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Issues achieving proper internal temps

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Unknown
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edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Hello all;[p]I've been grilling and smoking successfully since I finally purchased my large Egg last Fall. However, I have been facing issues in an effort to get the internal temperature of my birds [chicken or turkey breasts] to the minimum of 170 degrees. I cooked a 7 lb turkey breast for five hours at a consistent 250 degrees and still only managed 140 degree internal temperature. At the rate I was cooking I would have had to keep that bird on for another three hours...I've tried several different thermometers so that's apparently not the issue.[p]I'm wondering if anyone else has encountered these kinds of rookie mistakes - or if anyone has any suggestions. I've been thinking of just taking off the bird whenever juices run clear - but since I'm feeding the wife and kids I'm very reluctant to "guess" and get anyone sick. [p]I appreciate your feedback in advance - turkey is in the OVEN as we speak and everyone is starving. Looks like pizza tonight.[p]Thanks[p]Tom Hudson
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Comments

  • vidalia1
    vidalia1 Posts: 7,092
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    The turkey should be cooked at 350 degrees...I did stuffed chicken breast tonight indirect at 350 degrees and they were done in 45 minutes....turn up your temp and you will be ok

    Kim Youngblood
    (aka vidalia1)
    Lawrenceville, GA
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  • BENTE
    BENTE Posts: 8,337
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    Tom Hudson,
    what i would do is check your dome thermometer!! after that i would bump the temp up to 350 if it is looking like you are not going to finish in time... [p]
    Here is a how to on the thermometer[p][p]HTH[p]
    happy eggin
    tb

    happy eggin

    TB

    Anderson S.C.

    "Life is too short to be diplomatic. A man's friends shouldn't mind what he does or says- and those who are not his friends, well, the hell with them. They don't count."

    Tyrus Raymond Cobb

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  • Eggtucky
    Eggtucky Posts: 2,746
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    Tom, I'm not a 'bird' man on the eggs..but I do smoke them for use in other recipes..and 7-10 hours at 250 doesnt sound too bad to me for that size bird..I'll let others with more experience with poultry on the egg speak to that..but while you're at it..dont forget that pizza on the egg is absolutely wonderful!!... B)B)
    f6b79c98.jpg

    FirstSuccessfulPizza003.jpg

    Pizza021508002.jpg
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  • Pork Butt Mike
    Pork Butt Mike Posts: 2,584
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    Do like Vidalia 1 says 350 degrees and even try like he did his chicken breat indirect. If you see the out side starting to cook to fast with that you also can tent it with foil. Good Luck
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  • DynaGreaseball
    DynaGreaseball Posts: 361
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    Tom Hudson,[p]There's some good answers to your post over in the new forum. Just scroll up and click on the link to get there. They can see your posts, but you can't see theirs in here.[p]Good luck.

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  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    we need to make sure we are using teh same terminology. if you are smoking anything [low an slo] it is going to take a long time to get up to temp. 250 is low and slow [or smoking] like ribs or brisket. you can smoke a chicken of turkey but generally only turkey legs and wings are smoked as the breast dries out. roasting is different 350 or start high 450 to brown skin and drop down to 325 -350 till temp. 20 min per pound just like in the oven. i do turkey breasts for lunch meat at 325 and sometimes foil at the end but crispy skin is not the issue when i want moist lunch meat . below is fridays roast chicken with rosemary
    thighs021.jpg

    thighs023.jpg

    thighs024.jpg

    thighs025.jpg
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  • Cory430
    Cory430 Posts: 1,073
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    Bill,
    That bird looks sweet! Can you give a briel run down of how you put it together?
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  • lowercasebill
    lowercasebill Posts: 5,218
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    perdue oven stuffer rinsed, dried plopped on a ceramic vertical roaster. rosemary branches stuffed between breast skin and meat and in bottom of steam tray pan. on the egg 425 to start and then dropped to 375 . i cooked it a bit hotter as i was busy and just pulled it when the bird watcher thermometer popped out. it was a bit over temp but the egg keeps things so moist it does not really matter. i do at least one chicken a week on the vertical in a steam tray, no liquid. always crispy skin and i do not fuss over it. no plate setter no raised grid just temp control and on the egg. i figure roughly 20 mins per pound and about an hour or so before being done i throw on some baking potatos. or put new potatos in the stem tray and cook in the chicken fat
    bill
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,747
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    if your talking 250 dome, your really cooking that bird at about 225 at the grill level, even lower if you have a drip pan with water in it. i do the long cooks when i want to leave for the day and have turkey close to being ready when i get home, but you will have much better results cooking it at 325 to 350 dome and the cook will be much shorter. i only cook breast meat to 162, others take it off the egg at lower temps than that, but 162 tastes better to me, no reason to cook it longer. try it at roasting temps nrxt time, the texture is better
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • JimE
    JimE Posts: 158
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    Tom Hudson,
    One of the keys to reaching proper internal temp. is not to raise the lid a lot. I know a man who cook a turkey for 36 hours and it was not done, however he kept opening the lid ever few minutes.
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