Carving Turkey - are ALL the juices supposed to still be clear?

[Vyshtia]

I ran into this last Sunday during Xmas Eve Turkey Carving.

I had baked my turkey until internal temp was 177 degrees, took out the turkey, let it sit, started carving turkey.

Some juices were clear but some were not. So family members said to throw the turkey back in the oven. I did, but when we took the turkey back out (after hitting 177 degrees again @ 1/2 hr later), some juices when carved were still pinkish, not clear.

So now I'm confused. The USDA says turkey only needs to be cooked until it reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees F. I cooked my turkey until it was 177 degrees for a lot longer than I think it needed to be cooked...the only confusion is the "juices run clear" bit.

Can someone clear this up for me?

Thank you!
Dawn.

[Mezzaluna]

Where did you insert the thermometer? Did you let the bird rest, covered, for 15-20 minutes after taking it out of the oven? 177 should have been plenty to assure all the meat was cooked.

I recommend using a probe thermometer that stays in the meat throughout the cooking. Mine can be set to a pre-determined temperature; it beeps when the temp is reached. Take the bird out but don't remove the probe thermometer! Cover the bird with foil and set aside for 15-20 minutes. The temperature will actually rise about 5 degrees more. When you see the temp start to fall, you can remove the probe and start carving.

Resting is ESSENTIAL to juicy meat of all kinds, whether it's a turkey or a steak. If you cut it immediately after cooking, the juices will all run out. Result: very dry, tough meat.

[Vyshtia]

Originally Posted by Mezzaluna

Where did you insert the thermometer? Did you let the bird rest, covered, for 15-20 minutes after taking it out of the oven? 177 should have been plenty to assure all the meat was cooked.

I recommend using a probe thermometer that stays in the meat throughout the cooking. Mine can be set to a pre-determined temperature; it beeps when the temp is reached. Take the bird out but don't remove the probe thermometer! Cover the bird with foil and set aside for 15-20 minutes. The temperature will actually rise about 5 degrees more. When you see the temp start to fall, you can remove the probe and start carving.

Resting is ESSENTIAL to juicy meat of all kinds, whether it's a turkey or a steak. If you cut it immediately after cooking, the juices will all run out. Result: very dry, tough meat.

I have a Taylor probe thermometer with pager - I stuck the probe into the thick part of the thigh and left it there during the entire cooking and resting period. I let it sit for 1/2 hr before carving, but didn't cover with foil while it was resting. I'll have to do that next time because while it was resting I watched to see if the temperature rose and it didn't, it started falling...and I was wondering about that too. When I was carving, the juice was clear, but at the bottom of the cutting board - where a lot of juice was accumulating - it was pinkish and that's when family members freaked out. =(

[mredikop]

The covering with foil is essential during the resting period. That maintains/increases the temperature and let's the meat "settle" so it is easier to carve. Without the foil it cools too fast. Now I am no expert at cooking turkeys so I may have missed a point here so if anyone can counter sink this let me know. Also let me know if I am incorrect about any of this.

[castironchef]

Any way you look at it, even the best thermometer only measures the temperature at the place where it is. That may not be enough.

Your thigh may have reached 177 F, but that doesn't mean that the rest of the bird did. Factors to consider include the placement of the probe, whether the turkey was on a rack, whether the turkey was stuffed (a bad idea, IMHO) and whether your oven heats evenly.

For instance, if your turkey were sitting on roasting pan, the pan itself may have prevented sufficient heat from entering the lower parts so that a thigh may be 177 F, but the bottom areas were significantly cooler. Or, if you stuffed the turkey, the stuffing will be unsafe until the center of it reaches about 165 F (depending upon which food safety expert you rely) and it will absorb heat from other parts of the turkey. So, your thigh may be 177, but the interior of the turkey may be considerably cooler. Or, your oven may be hotter on one side than the other (bad element, bad convection, door leak, etc.) and one thigh could register 177 F, but the other side could be much cooler.

The problem, of course, is that turkeys have an odd shape and contain two different kinds of meat, that are properly cooked when they reach two different temperatures. Stuffing compounds that problem, by throwing off the thermodynamics and requiring that the heat reach all the way through the turkey, a hard thing to achieve without seriously overcooking the exterior portions.

Does any of the above help?

[Myplaceoryours]

Originally Posted by Vyshtia

I have a Taylor probe thermometer with pager - I stuck the probe into the thick part of the thigh and left it there during the entire cooking and resting period. =(

I'm not sure if the "thick part of the thigh" means the same thing to everyone so I can't comment on whether or not you had the temperature probe in the correct position. If it was near a bone it would give you an inaccurate reading. My training has been to insert the temp. probe into the mid-portion of the breast about half way down the side of the bird at a position between the side and the drumstick. Another common error, besides getting the probe too near a bone, is not getting the probe in deep enough.
Hope there's something in all this that helps you identify what went wrong with your cooking method.

[Jock]

Originally Posted by Vyshtia

I ran into this last Sunday during Xmas Eve Turkey Carving.

I had baked my turkey until internal temp was 177 degrees, took out the turkey, let it sit, started carving turkey.

Some juices were clear but some were not. So family members said to throw the turkey back in the oven. I did, but when we took the turkey back out (after hitting 177 degrees again @ 1/2 hr later), some juices when carved were still pinkish, not clear.

So now I'm confused. The USDA says turkey only needs to be cooked until it reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees F. I cooked my turkey until it was 177 degrees for a lot longer than I think it needed to be cooked...the only confusion is the "juices run clear" bit.

Can someone clear this up for me?

Thank you!
Dawn.

I have this problem all the time with turkey and chicken. The undercooked area is invariably where the thigh meets the body of the bird. I usually pour the pink juices into the pan with the gravy and let it cook a few more minutes. If the thigh meat is visually too underdone the thigh goes into the pan as well.

Roasting the bird on its side (thigh side up) for 15 minutes or so in the begining - first one side then the other - helps, but for me it's too much trouble to flip a 16# bird. Post cooking the underdone bits is easier.

Jock