Stuffing in the bird?

[Anonymous]

Another thread had a couple of vehement posters warning of food poisoning when stuffing the bird. I've always stuffed the bird because the stuffing tastes so much better. Is it really that dangerous, or can it be done safely? (Checking temp with thermometer in stuffing or maybe microwaving the stuffing after cooking to kill any bacteria?)

[Anonymous]

I agree that it tastes so much better. With a brined, smaller bird, I have no trouble getting the stuffing to safe temp without drying out the turkey.

[Anonymous]

I am one of the vehement posters. The bird at our Thanksgiving is 25+ lbs, so no good way to cook turkey and have safe stuffing. Even then, I don't even stuff a smaller bird when I cook. When I do chicken and dressing (never cook my own turkey), I cook the dressing on the side and use some of the drippings from the bird to give it more flavor.

[Anonymous]

Why would you risk food poisoning? Are you that much of a gambler that you'd be okay with diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal cramps on Friday? It's just some damn stuffing. Leave it out.

[Anonymous]

With a brined bird? And your stuffing doesn't taste way over salty? I would never stuff a brined bird.

For those with a non-brined bird, it's a heck of a lot easier to do stuffing outside the bird. No food poisoning risk, your turkey roasts faster and times out more reliably, it's more even from the outside to the inside (you won't dry out the breast), etc. Check out the Cooking Network and Food Network shows -- none of the TV chefs advocate stuffing inside.

But if you're bound and determined, just know what you're doing. Don't overstuff. Measure temp carefully. Most important, roast at a low temperature (325) for a looonng time. Build time into your schedule for that.

The idea of stuffing the inside is to allow the turkey to cook slowly without getting overdone. By going slowly, you allow the fat in the turkey to render, and soak through the meat (keeping it juicy) and into the cavity (making your stuffing taste great too). That means you don't want to trim fat away, you don't want to tear the skin (exposing the breast meat), and you want to allow sufficient time for the rendering to happen. A high-temp roasting temperature defeats all of that. First of all, the fat doesn't have time to render. Second, with the high temp, the outside of your bird will be done and drying out before the inside and the stuffing are up to temperature -- leading to that food poisoning worry.

If you're intent on doing this, it wouldn't hurt you also to do a butter/herb/salt/pepper (and garlic if you're so inclined) mash and work it in with your fingers under the skin, between the skin and the breast meat. But be oh so careful not to tear the skin. And trussing the bird, to keep the skin and all the fat in contact with the meat, would be a good idea.

[Anonymous]

Just get a baster and start sucking out some of the drippings each time you pull the bird out to baste it the last hour or so.

Cook the stuffing in a separate pan and pour the drippings over it before you put it in the oven to heat.

You get all the flavor with none of the vomiting and diarrhea. Big win for all

[Anonymous]

America's Test Kitchen did an episode years ago where they put the bird on top a of a mesh rack (looked like a cooling rack but presumably oven safe b/c most aren't) over one of those disposable metal roasting dishes with the stuffing in the bottom to let the drippings drip over the stuffing.

Now they do it differently, b/c I think they flip the bird to brown/cook it evenly since dark takes longer than white meat.

You could try this method with a pan like this:
http://www.chefscatalog.com/product/28192-Granite-Ware-Broiler-Pan-and-Rack-3-piece.aspx?sourcecode=EW2GGP245&gclid=CMqqpLr-_boCFSLNOgodMkgAAQ

Although I can't remember what they did for drippings in terms of making gravy.

You can always cook the bird and stuffing separately and pour a little of the drippings over the stuffing.

[Anonymous]

Yes, you can cook the turkey until the stuffing reaches 165 degrees. Sadly, at that temp, your turkey will be dried out.

[Anonymous]

12:07 here. Never noticed over salty stuffing with the brining. I don't add extra salt to the stuffing or to the bird, of course. We are also talking a 14 pound turkey.

[Anonymous]

My turkey isn't dry AND it's 25 lbs and it's stuffed. You people are way too fussy. We've stuffed turkeys for the past 52 years, at least, and they aren't dry and yukky and we have never gotten food poisoning from thanksgiving dinner. Or Christmas dinner, either.

Stuffing in the bird makes both the bird and the stuffing taste better.

[Anonymous]

I'm with you PP. I was about to post the same thing. I'm 52 years old and have eaten stuffed turkeys every year of my life, and neither I, nor any member of my family, has ever had food poisoning from the stuffing! And we usually have 18 to 25 people every year - and I've never taken the temperature of the stuffing.

My DH and I just had a big debate over this after he heard Alton Brown on NPR telling everyone not to stuff the turkey. I've made stuffing outside the turkey in addition to the stuffing inside (for vegetarians in the group) and it NEVER tastes as good as the inside stuffing.

Does anyone actually know of anyone who has gotten sick from stuffing inside the bird?? I've not heard of anyone. I'll be stuffing my bird again this year.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone

[Anonymous]

I microwave the stuffing before putting it in the bird, that way it reaches a safe temperature by the time the bird is done. I don't remember how hot it gets (and I'm rebelling so don't have the recipe handy) but I got the method from Cooks Illustrated 10+ years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My turkey isn't dry AND it's 25 lbs and it's stuffed. You people are way too fussy. We've stuffed turkeys for the past 52 years, at least, and they aren't dry and yukky and we have never gotten food poisoning from thanksgiving dinner. Or Christmas dinner, either.

Stuffing in the bird makes both the bird and the stuffing taste better.

yep, agree 100%

[Anonymous]

You just have to get the stuffing to 140 for 35 minutes. This happens almost all the time. 165 temperature is recommended by USDA b/c reaching that temperature kills everything with no hold time. Just check the center of your stuffing temperature an hour before pulling it out. If it is above 140, you are fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm with you PP. I was about to post the same thing. I'm 52 years old and have eaten stuffed turkeys every year of my life, and neither I, nor any member of my family, has ever had food poisoning from the stuffing! And we usually have 18 to 25 people every year - and I've never taken the temperature of the stuffing.

My DH and I just had a big debate over this after he heard Alton Brown on NPR telling everyone not to stuff the turkey. I've made stuffing outside the turkey in addition to the stuffing inside (for vegetarians in the group) and it NEVER tastes as good as the inside stuffing.

Does anyone actually know of anyone who has gotten sick from stuffing inside the bird?? I've not heard of anyone. I'll be stuffing my bird again this year.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone

Same here and I make a sausage stuffing.