuffing like that .
Stuff the bird or cook the stuffing on the side ( ie., in the oven ) .

Probably apple and cherry wood...........unless you talk me out of it.

Thanks.

Depending upon the temperature of your smoker cooking times can take longer times than cooking in an oven. Stuffing the bird will extend the cooking time, but also give you another variable, not only will you check the temperature of the bird, but now the temperature of the stuffing also becomes important for food safety.

When I smoke a turkey, I cook the stuffing separately just for my own piece of mind. Having the bird unstuffed also allows for more smoke flavor as the smoke and heat will enter the open cavity.

I use a combination of Apple and Peach wood only because that is what I like. Apple and Cherry or any other light flavored smoke would be fine.

I would suggest that you buy a small turkey and do a trial run before the big cook to make sure you are up on your game. There are so many variables that can come into play with a larger turkey, and practice can only help you find your way easier.

I would also suggest brining the bird using Patio Daddio's Turkey Brine. Of all the brines I have tried, this is the best.....

After you master smoking the turkey normally, you may to try the Turkey Cannon Flavor Infuser. This is also a great tool for flavoring a turkey or large chicken. These go on sale for about $16.00 near the holidays.

deguerre · Dec 4, 2013

Even in the oven, I won't put anything in the cavity other than some aromatics. I'll boil the giblets and neck for broth for the dressing.

Oldhoss · Dec 4, 2013

I used to think stuffing was meant to be in the bird....till I tried this recipie:

http://www.marthastewart.com/349948/brown-butter-sage-and-mushroom-stuffing?search_key=mushroom%20stuffing

I get requests well before the Holidays to prepare this. Do not hold back on the browned butter and you will be pleased. This recipie has bacon in it and everything comes out crunchy not soggy as it is done in the oven.

NickTheGreat · Dec 4, 2013

Stuffing MUST go into the bird. Dressing can be on the side . . .

deguerre · Dec 4, 2013

NickTheGreat said:
Stuffing MUST go into the bird. Dressing can be on the side . . .

Priggish, but correct. :becky:

dwfisk · Dec 4, 2013

deguerre said:
Even in the oven, I won't put anything in the cavity other than some aromatics. I'll boil the giblets and neck for broth for the dressing.

^ agree with everybody on dressing in the oven and if I'm cooking a whole bird in the smoker or on the rotisserie, I add some celery, onions, oranges, etc., to add a little more moisture and flavor to the bird. If I spatchcock, then I just put it skin side down and baste the inside with herb butter.

aawa · Dec 4, 2013

I don't ever stuff the bird because it is too much hassle to get the stuffing up to proper temperature for same eating and have the perfectly cooked bird.

I always do mine on the side.

57borntorun · Dec 4, 2013

Oldhoss said:
I used to think stuffing was meant to be in the bird....till I tried this recipie:

http://www.marthastewart.com/349948/brown-butter-sage-and-mushroom-stuffing?search_key=mushroom%20stuffing

I get requests well before the Holidays to prepare this. Do not hold back on the browned butter and you will be pleased. This recipie has bacon in it and everything comes out crunchy not soggy as it is done in the oven.

I like how in the directions they call the cubed bread ......breadcrumbs.

Gore · Dec 4, 2013

I'm just going to throw this out there as food for thought. It is an old post by Knucklhed:

KnucklHed BBQ said:
Alrighty folks... 'setcher lil hearts at ease - Most of the USDA's "blah, blah, blah" is designed so the that the average burger flipper can remember it -

Let me ask this question though, would you consider chicken kept at 137 for an hour to be:
A) Lethal - WTH are you trying to do to me man????
B) Just right! Bring it on, I'm hungry fo' that!

FDA says... Good to go! What???? AYFKM???!!!! (Are you freaking kidding me??)

Now, I'm not saying that the taste & texture will be what you want, but - technically, safe.

From USDA.gov - pages 5 - 16: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/FSISNotices/RTE_Poultry_Tables.pdf

Times for given temperature, fat level, and species needed to obtain
7-log10 lethality of Salmonella*
------------------------------------ fat%=9 ------------------------------------
Temperature (
o
F) Time for Chicken Time for Turkey
136 74.8 min 67.6 min
137 59.7 min 55.3 min
138 47.7 min 45.4 min
139 38.3 min 37.3 min
140 30.8 min 30.8 min
141 24.9 min 25.5 min
142 20.1 min 21.1 min
143 16.3 min 17.4 min
144 13.2 min 14.4 min
145 10.7 min 11.9 min
146 8.6 min 9.8 min
147 6.9 min 8 min
148 5.5 min 6.5 min
149 4.3 min 5.2 min
150 3.3 min 4.1 min
151 2.5 min 3.2 min
152 1.8 min 2.4 min
153 1.4 min 1.9 min
154 1.1 min 1.5 min
155 51.4 sec 1.3 min
156 40.7 sec 1 min
157 32.2 sec 49.7 sec
158 25.4 sec 40.3 sec
159 20.1 sec 32.7 sec
160 15.9 sec 26.6 sec
161 12.6 sec 21.6 sec
162 10 sec 17.5 sec
163 <10.0 sec 14.2 sec
164 <10.0 sec 11.5 sec
165 <10.0 sec <10.0 sec

I think the point is that we are concerned with salmonella in the stuffing being all the way cooked and want to bring that turkey up to temp. Most people think this has to be taken to 165 to be safe, but as you can see in the above chart, if we bring that turkey so that the temp of the stuffing is a measly 145* and then keep it at that temp for 12 minutes, that salmonella is dead. If we're bringing the rest of the turkey up to 165*+, I expect this is pretty easy to do; it's probably done during the cook and doesn't even have to rest.

I suspect the entire safety issue is a ginned-up concern of the dressing manufacturers to put the stuffing manufacturers out of business.

deguerre · Dec 4, 2013

I always thought it was a volume density equation myself...

floydo · Dec 4, 2013

NickTheGreat said:
Stuffing MUST go into the bird. Dressing can be on the side . . .

on a warm day we smoke our turkeys undressed up here. :wink:

stuffing. in the bird or in the oven ?

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