Food Safety While Hiking, Camping

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USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline

1-888-MPHotline

(1-888-674-6854)

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health

agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for ensuring

that the nation’s commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products

is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.

Food Safety Information

United States Department of Agriculture

Food Safety and Inspection Service

PhotoDisc

Turduckens Require Safe Food Handling

The “turducken” is a deboned stuffed chicken

inside a deboned stuffed duck inside a deboned

stuffed turkey. The name is comprised of syllables

from the words “turkey,” “duck,” and “chicken.”

Usually the tip end of the turkey leg bones and

the first two wing joints are left on the turkey so

that after assembly, the finished product

resembles a whole turkey. Alternatively, the

finished turducken can be a completely boneless

roll with stuffing layered between each bird.

Stuffings may include cornbread dressing, sausage

stuffing, oyster dressing, alligator, crawfish and

shrimp. To serve, the roasted turducken is sliced

crosswise so that servings consist of all the layers.

The idea for this multilayered, deboned fowl came

from Louisiana where thousands of them are

commercially prepared yearly. Turduckens are

prepared in other States as well, and consumers

also debone poultry and assemble them in home

kitchens.

Critical control points involved in handling this

risky assemblage are many, especially if the dish is

made by a consumer and not in a USDA-inspected

plant. Safe steps in food handling, cooking, and

storage are essential to prevent foodborne illness.

You can’t see, smell, or taste harmful bacteria

that may cause illness. In every step of food

preparation, follow the four Fight BAC! ® guidelines

to keep food safe:

· Clean — Wash hands and surfaces often.

· Separate — Don’t cross-contaminate.

· Cook — Cook to proper temperatures.

· Chill — Refrigerate promptly.

Club sandwiches, lasagna, and eggs Benedict are examples of foods assembled in layers. However,“turducken” — a layered poultry dish especially popular during the holidays — is an exceptionally

risky one that requires safe food handling and thorough cooking to prevent foodborne illness.

As when cooking any meat or poultry product,

USDA strongly recommends using a food

thermometer to ensure the turducken has reached

a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F

throughout the product. Here are specific

recommendations from the USDA Meat and Poultry

Hotline for safely handling and cooking turduckens.

Safe Handling of Turducken Ingredients

· When creating a turducken at home, bring the

raw birds directly home from the store and

refrigerate (40 °F or below) immediately —

within 2 hours (1 hour when the temperature

is above 90 °F).

· Make sure the raw poultry is wrapped securely

and place it on a plate or casserole dish to

prevent cross-contamination, or raw juices

getting onto ready-to-eat food.

· Store the raw turkey, duck, and chicken no

longer than 2 days before deboning,

assembling and cooking.

· If the turducken has been purchased through

mail order, make sure it arrives frozen with a

cold source in an insulated carton. Transfer it

immediately to the freezer. If the turducken

arrives warm, notify the company. Do not use

the product.

Creating a Turducken

· Before and after handling any raw meat or

poultry, always wash hands in warm, soapy

water for 20 seconds.
Food Safety Questions?

The USDA is an equal opportunity

 provider and employer.

 Revised March 2011

Turduckens Require Safe Food Handling

FSIS encourages the reprint and distribution of this publication for food safety

purposes. However, the included image from PhotoDisc, used under license, is

protected by the copyright laws of the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere, and may

not be saved or downloaded except for printing of this publication.

· While handling and deboning the three birds,

keep the raw poultry and their juices away

from other food.

· Make the stuffing immediately before

assembling the turducken.

· Make sure the birds and stuffing are not out of

the refrigerator in the “Danger Zone” —

between 40 and 140 °F — more than 2 hours

while assembling the turducken.

· Pack the stuffing loosely, not too tightly, to

promote efficient heat transfer during cooking.

· After cutting raw poultry, wash cutting board,

knife, and counter tops with hot, soapy water.

· After washing, you may choose to sanitize

cutting boards by using a solution of 1

tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach

per gallon of water.

· Another good and easy way to wash the

cutting board is to run it through the

dishwasher after use. Non-porous acrylic,

plastic, glass and solid wood boards can be

washed in a dishwasher (laminated boards may

crack and split).

Roasting the Turducken and Handling

Leftovers

· For home-prepared turducken, roast

immediately after assembly.

· Roast the turducken in an oven set no lower

than 325 °F.

· When roasting a purchased USDA-inspected

turducken, follow the package directions.

· When roasting a purchased frozen turducken

without package directions, cook from the

frozen state in an oven set no lower than

325 °F to a safe minimum internal

temperature of 165 °F to ensure a safely

cooked product.

· Use a food thermometer to ensure that all

layers of the turducken and stuffing reach a

minimum safe internal temperature of 165 °F.

Check the temperature in several places in

the birds and stuffings, including the center

bird. For a boneless rolled turducken, the

thermometer should be placed at the center

of the thickest part of the turducken to

determine the safe internal temperature.

· Slice and serve the cooked turducken within

2 hours after cooking. If it is not intended to

be served within 2 hours then slice and cut in

smaller portions before putting it into the

refrigerator to cool fast. A whole cooked

turducken may not cool to a safe

temperature within the time needed to

prevent bacterial growth.

· After slicing and serving the turducken,

refrigerate any leftovers in a shallow

container within 2 hours of cooking.

Perishable food should not be left out more

than 2 hours at room temperature (1 hour

when the temperature is above 90 °F).

· It is not necessary to remove stuffing

between layers of the birds because it is thin

and cools quickly to a safe temperature.

· Use the leftovers within 3 to 4 days after

cooking or freeze for longer storage.

Call the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline

Send E-mail questions to MPHotline.fsis@usda.gov.

Ask Karen!

FSIS’ automated response

system can provide food safety

information

24/7 and a

live chat

during

Hotline

hours.

If you have a question

about meat, poultry, or

egg products, call

the USDA Meat and

Poultry Hotline

toll free at

1-888-MPHotline

(1-888-674-6854)

The hotline is open

year-round

 Monday through Friday from 10

a.m. to 4 p.m. ET (English

or Spanish).

Recorded food safety

messages are available

24 hours a day. Check

out the

FSIS Web site at

www.fsis.usda.gov. AskKaren.gov

PregunteleaKaren.gov