Kitchen

[pupwhipped]

The last two years I made whole turkey breasts for Thanksgiving and they turned out relatively well. This year I lost my mind and bought a big, honking whole turkey. Let's just say the breast meat was good, and now, as I type this, the dark meat is in the oven finishing up cooking. I've seen varying opinions on what temp to cook Tom turkey to. Soooooo, I would like to know what temp do you cook your bird to? And is that for the breast meat, or the dark meat, meaning do you check the temp in the dark meat, white meat, or both?

I was really trying to avoid the overcooked breast meat I've had in years past when preparing a whole turkey. I succeeded. But the dark meat was....well, suspect at the very least!

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[LoriMI]

I buy the turkey breast with the bones. No dark meat for me! I have a Big Boss Rapid Wave Oven (like the NuWave Oven).

I tucked butter under the skin, brushed olive oil on it. Seasoned it, rubbed it around and set it at 350 degrees. One hour and 20 minutes later I had turkey that was juicy and moist. It makes life easier. My oven was free for other things.

[Nickname1]

The label on the turkey and the instructions in the Reynolds oven bags says 180, I also have two different digital thermometers that have preset temps, one says 180, the other 165. That being said, last years turkey had a pop up timer(this years didn't) which I do not go by, I removed that turkey at 165, the timer did not pop, but after resting for 30 minutes under foil it did, so it's true that the temp. will still increase even after removing from oven. I did the same thing this year, and the breast were perfect, but the legs still needed time, so I carved those off and stuck them back in the oven. To me you can't uncook something.

[HonnyBrown]

I cooked my whole turkey until the thigh read 180 with the instant thermometer.

I took it out of the oven and it wasn't done. Mom-911 said to cook it at 350 for another 30 minutes and that did the trick.

[pupwhipped]

On 11/30/2014 MScotty said:

The label on the turkey and the instructions in the Reynolds oven bags says 180, I also have two different digital thermometers that have preset temps, one says 180, the other 165. That being said, last years turkey had a pop up timer(this years didn't) which I do not go by, I removed that turkey at 165, the timer did not pop, but after resting for 30 minutes under foil it did, so it's true that the temp. will still increase even after removing from oven. I did the same thing this year, and the breast were perfect, but the legs still needed time, so I carved those off and stuck them back in the oven. To me you can't uncook something.

MScotty, that was about my experience, although mine was a weird turkey cooking situation on all fronts. I had one of those remote read thermometers stuck in the breast and I set it to go off at 165 degrees. My turkey was 14.56 pounds and I thought it would take 3+ hours to cook at 325. At two hours that thermometer was reading 165. I took the bird out and even checked it with a different instant read thermometer and it was about the same. I tented the bird for a bit with foil, but then jiggled the legs and thought this doesn't look done. There was even some reddish juices in the pan, so back in the oven Tom went. I cooked it for awhile more and checked it with both thermometers again and there were some readings of 175 to 180. Took it out, tented it, and then when I went to carve it up there was no way that dark meat was done. Breast was good, but just barely done.

I just don't get this, and to be honest, I may not ever cook another whole bird. I just now cooked the dark meat to 182 degrees (taking no chances) as I want to use it in a casserole, turkey tetrazzini, along with a little of the leftover white meat.

And BTW, my bird was beyond thawed, so that was not the problem. I did brine it in a bit of a different concoction.....buttermilk and a bunch of different spices. The flavor/taste was very good, but the cooking of the thing was bizarre.

[stripyfax]

Is it possible your thermometer is not correct? You could maybe test it by taking the temperature of boiling water. I cook turkey in my nesco roaster oven. I test the stuffing, the breast and the thighs. When stuffing and breast are at least 165 & thighs are180 it is done. I usually cook about 45 minutes at 400 then reduce to 325 and allow about twenty minutes per pound for a stuffed turkey. They usually seem to be done a little earlier , (nesco seems to cook faster the the regular oven), but that is a good estimate of time.

[Campion]

This is frequently my problem. I made a "spatchcocked" turkey (a small one) and I took the temperature of the dark meat, that read correctly and it was not entirely done. I have a new thermometer, still a problem.

I guess I have to leave it in ten minutes longer than I think, even if it reads 165.

I like this method of cooking a turkey--you cut out the backbone, flatten it and cook at 450. I rubbed mine with oil and herb-spice mix and put it on a bed of cut onions. I got a good gravy this way by bringing up the pan drippings in broth. It's a bit tough to cut out the back with a shears, but it's a very quick and nice way to bake a turkey.

[Lakegirl]

I cook turkeys the same way as my Grandmother and Mom always cooked them. We stuff the bird, put on a rack in a speckled roaster at 325. The cover is on the roaster for the first hour, then uncovered for the remainder of the cooking time. I follow the directions on the label for the suggested cooking time. Had a 24 lb., fresh Butterball turkey in the oven for 5 1/2 hours. Came out brown and cooked to perfection! It was juicy and delicious.

[dakotacheryl]

Campion, I spatchcocked my turkey this year too. 450F for the first 30 min, then down to 350 till it was done...I think 2 hours total time. I layed the turkey on top of my stuffing and it came out perfectly.

Took it out of the oven when my thermometer (inserted into the breast) was at 165F...tented with foil and made the gravy (used the removed back bone, browned in a pot, in the stock), finished the veggies and mashed the potatoes...turkey was perfectly cooked both dark meat and breast meat.

Uncooked my turkey was 10.5 lbs.

[Poodlepet2]

Campion, was the temperature 450 for the entire cooking time? Usually, you start out high (I have seen 425-500) for 20-30 minutes, then you turn it down to 325 or 350....from there, things are all over the place. I have read to time it for 15 minutes a pound, that it's done when the thigh hits 175.... that it will be overcooked if the breast registers at 180 because it continues to cook after it's out of the oven. We had a 7 lb duck for Thanksgiving which turned out splendidly. On Friday I did a 9 lb turkey and it turned out well.... and maybe it did because it was on the smaller side so heat didn't have to travel as far on my Bird.....who knows? We eat tons of Turkey( not my fave) chicken, duck and fish because DH has gout. I make several whole turkeys a year, and I don't pay much attention because they don't "inspire" me, but they always turn out- but they are always on the small side. Poodlepet2