Stuffing is undoubtedly a Thanksgiving essential. And while recipes may vary, just about everyone features stuffing as part of their annual feast. But there is a divide between Thanksgiving cooks when it comes to this seemingly simple subject—the one that separates those who choose to stuff their turkeys and those whose stuffing recipes instruct them to bake the Thanksgiving staple in a casserole dish instead. Why the disagreement? Part of it has to do with tradition and regional variations: baking the stuffing outside the bird is more common in the South, where it's often called "dressing" rather than stuffing.
But there are also culinary and safety arguments behind each position. The safety concerns have to do with salmonella and other bacteria, which can come from eggs in the stuffing or from the interior surface of the turkey's cavity. If the bird is removed from the oven before the stuffing reaches 165°F, some bacteria could remain alive and make diners sick. Getting the stuffing to 165°F is harder than it seems: It takes time for the oven's heat to penetrate all the way to the center of the bird, and by that point, the breast meat on the outside might very well be overcooked and dry.
For this reason, many experts recommend baking the stuffing outside the bird, where it can easily be cooked to 165°F and is less likely to harbor bacteria. However, many people who grew up eating stuffing from inside the bird find it lacking moisture and flavor when it's baked in a casserole dish, without the benefit of the turkey's juices.
Luckily, whichever method you prefer, there are ways to get around the problems. If you choose to bake your stuffing alongside the bird, drizzle 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of extra stock over it before it goes in the oven. This will replace the extra moisture and flavor the turkey would have provided. Using a rich, flavorful homemade stock will also go a long way toward providing that indescribable roast-turkey-ness.
If you still want to cook the stuffing inside the bird, you should take several precautions to ensure safety. First, do not stuff your turkey until right before it goes in the oven. Yes, when faced with a long list of Thanksgiving Day tasks, it's tempting to stuff the bird the night before, stow it in the fridge, and then just pop it in the oven the next morning. But this will create an optimal environment for bacteria to flourish: The moist stuffing, likely warm from the cooked veggies and stock, will sit in the fridge for hours before it gets below the "danger zone"—the range of temperatures in which bacteria can grow. This will allow any bacteria present, already thriving in the moist conditions, to multiply like crazy. Once the stuffing finally cools down, they won't be killed—they'll just stop multiplying as quickly. Then, when the turkey goes into the oven, the stuffing, now cold from the fridge, will take quite a while to heat up, again spending hours in the danger zone.
