A rich and savory turkey with decadent meat stuffing should not wait until the holidays. Stuffing the turkey before baking allows the juices of the turkey to keep the stuffing moist. To prevent the growth of bacteria in the stuffing, follow the USDA's recommendations of cooking the turkey until the center of the stuffing reads 165 degrees F.
Instructions
1. Cook the meat and vegetables for the stuffing as directed by the recipe and refrigerate with the butter or broth until ready to stuff. Do not mix the dry ingredients such as flour, bread cubes or bread crumbs with the refrigerated ingredients until ready to stuff the turkey.
2. Remove the neck and giblets from the cavity at the back of the turkey if included.
3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
4. Combine the cooked and refrigerated vegetables, meats and liquids with the dry stuffing ingredients.
5. Wearing food preparation gloves, place handfuls of the meat stuffing into the large cavity at the back of the turkey, but do not put more than 13 ½ cups of stuffing into the turkey as over-stuffing encourages bacterial development, according to Clemson University.
6. Place the stuffed turkey with the breast up into a roasting pan and transfer the pan to the preheated oven.
7. Roast the stuffed 18 lb. turkey for 4 to 4 1/2 hours or until a food thermometer inserted into the middle of the stuffing reads 165 degrees F. Cook the entire turkey to 165 degrees F to follow the USDA's recommendations, which notes that higher temperatures should depend on personal preference. North Carolina State University recommends an internal temperature for the thigh meat of 180 degrees F and the breast of 170 degrees F.
Tags: back turkey, cavity back, cavity back turkey, follow USDA, follow USDA recommendations, meat stuffing
