Craigs Turkey Dinner in a Can: The Strange History of Canned Thanksgiving Feasts

For over 40 years an absurd canned meat product called “Craigs Turkey Dinner in a Can” has held a unique place in American food culture. This bizarre canned Thanksgiving feast caused quite a stir when it first hit supermarket shelves in the 1970s. Although long discontinued the legendary status of this curious can lives on through pop culture references and nostalgic foodies.

The Origins of Craig’s Canned Turkey Dinner

In 1976, a Minnesota-based company called Craigs Inc rolled out a revolutionary new convenience food – a fully cooked Thanksgiving dinner packed into a 3-pound can.

Dubbed “Craigs Turkey Dinner in a Can”, this slimy mixture featured sliced turkey, cornbread stuffing, candied sweet potatoes, peas, cranberry sauce, and turkey gravy According to the ads, all you had to do was boil the unopened can for 45 minutes to an hour and serve!

This canned dinner was born out of the 1950s/60s convenience food craze. Brands were constantly looking for new ways to revolutionize home cooking with ready-to-eat meals. While strange today, Craig’s turkey dinner was seen as an ultra-convenient way for housewives to get a holiday feast on the table fast.

The Instant Backlash Against Craig’s Canned Turkey

Needless to say, Craig’s Turkey Dinner was controversial from the start. Many found the very concept unappetizing and disturbing. The mushy, wet texture and blended flavors when served also left much to be desired.

Among the harshest critics were newspaper food columnists who lambasted the product as a “throttle job on the Turkey” and “the dreariest way to give thanks.” One Chicago Tribune article deemed it “the worst abuse of a turkey since the Cleveland Indians.”

The public nicknamed these disturbing cans “Turkey Squash” or “Trash Can Turkey.” Despite some initial curiosity seekers, Craig’s Turkey Dinner remained widely reviled throughout its 11-year run.

How Craig’s Tried to Market this Bizarre Canned Meal

Early print ads for Craig’s Turkey Dinner in a Can portrayed it as the ultimate modern convenience for holiday hosts. Taglines read “Easy and so Good!” and promised a “Complete Holiday Dinner” with minimal effort.

TV commercials took a more satirical approach. They featured confused Pilgrims being amazed when a can of turkey dinner literally falls from the sky. These silly ads tried to reframe the product as cheeky and fun rather than unnatural or lazy.

Overall, marketing efforts failed to convince the mainstream public that wet canned turkey was a good idea. Outside of some senior citizens, sales remained niche.

The Brief Heyday and Sudden Disappearance

Though hated by critics, Craig’s Turkey Dinner in a Can sold reasonably well for much of the late 1970s. It benefitted from America’s lingering postwar fascination with novelty convenience foods.

But by the health-conscious 1980s, opinions were shifting on highly processed meals. With declining sales, Craigs Inc. went bankrupt in 1982. The brand was briefly rescued by Derby Meat Products who continued making the cans through 1986.

However, after just a decade on the market, Craig’s Turkey Dinner in a Can was finally discontinued. For most consumers, the benefits of convenience could no longer outweigh the unappetizing reality of these slimy canned meals.

How Craig’s Turkey Dinner Lives on Through Pop Culture

Though long gone, Craig’s Turkey Dinner lives on through pop culture. In a famous 1998 episode of Friends, Monica jokingly suggests making a Thanksgiving dinner in a can, a direct reference to the infamous Craig’s cans.

More recently in 2015, the Wet Hot American Summer Netflix series featured a storyline about President Reagan enjoying Craig’s Turkey Dinner on Thanksgiving. The absurd retro product even occasionally pops up in music and podcasts as a cultural touchstone representing 1970s oddities.

Can You Still Buy Canned Thanksgiving Feasts Today?

While the original Craig’s Turkey Dinner is extinct, some companies still produce canned holiday meals. Most are sold as novelties and not intended for actual consumption.

Every year since 2016, British retailer GAME releases a Christmas Tinner – a stackable can of turkey, potatoes, Brussels sprouts and more. And U.S. brand BevMo! stocks a Grateful Turkey Day Dinner can as a gag gift.

However, these cans lack the sincerity and ambition of the original Craig’s Turkey Dinner in a Can. For those who recall this bizarre product, it remains one of the strangest convenience foods ever foisted upon the American public.

Inside Craig’s Turkey Dinner Can

So what exactly was in those famous Craig’s cans? Here’s a breakdown of what you would find inside:

• Sliced turkey (both white and dark meat)
• Cornbread stuffing/dressing
• Candied sweet potatoes
• Turkey gravy
• Butter peas
• Cranberry sauce

With just the pull of a tab, Craig’s offered the entire Thanksgiving meal trimmings packed into one jellied can.

Cooking Instructions for Craig’s Turkey Dinner

The cooking method for Craig’s Turkey Dinner was as odd as the product itself. Instructions advised leaving the can completely unopened and boiling it for 45 minutes to an hour.

The can was then to be opened carefully using a can opener, with the contents ready to be served straight from the can onto plates or into bowls.

This steaming process essentially reheated the entire slimy turkey dinner, which was pre-cooked during the canning process.

Nutrition Facts and Ingredients

Though not the healthiest meal by today’s standards, a serving of Craig’s Turkey Dinner did contain a decent hit of protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Each 5.5 ounce serving boasted:

• 250 calories
• 10g fat
• 15g protein
• 35g carbs

It also contained Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium, and iron. However, the microwave-style cooking method stripped away most natural juices and flavors.

Ingredients were relatively simple, including turkey, sweet potatoes, peas,stuffing, cranberries, gravy, and preservatives like salt, sugar, and MSG.

Why Canned Thanksgiving Dinners Were Created

Looking back, it may seem baffling why anyone ever thought a wet, tinned turkey dinner was a good idea. However, these products emerged at a time when convenience foods were a novelty, and brands were constantly looking for new ways to revolutionize home cooking.

Canned and processed foods helped introduce timesaving shortcuts to households, promising home-cooked meals with minimal effort. Turkey dinners in a can took this convenience a step further, condensing an entire holiday feast into one simple product.

For women who had historically slaved away in the kitchen preparing elaborate turkey dinners, canned meals offered liberation from cooking and opened up more time to spend with family.

The Decline of Canned Holiday Meals

While novel at first, canned holiday dinners were always controversial. By the 1970s and 80s, as more Americans became concerned about dietary health and artificial or overly processed foods, the popularity of these canned meals steadily declined.

Canned and frozen holiday dinners are still available from some specialty food brands. But for most people today, the benefits of convenience no longer outweigh the unappetizing idea of serving a wet, tinned turkey.

From lavish feasts to TV dinners, Thanksgiving dinner traditions have certainly evolved over time. But despite some brief anomalies like Craig’s Turkey Dinner, home-cooked meals shared with family remain the ideal for celebrating the holidays.

FAQs About Craig’s Turkey Dinner in a Can

What exactly was Craig’s Turkey Dinner in a Can?

It was a canned, fully cooked Thanksgiving meal featuring turkey, gravy, stuffing, veggies, and more. Just heat and serve!

When was it sold?

Craig’s Turkey Dinner in a Can was sold from 1976 through 1986.

Who made it?

It was created by a Minnesota company called Craigs Inc. Later Derby Meat Products briefly produced it until it was discontinued.

How did you cook it?

Simply boil the unopened can for 45-60 minutes, open carefully, and serve.

Why was it so unpopular?

The wet, mushy texture and blended flavors were unappetizing to most. It was seen as a lazy way to cook Thanksgiving dinner.

Does it still exist today?

No, it was discontinued in the 1980s. Some novelty canned holiday meals exist but none as sincere as Craig’s.

So this Thanksgiving, you may want to stick to roasting a fresh turkey alongside some homemade sides. But next time you sit down to carve your bird, spare a thought for those resourceful homemakers of the 1970s, who traded hours in the kitchen for revolutionary new canned dinners like Craig’s Turkey Dinner in a Can!