Trail Turkey and Stuffing
A foil packet of turkey, a bag of stuffing mix, one boil. Thanksgiving weight for a Tuesday.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 8 oz
- cal / oz
- 78
- protein
- 36 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 8 min
- total time
- 10 min
- water
- 350 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Winter / snow
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Foil-packet turkey | 5 oz | chicken works if turkey is out of season |
|---|---|---|
| Boxed stuffing mix | 1 cup dry | the seasoning is already in it |
| Butter powder | 3 tbsp | or olive oil from a dropper bottle |
| Salt and pepper | to taste | |
| Popped popcorn | 1 cup | carried separately, crushed over the top |
Method
- Boil 350 ml of water. Stir the butter powder in first so it dissolves instead of clumping later.
- Dump in the stuffing mix, stir once, and pull it off the heat.
- Lid on. Five minutes untouched. It steams itself the rest of the way.
- Fork in the turkey, then salt and pepper. Crush the popcorn over the top right before eating so it stays crisp.
Boxed stuffing is already dehydrated bread with seasoning attached, which makes it one of the few grocery-aisle items that needs no adaptation for the trail. It takes hot water and time, not simmering, so the stove runs for one boil and then stops. Butter powder goes in before the bread does, because fat spread through the water coats every crumb instead of sitting in a slick on top.
The popcorn is not cooked with anything. It is there for texture, since stuffing rehydrates into a uniform soft mass and a bowl of that gets dull halfway down. Crush it in at the last second. Any earlier and it goes limp.
Packing
Stuffing mix, butter powder, salt, and pepper go into one quart freezer bag at home. The turkey packet and popcorn ride separately.
Variations
- A tablespoon of powdered gravy mix in the boil water makes it wetter and saltier.
- Dried cranberries added with the stuffing rehydrate in the same five minutes.
- No popcorn? Crushed fried onions do the same job for more calories.
https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/how-to-cook-a-turkey.215927