The experts at America’s Test Kitchen recommend this method. Our stuffing was ready just when the bird was done. Any idea how much longer the cook will take with two? There are many who rely on these inaccurate methods of knowing when a turkey is done: None of these methods can be used to accurately verify the doneness of your turkey. We guarantee they’ll taste great—the luck is up to you. To learn more about this technique, read our post, Spatchcocked: Roast Your Turkey in Record Time! Thanksgiving Day food preparation, and when to schedule your dinner, revolves around when the turkey will be ready to serve. The total cook time will depend on the size of your turkey, so let a meat thermometer be the ultimate judge. You’ve likely heard experts say that you should never stuff a turkey. This method is the least labor-intensive but requires the most time. Here’s how we do it with an 18-pound turkey. Thanks for all the great and detailed info!!!! That means a meal of greens, hoppin’ John, black-eyed peas, cornbread, and pot likker soup. The temperature of the stuffing will actually cool dramatically during the first half of your turkey’s cook because of the frigid temperature of the turkey surrounding it. A turkey pulled too early could possibly still contain foodborne illnesses, while a turkey pulled too late will be dry. If you like crispy bits of stuffing, simply cut open the cheesecloth pouch near the end of the cook to allow some of the stuffing to crisp up with more direct exposure to heat. The number of recipes and cooking methods available to help you cook the perfect turkey are nearly endless. The stuffing pouch will be quite hot, use tongs to return it to the turkey cavity, and prepare your turkey for roasting as usual. The juices may never be colorless or clear even when a safe doneness temperature is reached. A whole turkey is done when the temperature of the innermost part of the thigh hits a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F with a food thermometer. Now, using such a chart as a guide for knowing roughly when to put the bird in the oven isn’t a bad idea, but ultimately the question “how long should I cook my turkey?” is best answered: “until it is done, and no longer than that.” Keep reading to get a deeper understanding of why that is and how to cook your bird best. And, while you’re at it you may as well dry-brine your bird for extra juiciness and flavor! So, now that you know the basic procedure for a turkey roast, here are the details that will change you from mild-mannered turkey cook into a bona fide Thanksgiving hero! Hardly any Thanksgiving table is complete without stuffing. © Copyright 2020 Meredith Corporation. Fantastic source of information, best I have come across, thanks, A number of different guidelines have been proposed for predicting how much time it should take to roast a given piece of meat. Only a thermometer can do this. If you need to hold the turkey for longer than half an hour before serving, keep it warm in an oven set to 150°F (66°C). To know when the turkey is done cooking, measure the temperature through … And the stuffing is the last thing to come to temperature. You can actually cook a frozen turkey and you can cook a thawed turkey, but you SHOULD NOT cook a turkey that is partially thawed and partially frozen. We couldn’t say it better than Harold McGee…. Fortunately, the traditional Thanksgiving presentation with stuffing inside the bird is both delicious and safe when done properly. By preheating the stuffing you jump-start the cooking process. How To Cook a Turkey: The Simplest, Easiest Method | Kitchn (Thanks to our friend, Kenji Alt-Lopez for verifying the proper preheating temperature of the stuffing). Lastly, after you thaw your turkey, thoroughly dry the surface of the turkey before putting it into the oven (or smoker or oil). Regardless of the cooking method used or the size of your bird, temperature tracking is a major key to turkey success from start to finish, no matter the recipe. Below you’ll find solutions to this thermal conundrum. Resting your turkey is. Icing the breasts lowered the white meat’s temperature by about. The only reliable test for doneness is the temperature of the meat, not the color of the skin. We’ll look at the results as we go through the various methods. If the turkey isn’t right, the day gets an asterisk. I’d plan on at least an extra hour. Thinking of cooking a turkey with that perspective, it’s no wonder that breast meat is often overcooked and dry, and the leg meat can be tough. Planning on smoking two 13lb birds on the big green egg at 300 using my smoke thermometer to moniter temps. Turkey pop-up timers embedded by the manufacturer are notoriously inaccurate and unreliable. One of the most challenging aspects of cooking a whole turkey is that there are two distinct types of meat that need to be cooked to different doneness temperatures—and all the meat is supposed to be ready at the same time! The dramatic temperature gradients in a partially frozen turkey, from its frozen thermal center to its completely thawed exterior, will cause it to cook unevenly. This rise in temperature after food has been removed from its heat source is known as Carryover Cooking. When your DOT, Smoke, or ChefAlarm’s high alarm of 157°F (69°C) sounds, verify that its reading is the lowest temperature in the turkey by using an instant-read thermometer like the Thermapen Mk4. A probe resting against a bone will not give an accurate temperature reading for the meat itself. The probe’s tip should be about 1/2 to 1 inch (1.3 to 2.5 cm) from the internal cavity of the bird to avoid touching the bone. Cooking times called out by charts and recipes are only approximations of how long it will take for a whole turkey to cook, based on oven temperature and weight of the bird. To help alleviate the challenge of cooking to completely different types of meat at the same time, there are different methods, tips, and techniques that have been developed by chefs and food science experts. We have found that a pull temperature of 157°F (69°C) works best to account for the rise in temperature that will occur during the rest and achieve the optimal final cooking temperature of 165°F (74°C). Did You Know? Bones have a different mass than that of meat fibers and conduct heat differently. Our food stylists’ best-kept secret: Use toothpicks to secure the skin to the inside of … Our target pull temperature of 157°F (69°C) is calculated to allow both for the carryover rise to 165°F (74°C) and to meet the USDA’s alternative recommendation that turkey be held at 157°F (74°C) for 49.5 seconds in order to achieve the same level of pathogen reduction. No time chart can checks to see if your turkey was even properly thawed to begin with. And finally, keeping the legs open rather than trussed also helped ensure the dark meat had ample heat transfer on all sides. A 12-pound bird will cook more quickly than a 20-pound monster, which is … A much better tool for roasting a turkey is a plain old aluminum half sheet pan with either a wire rack or a v-rack set in it. Begin by roasting your turkey at 425°F for 40 to 45 minutes before lowering the temperature of the oven to 350°F for the rest of the cook time. Undercooked stuffing is a serious food safety hazard. Or should oven temp be raised to insure carryover rise? Many experts recommend this method for speed in cooking and the meat’s doneness temperatures. This process may require 1-2 large bags of ice—so be prepared. Each time you probe the meat, pull the probe tip out of the turkey slowly and watch as the temperature changes on the display. Let’s look at why that is. However, as soon as it begins to thaw, any bacteria that may have been present before freezing can begin to grow again. If the turkey is just perfect, everything seems brighter. You won’t want to skip this part in finishing your Thanksgiving masterpiece. Many different temperatures exist in an oven at any given time (see the illustration below). A turkey carved and served without resting will spill more of its juices onto the cutting board and not be as moist. We call this evening of temperatures during a rest “equilibration.”. Gelatin can absorb up to 10 times its weight in liquid. So why is it so important to check multiple areas in the bird with an instant-read thermometer? This lowest temperature is the one that needs to be tracked during the cook because your meat is only as done and safe as the lowest temperature found. However, the mathematics of heat transfer show that cooking times are actually proportional to the thickness. Worse still, with all the juices from the turkey moistening the stuffing, it needs to reach an internal temperature of 165ºF (74ºC) to be safe to eat! Decreased oven temperatures will inevitably extend the time it takes for your bird to cook. We suggest the Thermapen Mk4 because its super-fast 2-3-second readings make it easy to spot-check multiple areas quickly. Once the 30-minute rest is done, it’s finally time to carve and serve your Thanksgiving turkey! The stuffing should also be 165 degrees F. Maybe at Christmas? When cooking anything, the higher the temperature you cook at, the larger the temperature gradient inside the meat. Regardless of whether your bird this year is roasted, smoked, deep-fried, or spatchcocked, knowing how to track and spot-check the turkey’s internal temperature will allow you to cook this year’s bird with confidence. But how do you heat the stuffing and transfer it to the turkey’s cavity without cooling it down, or burning your fingers in the process? Like the other method, it's a good idea to brush the turkey every 15 to 20 minutes with butter or olive oil … To help brown and crisp the skin, many recipes will call for you to start your turkey at a relatively high oven temperature (anywhere from 425-500° F) for the first 15-30 minutes. During the rest, these protein fibers have a chance to relax and reabsorb some of the juices that are lost. Do this in at least two places in the breast and at least two places in the thigh. If a meat thermometer is not used, begin testing for doneness after about 3 hours. The turkey becomes more uniform in thickness, and there is maximum exposure with the legs. Good luck and happy cooking! The ideal place to thaw your turkey is in the fridge, which can take up to a week … Your turkey is cooked when the breast meat reaches 170°F and the thighs reaches 180°F. It requires the least from the cook, because you throw the turkey in the oven at 325°F and don't adjust the temperature for the duration of the roast. Starting the bird breast side down shields the white meat from oven heat and helps solve the fundamental problem with cooking any bird—dark meat should be heated to a higher internal temperature than white meat. When your alarm thermometer’s high alarm sounds, the breast meat is done and the turkey is ready to be pulled from the oven, right? The trendy haircuts you’ll be seeing everywhere next year. If the turkey meat is not at a uniform temperature before you cook it on Thanksgiving morning, you’re asking for disaster. The web of connective tissue in the muscle needs to be cooked to and held in a higher temperature range (175-180°F [79-82°C]) to properly dissolve—helping the tough protein become tender. For best results, fast twitch muscle meat should be cooked to its pull temperature (157°F [69°C]), and not a degree higher. With accurate temperature tracking, you’ll never overcook a turkey again and, more importantly, you’ll be certain your family is safe! Doctor up your bird with whatever special seasonings you … Don’t worry, we won’t tell. Lisa, The only 100% reliable way to know when the turkey is ready to be pulled from the heat is through tracking its internal temperature. These simple and spectacular Southern cakes deserve a comeback. British Turkey advises the temperature of your oven should be 190C/170C fan/ gas 5 with the cooking time calculated as follows: Under 4kg - 20mins per kg plus an extra 70 minutes Over 4kg - … All had an impact on the turkey’s rate of cooking and the final quality of each type of meat. Probe tip? To achieve the end goal of tender, juicy breast meat and silky, succulent dark meat, the internal temperature in the thighs needs to be at least 175°F by the time the breast meat reaches 157°F. The preferred method for thawing a turkey is to put your frozen turkey breast-side UP on a rimmed sheet pan or tray in your refrigerator set to 37°F (3°C), allowing it to thaw gently. Mark “Turkey Thaw Day” on your calendar now to plan ahead and simplify your holiday. The whole point of accurate probe placement is to accurately track the internal temperature of your turkey’s thermal center. This is particularly important if you will be brining your turkey (soaking it in saltwater). Perhaps the question people ask most about cooking a turkey is how long it is going to take. Turkey is done when thermometer reads 165°F and drumsticks move easily when lifted or twisted. There are multiple factors contributing to how your turkey cooks such as oven temperature and oven accuracy, depth and size of the roasting pan, tenting with foil, convection vs. conventional ovens, whether the turkey is trussed, and where the turkey is positioned in the oven, just to name a few. Like the other method, it's a good idea to brush the turkey every 15 to 20 minutes with butter or olive oil to help the surface brown and keep the meat moist. The turkeys weighed between 18.02 and 18.74 pounds, except for the turkey thawed on the counter, which weighed 16.99 pounds. The breasts are thick at one end and tapered toward the other, while the legs are quite a bit smaller. When cooking a turkey, you need two thermometers, not just one. Water on the surface of the meat will slow down the cook, and cause uneven browning. So here’s a little gift from us to you: a complete guide to thawing and cooking your turkey, with a special emphasis on using temperatures to not overcook your bird. And the first thing you need to do to ensure perfect turkey doneness at the end of your cook, is to properly place the probe of your leave-in probe thermometer at the beginning. Put in a roasting tin, skin-side up, and roast for 70 mins plus 20 mins per kg, or until the internal temperature reaches 65-70C. It just requires a little extra preparation. If you have the time, I’d cut the breasts off and keep cooking the rest of the carcass until you get tot he right temperature. Each of these areas should read at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. While exposed to the intense heat of an oven, smoker or fryer, turkey meat’s protein fibers shorten, shrink, and contract, expelling out the water they’ve retained. Turkey Tip: Roasting pans with high sides are a no-go! Dark meat is perfectly safe to eat once it has reached 165°F (74°C). Look at the cooking chart within the Oven Bag carton for estimated time for cooking a turkey in an oven bag. In this method the breast meat is shielded from being exposed to direct ambient heat while the legs are more exposed to the heat, helping them to cook faster. Richard, You can also remove the pouch and empty the stuffing onto a greased or parchment-lined pan and bake for another 5 minutes or so if you would prefer a drier stuffing (or if you have to pull your turkey meat before the stuffing is completely up to temperature). STEP 1. Check deep in the thigh and next to the neck cavity too. If your turkey has been stuffed, it is important to check the temperature of the stuffing as well. Also, it is critical to allow your turkey to rest for 30 minutes to an hour after it's taken out of the oven. Then turn the oven down to 325°F (163°C) and cook for the remaining time—until your leave-in probe thermometer sounds. The meat was tender and juicy, the skin was brown and crisp, and the stuffing was both beautiful and infused with the natural aromas and juices of the turkey. If you want your turkey skin to stay crispy, keep the turkey uncovered during the rest. Charts about turkey cooking times abound, but they all share fundamental flaws. Insert the probe laterally, from near the neck cavity, parallel to the cutting board or pan. You can also check the water temperature with an instant-read thermometer like the Thermapen every 30 minutes, and adjust the water temperature as needed. These methods of thawing will leave the outer layers of the meat in the temperature danger zone (40-140°F [4.4-60°C]) for an extended period of time while the innermost, lowest temperature area finishes thawing out. The turkey is flipped over breast-side-up during the last part of the cook to allow the skin to brown. Remember, your turkey is only as done as the lowest internal temperatures you can find. The texture, juiciness, and food safety of your turkey are a direct result of careful temperature control throughout the entire process, from thawing to resting. In other words, perfectly tender and juicy breast meat with silky dark meat…success! Place the turkey on the lowest rack of your oven to roast. After cooking, temperature gradients exist. At ThermoWorks we recommend a 30-minute rest. what to do if breast temp is 157, but thigh temp is lower than 165. Listen, there's more than one way to skin a cat. Allow at least 24 hours for every 5-6 pounds (2.3–2.7 kg) of frozen turkey. These different temperature areas will transfer heat at different rates—especially since a whole turkey isn’t a uniform piece of meat. Q: Can I thaw my turkey in the kitchen sink? This will help to crisp the skin and get a jump on the cooking process. When tracking your turkey’s internal temperature with an alarm thermometer only one area is being monitored (or two if you’re using a dual-channel thermometer like Smoke™). Should the turkey be covered or uncovered during the rest? Then, slather on the butter or oil and spices (whatever your recipe calls for) and start cooking. With food cooking from the outside inward, a difference in temperature exists from the outer surface of the bird to the center of the deepest area in the breast meat. This lowest temperature area, or thermal center, is a very small space to measure. Tracking the temperature with a ChefAlarm makes it easy. For each project, we used our dual-channel oven thermometer, Smoke. Strictly following turkey cook time chart recommendations. The differences between white and dark turkey meat are similar to the differences between a tenderloin steak and a brisket. 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