Tur-duc-hen, the Ultimate Cajun Thanksgiving or Christmas Meat Dish

Gobble, quack, cluck! If you really, really like meat and are looking for a new Thanksgiving or Christmas dish, tur-duc-hen might be for you. This rather bizarre dish from South Louisiana's Cajun country has been spotted roosting on holiday dinner tables across the country.

What is tur-duc-hen?
It's a deboned chicken, stuffed into a deboned duck, which is then inserted into a partially deboned turkey. The different layers of bird meat can be separated with stuffing. This gives the slices a layered effect. It's also spelled turducken.

How Big Is It?
The average tur-duc-hen weighs 15 pounds or more. At one pound per guest, this over the top entrée can feed a large gathering. If this isn't enough meat on one platter, sausages can be added as the center layer.

Where can I find a recipe?
A Google search will reveal several recipes for this strange meal. For the most results, search under both spellings.

There are also alternative versions out there. One is tur-pork-hen where the middle meat is, you guessed it, pork. Another variation is the tur-duc-hen roll, in which only the birds' boneless breasts are used to achieve the same general effect.

Is there a smaller version?
The breast roll version feeds 6 hungry people. This makes it a good choice for a smaller Thanksgiving group of gobblers. In case of leftovers, you can always be one of the first to invent a tur-duc-hen casserole.

Allot extra time. Lots of extra time.
Do you want to make this yourself? You'll need to start the day before you plan to serve it. Before deciding to spice up your Christmas, be sure to calculate the cooking time needed for your baking birds. This dish can take 6-8 hours or more to cook thoroughly.

Special items needed
You will need an extra long meat thermometer to pierce to the center of this monster. Make sure you have a sturdy roasting pan. It is doubtful that a flimsy aluminum pan can manage this meal.

I'm not cooking this. Can I order one instead?
Sure, but be sure to get your order in as early as possible. In years past, there were not tur-duc-hens to be had on Thanksgiving Day. Another Google search will direct you to online stores selling prepared tur-duc-hens.

As this dish becomes more well known, it is carried in more stores. Ask your favorite deli if you can order tur-duc-hen in advance for the holiday. If they're sold out for Thanksgiving, you can ask to preorder one for the Christmas season.

Be prepared for the person behind the counter to have no clue what it is you're asking to purchase. You can experience the holiday fun of explaining Tur-Duc-Hen!