Originally, this was going to be two separate videos. Cameraman Ken suggested just making it one video both for content and my sanity. I also got a new toy that we were playing with throughout this video–it’s a light ring. Let me know if it helps the lighting at all? I don’t normally watch my own videos until a lot later, so commenting or, if you’re a Patron, pinging me on Discord is the way to go.
First of all, what is the difference between stuffing and dressing? Technically, stuffing gets stuffed into whatever you’re stuffing and dressing is baked on the side or in its own container. The recipe in this video is, obviously, stuffing from Primal Palate, one of my go-to websites for Paleo/Primal dieting. We’ve been stuffing meats since the medieval times, honestly. I had stuffed tilapia the other night for Fish Friday. It’s not a new concept. Dressing is simply how a meat is prepared. Salting, peppering, and dry rubbing a steak are how you dress the steak. When did this get confusing? The Victorian era. Everyone was so prudish–which was funny because Queen Victoria herself, was not. They also, apparently, had the humor of a 9-year old boy and found the term “stuffing” to be mildly offensive–especially when it came to birds. If you need a little help with that one, I’ll just leave this post here and say no more.
So, “stuffing” became “dressing,” despite it still being shoved into the carcass of a bird. They really confused everyone, but now it’s more of a regional thing. Some place–I think the South–refer to stuffing as anything with bread in it and dressing as anything else. I think? I don’t know. I use the terms to indicate if the dish has been cooked inside the meat or if it’s been casserole’d, basically. So, you’ll notice in this video, I talk about the stuffing inside the chicken, but the dressing in the casserole dish. That’s just for clarity. For me, they’re pretty interchangeable. Especially since I can’t have regular bread and any bread I make molds before it goes stale.
When it comes to dressing a bird, there’s so many different things you can do. I’m using a chicken for this video because I don’t have room for a turkey in my fridge. Truth be told, I barely had room for the chicken! I don’t like skin. I can’t think of a single animal whose skin I eat. I don’t like the texture and it’s just… icky. So, I have Cameraman Ken remove it for me while I prep up other things I’m going to need for dressing my fowl. So, if you like skin, my recommendation is to peel it back and put small cubes of butter under the skin to help keep the bird moist and crisp up the skin. Rub it down with salt and pepper and any other spices you’re using, and make sure to get the inside of it, as well. Stuff your bird, and then tie its legs together. I was struggling, mostly because my brain shut off almost completely and I couldn’t figure out how to tie the legs. Cameraman Ken says to do a Figure-8…which I then had to figure out how to do because my brain was just done.
I can’t remember if I said this, but you’re going to roast your chicken or turkey for 20 minutes per pound (so a 6lb bird goes for 120 minutes, or 2 hours) at 325F. Please note, your bird is not done until it reaches an internal temperature of 165F at the thickest part of the meat. The USFDA doesn’t recommend stuffing turkeys or chickens because of “Food Safety,” meaning a lot of people just take out the bird when the timer goes off instead of verifying it’s safe to eat. Get yourself a meat thermometer and use it. Clean it off after each use to avoid bacteria and transfer.
Make sure to stay tuned for more Thanksgiving-related cooking and projects, and if you’re not already a Patron, consider becoming one and, as always, thank you for your support!
PS: It’s my parents’ 54th Wedding Anniversary today! Congratulations, Mum & Dad!