Turkey: stuffing on the OUTSIDE?

[Jenise]

An article in Time Magazine mentions the different ways in which various cooks are changing up the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. The one that interested me the most was one where the turkey is encased somehow in the stuffing. There's no detail about how exactly this is achieved, though the vague description does not leave out the possibility that the bird is deboned first. Has anyone here seen/heard/had such a thing?

Saw it demonstrated on the Cooking Channel lately. Seems to me that it would dry out too much. Yes, they used a boned turkey. We have separated the cooking of the turkey and stuffing years ago. There are all sorts of potential problems when the stuffing is in the turkey and it takes longer to cook. So we cook the stuffing in a baking dish.

I cook my dressing in a crock pot and as the turkey releases juice I put some into the dressing. Very yummy.

[Jenise]

Saw it demonstrated on the Cooking Channel lately. Seems to me that it would dry out too much. Yes, they used a boned turkey. We have separated the cooking of the turkey and stuffing years ago. There are all sorts of potential problems when the stuffing is in the turkey and it takes longer to cook. So we cook the stuffing in a baking dish.

I hear you, but the dressing in the turkey always has a moisture and flavor (and probably fat content) that is unequalled by what's cooked separately--I've always done both to ensure plenty of dressing, so I always have the opportunity to compare--but I agree you have better control over a turkey cooked unstuffed. In one of her books, Julia Child describes spatchcocking the turkey, probably meaning a 10 pound bird tops, and roasting it butterflied atop the mound of dressing. You'd get no drippings from that for a gravy, but oh the stuffing!

[Robin Garr]

You know, I've never really embraced inside-out maki-sushi rolls either.

In parts of German Bavaria and Austria they do turkeys, greese and ducks with the bird (bone-in) wrapped in stuffing but the stuffing then covered with the skin of a separate bird of apprxoimately the same size. Somewhere when the bird is aobut 3/4 done the outer skin, which has become quite crisp is sliced off and removed. The skin is then set in the liquids that have dripped from the bird. That prevents the "stuffing" from drying out.

This method also gives the added bonus that the second skin becomes particularly succulent and can either be sliced and served alongside the bird or cut into small squares and mixed together with the pan liquids with mashed potatoes.

Cholesterol be damned. The dish is a marvel.

Have never heard of or seen such a thing. I can't even picture it.
Jenise, I am with you though on stuffing. There is nothing like the stuffing that has been cooked in the bird, especially the section that gets basted and then browns. OMG. That wrapped up with a little bit of crispy skin is just nirvana. I'm also with you on the spatchock version. That would be the way to go if we didn't need that great stock for the gravy!
I think we need a separate poll for who stuffs and who serves "dressing" on the side. It'd be interesting to see by geography as well, as I know Southerners love their dressing.