Breeding adults have a white head, rump, tail and underparts and a pale gray back and upperwings. The legs and feet are normally pink but can have a bluish tinge, or occasionally be yellow. The bill is yellow with a red spot on the lower mandible.
Fun fact: Nearly destroyed by hunters and eggers in North America during the nineteenth century, the Herring Gull has recovered its numbers due to protection. By the 1960s, North American populations may even have exceeded historical numbers, possibly the result of plentiful food from human refuse (yummy!).
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ReplyDeleteYUMMY!!!
DeleteTurgullen Recipe
ReplyDeleteIngredients
Brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 gallon water
18 to 21-pound turkey, skin intact and boned except for drumsticks
House seasoning, recipe follows
Cornbread Dressing, recipe follows
3 to 4-pound gull, boned
3 to 4-pound chicken, boned
Paprika
Directions
To make the brine: Mix salt and sugar with the water. Brine is ready when the mixture is completely dissolved. If the water is heated to quicken the process, make sure it is cooled to room temperature before placing meat in. Let the 3 birds sit in brine in the refrigerator overnight.
Preheat roaster to 500 degrees F.
Lay turkey skin side down on a flat surface. Dust turkey with House Seasoning and add 1/4-inch layer of cornbread dressing. Lay gull skin side down on top of dressing. Dust gull with House Seasoning and add 1/4-inch layer of dressing. Repeat with the chicken.
Begin trussing up the turkey at the neck. Insert metal skewer about 1/2-inch from the edge and up through the other side. Run butcher's twine between skin and skewer and tighten to draw both sides together. Continue down to legs. With every other skewer, draw together the gull and chicken skin. Tie together turkey legs to resemble standard turkey. Dust turkey skin with paprika.
Roast turgullen for 15 minutes. Then turn the roaster down to 225 degrees F to finish, approximately 3 hours. Remove turgullen from roaster once the internal temperature in the chicken reaches 155 degrees F. Let rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
Cut across the middle of the breast completely through. Plate thin slices containing turkey, gull and chicken.
Cook's Notes: If using a smoker to cook, smoke at 225 degrees F for 5 hours, rotating every 20 to 30 minutes until internal temperature reaches 155 degrees F and external temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Try to keep the flare-ups from the fire to a minimum.
House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Cornbread Dressing:
Cornbread:
1 cup self rising cornmeal
1/2 cup self-rising flour
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Dressing:
7 slices white bread, dried in warm oven
Cornbread
1 sleeve saltine crackers
2 cups chopped celery
1 large onion, chopped
8 tablespoons butter
7 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
5 eggs, beaten
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
To make the cornbread, combine all ingredients and pour into a greased shallow baking dish. Bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
Turgullen
To make the dressing, crumble dried white bread slices, cornbread and crackers. Mix together and set aside. Saute chopped celery and onion in butter until transparent, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Pour over corn bread mixture. Add stock, mix well and add salt, pepper, sage, and poultry seasoning. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Follow instructions above to stuff birds.