stuffing turkey

can I stuff my bird for grilling

I am not sure exactly what you mean by "grilling" a turkey. In any case I would only stuff the bird with some apples or onions or lemons. You should not stuff it with a bread based stuffing that you intend to eat. All sorts of bad things could happen.

Sorry, Thrroff was the guest in the above post.

Anonymous wrote:

All sorts of bad things could happen.

Like food poisoning. Apples or onions etc, are much better choices. Besides, stuffing is better in the oven anyway and since yours is empty...

DO NOT STUFF THE BIRD WITH ANY BREAD BASED FILLING!!
The internal temp of a grilled bird never reaches the point to kill any bacteria that is imparted through the bird drippings. I'm of the mind that I never eat anything I stuff a bird with on the grill. The stuffing of a grilled bird (in my mind and practice) is for flavor and decoration only, not consumption.

Great advise ya'll! Stuff for flavor and dispose of properly.

A lot of good safety advise here. I often wonder why this wasn't a problem during my Grandparent's years. Maybe we are a little more informed now. In any event, stuffing cooked separately in the oven is the only way to go.

Pete

I just have to chime in and agree with everyone and state that anything that is placed inside the bird is NOT to be eaten only use this for adding flavor

I agree with the others if you're smoking the bird at 225 or so. But if you're grill-roasting it at 325 - 350, I'd think it would be possible to get the stuffing up to 160, which is all that is required to kill all the nasties. I personally don't buy all the current hysteria that says never stuff a bird. There is no comparison in the taste of stuffiing cooked in the bird and stuffing cooked naked in the oven! We always have and continue to cook our stuffing in the bird. Just remember to check the temperature of the stuffing.

PaulP

Paul I agree that the flavor is unbeatable but thats in the oven or where you can get the heat up to the "magic" 160 mark. But like everone says I just don't think it's possible in the 225-250 cooking range. But I like your thought of the indirect grilling option.
Have you tried this or are just theorizing?

PaulP,

That is some good info. At those temps your baking and the stuffing would be safe at those higher temperatures. Thanks!

What if one were to cook the stuffing in the bird and then, when the bird is done, transfer the stuffing to a 350 degree oven for a few minutes to make sure it is finished off- bird flavor AND no nasties?

That would ensure the safety of the stuffing ... but if the stuffing didn't reach a safe temperature while inside the bird then you must also assume the turkey needs to cook a little longer after the stuffing is removed to ensure it's inner temperature is brought up as well.

Na, I usually throw out the turkey and just eat the stuffing.

Gand Scale said:

Grand Scale wrote:

But I like your thought of the indirect grilling option.
Have you tried this or are just theorizing?

No, I haven't actually tried this with a stuffed bird. However, I can't see any difference between 325 - 350 in the oven and the same temp on a grill, and grill-roasting with or without smoke is certainly a tried and true technique.

I like my bird to have nice golden-brown, crispy skin, and that's why I would never cook any bird low and slow at 200 - 225. This is sure to produce rubbery inedible skin. Even many of the purists on alt.food.barbecue say it's better to cook poultry at higher temps to make acceptable skin. Remember, these are the low and slow junkies.

In any case, if I can't have good stuffing, I'll pass on the turkey.

PaulP