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foul (fowl)

golffer
golffer Posts: 144
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Attempted Mad Max Turkey yesterday with terrible results. Started with a small turkey (11 lbs) and followed all directions.Put on egg at 325 degrees and it started to brown in about 30 minutes. Tented as per directions. In less than 2 hours Thermopen showed brests at 185 and thighs at 195. Entire thing turned out tough. I have had this same problem with 2 spatchcocked chicks in the past although chics usually turn out great. Not exactly a newbie (14 months) but don't know why some turn out tough? Any thoughts?
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Comments

  • lowercasebill
    lowercasebill Posts: 5,218
    you cooked it till done and you cooked it right,, therefore it was the meat,, some meat is just tough it may be related to how the bird was processed. regardless, it was not you it was the meat and it happens to all of us ,,
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  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    My guess is your thermometer is not correct. You were probably cooking too hot.

    If the breasts were 185 when you pulled them, they likely cruised up to 195 or so while resting. So yea, you would expect a tough bird at those temps.
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  • Chef Charles
    Chef Charles Posts: 871
    I have always found that poultry cooks faster on the egg than in the oven. 2 hours does seem to be a bit too fast for an 11 pound bird cooked at 325. Have you calibrated your thermometer?

    Tom

    Tom

    Charles is a mischevious feline who always has something cooking

    Twin lbge's .. grew up in the sun parlor of Canada but now egging in the nation's capital

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  • golffer
    golffer Posts: 144
    I have with the "boiling water" tes and realize it indicates 12 degrees to slow so I "adjust" when cooking.
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  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    Why not just adjust the thermometer?
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  • LFGEnergy
    LFGEnergy Posts: 618
    Regarding the meat quality, we cooked two of the free range turkeys over past week, and I am not impressed with the texture of the meat. Seems tougher and less moist than typical.
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  • Clay Q
    Clay Q Posts: 4,486
    Try monitoring internal temps with a remote probe, this way you can pull the bird off just at the right time.
    Best to get your dome therm calibrated, I think there is info at www.nakedwhiz.com
    Better luck next time, your bird could have been a 'runner'. Try switching to a different turkey brand.
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  • Unknown
    Unknown
    I don't believe it is linear. Off 12° at 212° does not equate to only being off 12° at 350° Turn the nut on the back of your thermometer to read 212° in boiling water.
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  • AZRP
    AZRP Posts: 10,116
    That is a little bird and you over cooked it. Like Clay said get a remote thermometer and keep track of the internal temps while it is cooking. You can get one at Target for around $15. -RP
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  • Buckdodger
    Buckdodger Posts: 957
    Have had good luck doing birds of all kinds...tender and juicy. But the last rack of spares I did were very dry and did not pull away from the bone like previous cooks. I think it was the quality of the meat and that may have been what happened in your case with your bird.
    When I picked the rack up to test for doneness it was stiff as a board. About 1/2 hr later the rack fell apart. :( Still edible but dry and tough.

    Bob
    Alex City, Al

    Opelika, Alabama
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  • golffer
    golffer Posts: 144
    Same sort of thing. Even though the bird was a "butterball" and reached the required temps I was never able to just pull the joints apart. Also never got any of those clear juices from the breast area. :S
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