Stuffing the Turkey by Pops

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pops6927

Gone but not forgotten. RIP
Original poster
OTBS Member
SMF Premier Member
Jul 23, 2008
7,245
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Fort Worth, Tx.
This is how I make my stuffing and fill the bird and what I do with the remaining stuffing:

First, start the oven for 325° or as the wrapper recommends.

2nd, pull the neck and giblets from the inside the turkey and from the neck cavity, put in pan and start them simmering, keep refilling the pan with water as it simmers down, you'll need this for making the stuffing.

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Preparing the stuffing:

Start out with 2 lbs. of homemade breakfast sausage:

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Break apart and fry up:

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chop up onions and celery:

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cube up real butter, 1 pound of it, melt in the microwave, fry the onions and celery with the sausage in the melted butter:

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and simmer for 10 min or so, see pan of giblets simmering too:

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In a large roaster pan, fill with 2-4 boxes of cubed stuffing bread, depending on how much you want to make. We usually use 4.

Then, pour the mixture over the top.

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I'm real bad at measuring this as I've done it for 40+ years; I just sprinkle a layer of poultry seasoning all across the top:

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Then, drain your giblets and neck over a bowl, reserving the juice. Begin eating the giblets and neck, best part of the whole day! Oh, plus pouring gently about 1 - 2 cups of the juice into the stuffing as you mix it and wet it. It needs to be moist but not juicy like you can wring it out.

Then, stuff the turkey; first the neck cavity and fold the wings behind the turkey pulling the neck skin down to cover it, locking it in under the wingtips behind the turkey. Then, stuff the cavity enough to fill it but don't pack it in, the stuffing swells and will rip the turkey wide open, and lay some on the outside between the legs. Pop that baby in the preheated oven! This was a 25 lb. fresh turkey... about 6-7 hours. The popup will let us know.

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Then, the big secret.... take the other half of the stuffing and toss into the crockpot; 1 hour on high, then low until the turkey is done, stirring occasionally, of course "sampling" too!

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Then, entertain yourselves watching the Cowboys win... then the popup pops, the turkey is done! Yum! Empty the stuffing from the cavities into a bowl, this

is "In Bird" stuffing!

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Then, turn off the crockpot and empty that into another bowl, that's "Out of the Bird" stuffing!

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And, that is how we do the turkey for Thanksgiving! It's all done at my son's house and he doesn't have a full smoker, but some years, esp. if there's a bunch of us, I'll also bring 1 or 2 cured and smoked turkeys too from my smokehouse at home!
 

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Nice Pops! I do the exact same thing with one exception. My crew prefers Brown Crunchy Stuffing so instead of the Crock Pot I spread the Stuffing in a 1" deep Jelly Roll Pan and Bake it the last 1.5 Hours or until it is Crisp. Left overs are then cut in 4 X 4 Squares and Reheated in a 325*F Oven. Top with hot Turkey and Gravy for great Open Face Turkey Sandwiches...JJ
 
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