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Bad Turkey Experience

homepukes
homepukes Posts: 2
edited November -0001 in EggHead Forum
Decided to cook the turkey on the Green Egg vice oven this year. I placed the drip pan on the place setter. The turkey was on a V rack breast up. V rack was placed directly on top of drip pan. Top of the breast was about 2 inches from the top vent. I cooked the turkey at 350 degrees for 4 hours (13lb turkey). I cooked it just like it said for "The Perfect Turkey" on the Big Green Egg home page with celery, onion and chicken broth in the drip pan. After I got the turkey off the Egg I let it sit for about 20 min. Temp. in the leg was 180 degrees. I took some dark meat off the leg and it was the best dark turkey meat I have ever eaten. I was getting very excited about how the breast meat would taste. As I carved the breast I noticed that it didn't appear to be done. The side of the breast was done but the deeper I carved the more slimy the meat got. I was able to carve off enough cooked meat for everyone to have one serving but had to put the meat back in the electric oven. After cooking the meat for another hour the meat was done but ruined because I had carved up both breasts before putting them back in the oven.

The only thing I can think of was the breast was too near the top of the vent an maybe the air was not 350 degrees as it exited the egg. Do any of you experts have an idea of what I did wrong?

Comments

  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    You should have checked the breast temp and pulled it at 160. The dark meat can go to 190 or even 200 with no ill effects, in fact I like it better cooked to 190ish.
  •  
    Get and use a Thermapen!!!

    Always cook to temperature and your food will come out great. The popular temperature is 165° breast and 180° leg/thigh. I like 165° breast/leg/thigh.

    Possibly your bird may have still been a bit frozen on the inside.

    Last years bird. I have cooked a 23# turkey and the bird was close enough to the dome that the egg thermometer had to be removed. The only problem I had was I ended up having to foil tent the bird so the skin wouldn't overdevelop.

    09turkey1.jpg

    09turkey2.jpg

    GG
  • Hoss
    Hoss Posts: 14,600
    My guess,you cooked a unthawed bird.Like GG said,use an instant read or AT LEAST a probe thermometer.Cook to temp,not time.I cooked 4 on an offset,they all came off within 30 mins first to last.14 lb birds@350,3.5-4 hrs.
  • I am leaning toward the bird still being frozen when I put it on the Egg. I thawed it in water in the sink before cooking. I have never had a problem in the past but this is the logical conclusion. Thanks guys.