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Camp Oven Turducken & Gravy

‘For the festive season… my simplified way.’

This Christmas, it’s all about the stuffing.

Stuffed stockings, stuffed turkey, stuffed bellies, telling Uncle John to ‘get stuffed’ when he nicks the stuffing off your plate… and in this episode, Cam’s stuffed Camp Oven Turducken and Gravy.

From the buttery crisp of fried-off bread crust, to the flaky baked prosciutto skin and blushed meat-trio centre – Cam showcases his simplified Turducken, dressed in a gravy more daring than Christmas dinner conversation with the in-laws.

Catch Cam and his festive cooking finesse right here – plus more on our YouTube channel, every Sunday from 6pm.

Ingredients:

Stuffing

6 x slices of white bread (cubed)

1tsp of sage

4 x cloves of garlic

Butter

Olive oil

Pepper and salt

Turducken

300g of prosciutto or serrano ham

4 x chicken thighs

2 x duck breasts

500g of mince

Pepper and salt

Gravy

1L of chicken stock

3-4tbsps of flour

Dash of cream

To Serve

Fresh chives

Cam’s Kit:

Companion Double Burner Wok Cooker

Campfire Cast Iron Camp Oven 10 Quart

Baking paper

Aluminium foil

Cam’s ingredients for a simplified Turducken.

Cam uses the Campfire Cast Iron Camp Oven 10 Quart to bake his Turkducken.

Method:

1. Crank the Heat (00:20)

2. Prepare the Stuffing (00:32)

For the stuffing, Cam uses fresh white bread, garlic, sage, butter, and olive oil. First, roughly dice the bread. Chop the sage, and slice the garlic thinly (or to the consistency you desire). While dried sage also works, Cam recommends using fresh ingredients wherever you can.

Add the olive oil and butter to your pan, wok, or camp oven. Toss in the bread, garlic, and sage, and season with salt and pepper.

Sautee the ingredients. Coat the bread in the butter and oil, and allow the flavours to amalgamate. All the flavour is in the oils!

Once the bread has absorbed the oils, tip the stuffing mix into a bowl.

Roughly dice the bread and chop the sage.

Roughly dice the bread and chop the sage.

Toss in the bread, garlic, and sage, and season with salt and pepper.

Coat the bread in the butter and oil, and allow the flavours to amalgamate.

3. Prepare the Turducken (01:58)

Roll out your foil. How much will depend on how large you plan to create your Turducken. For Cam, two large pieces works well.

4. Layer the Ham (02:26)

Place the ribbons of serrano ham or prosciutto (whichever you prefer) flat on the foil sheet. Another option is bacon, though Cam prefers prosciutto for both its flavour and appearance when cooked.

Place the ribbons of prosciutto flat on the foil sheet.

Cam prefers prosciutto for both its flavour and appearance when cooked.

5. Flatten the Chicken and Duck (03:10)

Using either Glad Wrap or Ziplock bags, place the chicken thigh between two sheets of either and hammer until relatively flat. Repeat this process for the remainder of the chicken thighs.

Remove the duck skin, and ‘butterfly’ the breast open. Repeat the hammering process as per the chicken thighs, and layer on top.

Lightly season with pepper and salt.

Place the chicken thigh between two Ziplock bags and hammer until flat.

Butterfly the duck breast open.

Flatten the duck breast, as per the chicken thigh.

6. Spread, Scatter, and Roll (04:59)

Spread the turkey mince evenly across the duck breast, and scatter the stuffing mix on top.

Gently roll your Turducken. Never mind if bits and pieces fall in the process. Roll partly, release the foil from inside, and repeat until you have a solid log.

Twist the foil at each end to secure the log.

Spread the turkey mince evenly.

Scatter the stuffing mix.

Twist the foil at each end to secure the log.

7. Cook the Turducken (06:02)

Crank the stovetop to a high heat again, and add oil to the camp oven to encourage a smoky flavour. Position the trivet at the base – this will prevent the bottom of the Turducken from burning.

Place the log inside the camp oven, and close the lid. The Turducken will naturally shrink a little as it cooks. Turn every 15 minutes, and adjust heat.

The Turducken will naturally shrink a little as it cooks.

8. Check the Turducken (06:53)

After 15 minutes, give the Turducken a turn (don’t scare it off, for goodness sake. Just rotate it a quarter of the way).

Replace the lid for another 15 minutes.

Replace the lid for another 15 minutes.

9. Add Chicken Stock (07:21)

Chicken stock will allow the Turducken to steam, as well as bake. Along with the trivet, this prevents the juices at the base from burning.

Replace the lid, but turn the Turducken regularly.

10. Check the Turducken (08:08)

After a total of an hour, peel away a small piece of foil and insert a knife halfway in. If the liquid that seeps out is clear, your Turducken is cooked.

Remove the Turducken from the camp oven (careful, it’ll be hot), and leave to rest.

Peel away a small piece of foil and insert a knife halfway in.

11. Who’s Gonna Make the Gravy? (08:46)

You are, buddy.

Add the butter and flour to the base of the oven, and stir into a roux. The flour is there to absorb the oils. The roux shouldn’t be too thick, but not too thin either – if the consistency is too thin, the gravy will ultimately be too oily. Stir until the flour and oils have completely bound together in a paste.

Add the chicken stock, bit by bit. If too much is added, it becomes difficult to achieve the ideal consistency.

Bring the gravy to the boil – this helps to prevent the unpleasant floury taste. Once the roux has absorbed the liquid, turn the heat down to a simmer and add a dash of cream.

Turn the heat down to a simmer and add a dash of cream.

12. Slice the Turducken (10:45)

Carefully remove the foil, and begin slicing your Turducken into thick slabs.

Carefully remove the foil.

Slice the Turducken into slabs.

A real treat of a meat-trio!

13. To Serve (11:38)

Spoon the gravy generously but evenly across the Turducken slabs, and sprinkle with chopped chives to serve.

Spoon the gravy generously.

Sprinkle with chopped chives to serve.

Sprinkle with chopped chives to serve.

14. The Finished Product (11:50)

Flaked with crispy, oven-baked prosciutto and blushing three shades of pink through the centre – Cam’s simplified Camp Oven Turducken and Gravy boasts a humble but bold presence at Christmas without spending too long in the mirror.

Flaked with crispy, oven-baked prosciutto and blushing through the centre!

A humble but bold Christmas dish.

Cam’s simplified Camp Oven Turducken and Gravy

5
Cam the Camp Cook: After 32 years behind the flour-dusted steel benches of commercial kitchens, Cam folds out his flattop tabletop and taps into campfire coals and portable camp stoves. From tender steaks and Turducken slabs, to sides, fries, and festive pies – follow along for easy, speedy, and crowd-pleasing campsite feeds!