Need Help with Turkey Temperature

Unknown

This past weekend I cooked a 12 lb turkey, which turned out really good, but there were parts of the bird that didn't seem to cook through. I'm cooking on a large egg with a V-rack placed in a drip pan that was set directly on the grill. No water or anything in the drip pan. Dome temp was 325, the bird was brined for 24 hours, stuffed, and then cooked breast up. The dome thermometer is calibrated.[p]The problem is that while I saw thigh temps of about 200 with my Thermopen, and breast temps of over 180, the stuffing was only 145, and the meat on the back of the bird (which was on the bottom while cooking) was also about 145 and still had pink juices flowing. I ended up cooking it a good deal longer until the back temp was over 160, but the stuffing never got above 150. The directions that came with the bird said the stuffing needed to be at least 165. [p]We ate it anyhow, and it tasted great, but I was wondering if it is better to cook it without a drip pan right on the grill, or if I should use a plate setter and drip pan below the grill so that I would get more hot air flowing near the bottom of the bird. Any suggestions?[p]Carl P[p]

Rascal

Carl P, Was the stuffing cold when you put it in the bird? Did you pack it in tightly? One or both could create a situation where the meat nearby (especially the back & bottom) was losing heat to the stuffing and wasn't cooking as fast as the rest of the bird. For various reasons, many prefer to cook a bird unstuffed with just some vegetables or fruit (carrots, onions, lemons, etc.) in the cavity. Just a hunch, but I'm guessing the stuffing caused the problem.[p]Rascal

Unknown

Rascal,[p]The stuffing was room temperature, but it wasn't packed in too tightly. In any case you could be right about it being the source of the problem.[p]thanks,[p]Carl P