Thanksgiving Party, November 26, 2005

I'm afraid I don't have a very good picture of us closing the turducken, mostly because it required four hands (and the cat can't work the camera). We sorta folded the duck and chicken layers into a roll and then pulled the turkey sides up around it. I held it smooshed together while the Snook inserted a steel skewer like a giant pin to hold it all together.

I couldn't resist getting down at eye level to get a shot up Mr. Turducken's bum. You can see the lovely melange of meat and stuffing inside!

We used an embroidery needle and some cotton twine to sew up the seam. Isn't the Snook's blanket stitch exquisite?

We stopped before stitching him up completely so we could stuff in some more cornbread. Then the Snook sewed up the bum opening.

The next step is to flip him over and get him in the pan. Again, I don't have a good shot of this because all four hands were needed. We'd assembled Mr. Turducken on a cookie sheet so we placed the roasting pan on top and then flipped the whole structure. He only just fit in the pan...

A few more pieces of cotton twine were used to truss the body and tie the legs together. The snug fit of the pan also helped him hold his shape, I think. Doesn't he look good? If you've ever wondered what $150 worth of poultry looks like, this is it.

We'd read that putting slices of truffle under a turkey's skin is good, so that's what the Snook is doing here.

And here's a truffle stuck in one of the thighs.