I have a question for the people that don't cook stuffing inside the turkey for Thanksgiving. How do you keep it from becoming a bowl of croutons?

Who puts croutons in dressing?

OP, just curious, but based on your reference to "stuffing" instead of "dressing", and worry about it turning into a crouton, are you from North of the Mason-Dixon line?

Sounds like some sort of white bread, rather than cornbread, would have to be used to possibly turn into a crouton.

RCR06 said:

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Butter and chicken stock, but more chicken stock. When my mom makes it, it seems too wet when she's making it, but always comes out great. So I'd say put more chicken stock than you might think.

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This. My grandmother, then my mom, put the dressing in the oven with a consistency of oatmeal. It always came out perfectly moist. They would stir several times during the cook to maximize the crust that formed on the top. If it was getting too solid too fast, they would stir in more turkey drippings / broth.

I hate dry-a$$ dressing.

Agreed

Guilty. Upstate NY

No shame in that game

Butter, stock, and mushrooms help a lot. Obviously I'm talking about cornbread stuffing, not that yankee garbage.

Also cooking it separately is the way to go. Easier to avoid overcooking the turkey without worrying about food poisoning. Plus there's not enough space inside the bird for the amount of stuffing I like.

We always do cornbread stuffing and make sure it is very wet when you put it in oven to bake.

GAC06 said:

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Butter, stock, and mushrooms help a lot. Obviously I'm talking about cornbread stuffing, not that yankee garbage.

Also cooking it separately is the way to go. Easier to avoid overcooking the turkey without worrying about food poisoning. Plus there's not enough space inside the bird for the amount of stuffing I like.

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Dry Brined Smoked bird > Fried Bird

I started making my own dressing when I realized I could no longer eat cornbread. Toast a loaf of sourdough, toss with breakfast sausage/onions/celery, some stock. Throw into the slow cooker until the rest is done. A very different dressing, but still really good!

nm as my previous comment no longer makes sense thanks to mods (no complaints here)

JFC take this bullsh elsewhere.

GAC06 said:

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Because cooking it correctly in the bird results in an overcooked bird.

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no it doesn't.

Sorry, didnt mean the laugh/cry. Family has done both for decades, never had an issue with the bird or the dressing.
To your point about fried tasting better, I agree, but fried presents issues with making gravy, which I personally find to be a supremely important ingredient in the eating of the turkey and the dressing and the mashed potatoes (or noodles and breadcrumbs) and the rolls.

So I am an avid smoker. BBQ not darts. The problem is my brother is coming and he doesn't really like barbecue. I don't like to talk about it

I agree about gravy being a problem but you can still use the tail, wings, and gibblets to make a gravy. Makes some sense to do that even if you're roasting to have the gravy ready sooner

Old RV Ag said:

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GAC06 said:

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I agree about gravy being a problem but you can still use the tail, wings, and gibblets to make a gravy. Makes some sense to do that even if you're roasting to have the gravy ready sooner

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Won't the gravy help if you overlook your turkey.

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That was my thought... if it's not dry, perhaps it doesn't need gravy...

Gravy has many more uses than just for the bird. Mashed potatoes, dressing, and anything else that might be bland and needs some salty goodness.

HTownAg98 said:

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Gravy has many more uses than just for the bird. Mashed potatoes, dressing, and anything else that might be bland and needs some salty goodness.

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He didn't say no gravy for the potatoes et al. He just commented on it helping what might be viewed as a dry bird. Gosh, this board reads into everything and wants a food fight. Also, people need a sense of humor on here.

You really thought he didn't think about using the gravy for all those other things?

HTownAg98 said:

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Gravy has many more uses than just for the bird. Mashed potatoes, dressing, and anything else that might be bland and needs some salty goodness.

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Certainly no argument there. I do love gravy. Especially on the dressing... because my moms dressing is dry AF.

Old RV Ag said:

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HTownAg98 said:

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Gravy has many more uses than just for the bird. Mashed potatoes, dressing, and anything else that might be bland and needs some salty goodness.

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He didn't say no gravy for the potatoes et al. He just commented on it helping what might be viewed as a dry bird. Gosh, this board reads into everything and wants a food fight. Also, people need a sense of humor on here.

You really thought he didn't think about using the gravy for all those other things?

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I'm the one overreacting?

HTownAg98 said:

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Old RV Ag said:

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HTownAg98 said:

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Gravy has many more uses than just for the bird. Mashed potatoes, dressing, and anything else that might be bland and needs some salty goodness.

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He didn't say no gravy for the potatoes et al. He just commented on it helping what might be viewed as a dry bird. Gosh, this board reads into everything and wants a food fight. Also, people need a sense of humor on here.

You really thought he didn't think about using the gravy for all those other things?

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I'm the one overreacting?

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Didn't say overreacting. Said reading into it too much.

Ok since we're talking dressing/stuffing questions...

For those who make a cornbread based dressing/stuffing...

Do you put egg in it?

I helped my grandmother make her famous dressing for probably the last 10 years of her life. She always put egg in hers and the dressing came out sorta souffl-y.

My grandmother was famous for leaving one important thing out of a recipe when passing it along and she even told me so in her later years for reasons you can imagine. (No one makes it like Maw Maw used to.) In her later years she did begin passing the actual full recipes down to me and I know that they are the full recipes because I have successfully replicated them all in past years...

When she taught my mother how to make her famous dressing she left the egg out of the recipe she passed down. I now know that it is indeed in there but mom insists her recipe is right.

Moms recipe as noted in an earlier post is consistently dry af.

So do y'all put egg in your dressings/stuffings?

Why the hell wouldn't she pass down the correct recipe?

phideaux_2003 said:

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Ok since we're talking dressing/stuffing questions...

For those who make a cornbread based dressing/stuffing...

Do you put egg in it?

I helped my grandmother make her famous dressing for probably the last 10 years of her life. She always put egg in hers and the dressing came out sorta souffl-y.

My grandmother was famous for leaving one important thing out of a recipe when passing it along and she even told me so in her later years for reasons you can imagine. (No one makes it like Maw Maw used to.) In her later years she did begin passing the actual full recipes down to me and I know that they are the full recipes because I have successfully replicated them all in past years...

When she taught my mother how to make her famous dressing she left the egg out of the recipe she passed down. I now know that it is indeed in there but mom insists her recipe is right.

Moms recipe as noted in an earlier post is consistently dry af.

So do y'all put egg in your dressings/stuffings?

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Yes. And hard-boiled eggs in my gravy.