Internals for Stuffed Pork Loins/Deboned Chix

LFGEnergy

Good evening folks,

I am planning on spending week between Christmas and new years experimenting with a few recipes I have seen, which include deboning/stuffing chickens and stuffing pork loins. However, I am unsure about measuring temps in stuffed items. Does it matter if my thermapen goes to the middle of the piece, or do I need to be measuring meat temps? Dont remember specifics, but previous attempt at a meat counter stuffed pork loin resulted in my essentially cooking (marginally) edible leather :unsure: :( :ermm: !~!!!

Thanks in advance for your response!

Happy Holidays.

Dave

Little Chef

LFGEngergy: Pork is safe at 137*, chicken at 165*, stuffed, or unstuffed. (Assuming you have not stuffed your pork with raw chicken or sausage, etc). I pull my stuffed pork loins at 135*, they will carry over to about 140-142*, which to us is perfect. Again, assuming that stuffing ingredients like sausage have been pre-cooked. A stuffed bird...165* in the stuffing, because the stuffing has been exposed to the raw poultry, it now has to be brought to safe temp. Sounded like you going to try to do a full de-bone of a bird? I have a post out there I can find if so. I also pull chicken/turkey about 157-158*...it will carryover to 165*.

Mr. & Mrs Potatohead

Just what LC said....And she knows her stuff
If you don't have raw meat in the stuffing (or it was cooked before), you are good to go! With raw, you really need to get to temp. My rule of thumb here is also the 165 F. mark.
For what ever it may be worth...I live with a " food service" person (God Bless her) and a safe serve temp is EVERTHING!

LFGEnergy

LC,

Thanks (again :P ) for the input! You know, as I tried to recreate (in my mind) my earlier cook of a stuffed pork loin, I bet I was targeting a temp much higher than the 135F (which I also use for my tenderloins - perfect). I probably was using the old 160F, which makes for some good chewing with pork loin :S :( :ermm: .

If you have a post re: deboning, I would sure be appreciative. If I chicken out (pun intented!!!) thre is always central market. But I would like to know how to do it without destroying the bird. I have an African cookbook (something Starbucks put out a few years ago) that has a few recipes I want to alter to a stuffed deboned chicken. They sound really delicious.

Thanks again, and Happy Holidays.

LFGEnergy

Thanks for your response. Temp is more important to me in not overcooking food! I was the king of tough and chewy chicken and pork until the forum taught me TEMP-TEMP-TEMP!!!

Happy Holidays!

civil eggineer

I have found stuffing any meat makes it very difficult to cook your meat to perfection. It is hard to tell if your proble is in the meat or stuffing often resulting in inaccurate temp readings. I love the look of stuffed meat but would rather have the meat cooked to perfection and place the stuffing afterwards. I know...I'm weird that way.