How to Make a Thanksgiving Turkey More Entertaining

Thanksgiving is well-known for two things: family and turkey. While most cultures would frown at the notion of eating your family, the next best thing is the turkey. For some, traditional is the way to go: season the bird up, stuff with stuffing, and soak it in gravy. While this is all well and good, especially if you’re fond of the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” approach, there are other ways to make your Thanksgiving bird a little more enjoyable to the palate. I am, of course, speaking of both a friend turkey and a turducken.

A fried turkey might sound like a difficult prospect given the size of the bird, but in actuality it’s not. Besides, any inherent difficulty is offset by the end result, which is a deliciously moist, flavorful turkey that melts apart in your mouth. Directions concerning the actual frying process can be found here, but here’s a few pointers for you. Always make sure the bird has been dried off before placing it in the oil, as the ice coming into contact with the oil can result in a giant fireball out of the pot. Fun to look at, not fun to deal with. You can use a marinade injector to inject whatever flavor you want into the turkey before frying it to give it a unique flavor.

The other option is the elusive turducken. This delightfully feathered portmanteau is a chicken stuffed in a duck stuffed in a turkey, with a layer of stuffing around each bird. Several theories exist concerning where it was created, but the most evidence lies with “Hebert’s Specialty Meats,” in Maurice, LA, which has been producing turduckens since the mid-eighties. Variations of the bird include substituting a goose for the turkey, which is known as a gooducken. Despite being an intimidating Frankestein-esque dish, it is quite delicious, and something everyone should try once.

Despite being incredibly tempting, if you’re watching your waist-line you may want to go with more traditional fare this Thanksgiving season. Fried turkey and turducken are incredibly fatty, and once you take a bite of either one you’ll be tempted to eat as much as you can. If you do decide to make one, eat it in moderation, and save any leftovers to be consumed at a later date. Of course, this is predicated upon the assumption that

Whatever you decide upon, just remember that Thanksgiving is about family. It doesn’t matter which variation of this Thanksgiving staple you decide upon, all that matters is that you’re surrounded by loved ones.