Settle this for me- Talking about Cooking my Turkey PROBLEM!

Wingman · January 2007

I did my first Turkey yesterday with Mixed results.[p]It was cooked as per MadMax instructions
12-13lb bird
Thawed for 4 days- yes it was frozen
Used a water vapor tray under the cooking pan
Used a grate lifter for the cooking pan/bird[p]Cooked at 325 (on the dot) for right over 3 hours
Internal temp in breast was 180! and very similar everywhere else[p]I used the big green egg thermometer because my new digital one (from Lowes last week) died!!! I did check the BGE one just two days before and it was set perfectly.[p]The bird did NOT get dark! (that is why I went to 180) Now I used a lot of butter mix on top and basted frequently. And it had that water vapor tray.[p]When I sliced into it, my wife tells me its not fully cooked. The juices are 100% clear. When I cut down the breast to get a test slice it tasted great. I cut DEEP down the bird and my wife said "Look there is some pink" I disagreed that it was pink, or undercooked.[p]Now when I pulled a leg off it twisted pretty easily BUT there was some pink to slightly red at the joints. [p]Tell me a few things: Did I undercook this bird?
Was it possibly still slightly frozen
Would you have eaten any of this bird? (To me the breast were cooked and I saw no pink- my wife who is a medium well steak eater :( wouldn't touch it)[p]Thanks
Matt

Unknown · January 2007

Wingman,[p]sounds like it was not 100% cooked, or rather, it was cooked plenty enough so that no one could get sick off of it, but it needed a few more minutes to get past the still-slightly-pulpy/tough white meat and reddish joint phase.[p]I'm guessing it was not 100% thawed. I typically ice the breast ahed of time, then aim for the lowest possible breast probe reading before cooking, typically around 38 degrees. Then take the breast to 165 (or even a wee bit higher) and the darkmeat will be cooked and there will be no bloody joints.[p]If I was you, I'd cut up the turkey, put it in a pan with some low sodium chicken broth for moisture, and cook it for another 30-40 minutes in the oven.[p]turkeyboy

Celtic Wolf · January 2007

Wingman,[p] If you are asking this question you probably didn't get sick. I know some one that tried to clear an injector by blowing on it "AFTER" it was in the turkey. He got sick.[p] The USDA now recommended both breast and thighs to be at 165. The don't exactly pinpoint where to measure the temp. I usually measure mine behind the thigh bone. I measure the breast near the middle of the thick part a tad closer to the wishbone. [p] There have been several discussions on this site and others about "pink" turkey meat. If you followed all of Max's recommendations then you iced down the breast. If the breast was at 180 then the thighs were probably at 195+.[p] One more thing. Frozen bird will produce dark red around the bone. Take a napkin and dab the red. If it comes off on the napkin cook it some more.

Wingman · January 2007

turkeyboy,
I sliced it up put it in a pan and had the wife go 350 until it was where she wanted it. She fully overcooked it then and ruined everything.
Matt

Unknown · January 2007

Wingman,[p]how long did she cook it? probably could have heated up only the deepest white meat, and the dark meat, and things would have been ok. Normally, at breast temps of 180, everything should have been completely done. But if the probe was touching bone, or was not as deep as possible, you can get a deceptive reading.[p]Thawing out a frozen bird can take an extremely long time. I'd pay extra for fresh just to avoid the uncertainty of 'is it fully thawed yet?'

Wingman · January 2007

turkeyboy,
She 100% overdid it, not totally on purpose but we had a few people over and she was showing off our new house. I'm not too worried about it.[p]She game me the "Maybe we should have gotten a conventional grill?"

fishlessman · January 2007

Wingman,
i find it happens more with frozen birds, and i also find that frozen birds have a solution added which may be the case. i learned to trust the thermometer. smoked birds get a pink smoke ring toward the exterior, but can also be pink near the bones, the only way to know its done is the thermometer, make sure to get a good thermometer, i trust the thermapens. its hard to explain to folks that pink turkey meat is safe,same as pink pork being safe
[ul][li]pink turkey meat[/ul]

Unknown · January 2007

Wingman,
show this link to your wife and ask her if she thinks a conventional grill would do as good.[p]then ask her what drives a person to create a web page such as that.
the answer is... neither of my gas grills![p]pink meat on a truly smoked turkey is expected and acceptable.
[ul][li]a non-conventional grill[/ul]

Wingman · January 2007

Rick's Tropical Delight,
I'm not picking on her She is just pointing out we have two kids (1 and 3) and I am taking over a large company while the owners retire. [p]I have done some great steaks and nice chicken wings. I'll keep on keeping on and see if I can change her mind.
Matt

stike · January 2007

turkeyboy,
red joints are not a sign of underdone fowl.[p]and some pink meat is to be expected when you cook over a charcoal fire. the same pink of the smoke ring in pork or beef will appear under the skin. the pink which occurs down in the joints is not related to bbq, and is not unhealthy.[p]it's often attributed to the bird having been frozen.[p]here's one of about a thousand explanations on the web.[p]one thing running against you is that chicken from the BGE is going to be extra moist. the egg does not dry out meat cooked on it. that's why we often have a problem getting the skin to crisp. in your case, the water pan exacerbated the issue even more. temp is never wrong. if it says 165 in the breast, it's done. if it says 185 in the thigh, done.[p]i can microwave it to 200 for example, and it'd never get brown.[p]trust the thermo.

[ul][li]why is the chicken red in the bone joints?[/ul]

Wingman · January 2007

stike,[p]The Turkey was very good. At least the two slices I had before my wife reheated. Ultra moist. [p]Should I not do the water barrier?
Matt

Settle this for me- Talking about Cooking my Turkey PROBLEM!

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