Oysters in your stuffing?

[River City John]

Looking for some good recipes for oyster stuffing.

One that can be made in a crockpot (please don't throw heavy objects . . .)


RCJ

[Delmonico]

You know me and recipes, I just put oysters in my stuffing with out a recipe. 

Not to be picky but because of some things that have happened recently including a wanting to leave my granddaughter on a corner, I am on a call it the right name kick, you want dressing not stuffing, stuffing goes up the bird's butt.   The English term Savory Bread Pudding will cover either, sometimes I wonder if we really speak the same language.

[Delmonico]

Stuffing/Dressing


Stuffing aka dressing in this case is one and the same, a savory bread pudding using broth from meat; most consider it stuffing when cooked in side the bird or even a pig, and dressing when it is cooked on the out side.

When one makes stuffing in a bird, one must be very careful, most cases of salmonella involve birds and stuffing, the body cavity of the bird being the culprit here, this being the place one is most likely to contact the bacteria that causes salmonella, we all know that knives, bowls and cutting boards that are in contact with raw bird must be sanitized after use, but the body cavity of a bird is in a lot of ways not a good place to cook this mixture, you will run a fine line between having the stuffing and the bird cooked to a high enough heat to kill the bacteria with out over cooking the bird and making it dry. The problems working outside in an open air kitchen only make the risk higher.

For this reason I prefer to cook my stuffing separately using some of the broth formed while roasting the bird, and I also find if I stuff a bird, there is not enough stuffing.

Our bread based stuffing can use bread of different type, the most common is made from plain white bread, corn bread stuffing is popular in the south and whole wheat or other types can be used if one wants. Herbs are a common additive, sage is the popular one, but I like sweet basil the best, but thyme, rosemary or others can be used depending on individual taste. Sometime meat such as sausage, oysters or the ever popular chopped and cooked giblets are also used in the stuffing.

Stuffing (for 12 shallow dutch oven)

8 cups cubed bread (White, wheat or corn bread)
4 cups broth
2 sticks of butter
4 eggs slightly beaten
1-2 chopped onions (optional)
1-3 tablespoons of herbs (sage, sweet basil, thyme or rosemary are good)

Crumbled sausage or oysters are also sometimes added in some recipes, raisins or other dried fruit are also used in some recipes.

Put the broth and butter in the dutch oven, heat till the butter is melted, remove from heat, onion, meat (if used) and bread in that order, stir, let set 10 minutes or so, stir in the herbs and the beaten egg.

Bake in a medium oven 40-50 minutes till the center is set.

If desired the mixture can be put in the body cavity of the bird before roasting and it will cook that way, just don?t pack the mixture in hard or it will become very stiff when done.

[Marshal Hangtree]

Down here, oysters go in "dressing", not stuffing.  And all "dressing" is made with cornbread.  "Stuffing" is made with that weird stuff from Pepperidge Farm sold in the grocery stores for Yankees.

[Delmonico]

Down here, oysters go in "dressing", not stuffing.  And all "dressing" is made with cornbread.  "Stuffing" is made with that weird stuff from Pepperidge Farm sold in the grocery stores for Yankees.

Some how Uncle Billy is going to get the blame some how.

[River City John]

I'm surprised no one has suggested I season it with black powder.

Regardless of what it's called, it'll taste amazing. I make my own bread cubes out of sawdust and shop sweepings. Has more of a natural flavor.

RCJ

[Delmonico]

I figure you are smart enough to use black pepper.

Had a kitchen fail here tonight, not me though, exact words is I don't need to know the science behind it, self rising flour is not the same as all purpose and extra leavening don't work well in a Coke cake. 

I think this was worse than the trying to make noodles out of rye flour.

[River City John]

Well Pards, there was such distress created by my original post, I thought I'd offer a follow-up.

As it turns out, I did not stuff oysters in my stuffing, nor dressed it with any other mollusks.

It was an altogether well received recipe that no one seemed to care a whit about the etymology nor cultural bias involved. All that mattered was it was flavorful, best when saturated with giblet gravy, and abundantly plentiful.


RCJ

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

It was an altogether well received recipe that no one seemed to care a whit about the etymology nor cultural bias involved. All that mattered was it was flavorful, best when saturated with giblet gravy, and abundantly plentiful.

RCJ

Right on!  BTW; Did anyone ever clearly state that cooking well without a recipe is impossible?

[Delmonico]

Right on!  BTW; Did anyone ever clearly state that cooking well without a recipe is impossible?

A rumor perpetuated by TV cooking shows, it upsets them to even think of because it means for the most part they are not needed that much.  When you master not using measuring devices, the cracks widen, then you learn how to find, buy and clean used cast iron as well as buy and use new made cast iron with out their names cast in it, leaving just another entertainer behind like the shell of a lobster or the scales of a fish, not really that useful, the culinary version of the retired NFL player who was 3rd string.

Dang, got the old fire and brimstone back, maybe I am feeling better and need to prepare another of my rants.