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Turkey Tips
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) branch of the USDA has issued a new recommendation for a single minimum internal temperature requirement for safely cooked poultry. Scientific research indicates that food-borne pathogens and viruses are destroyed when poultry is cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F.
(Please note that there is much printed material in circulation that has the old “safe cooking recommendations”, including the bags that our DLM turkeys are packaged in).
Turkey preparation tips
• Allow one pound of turkey per person for a whole turkey and ¾ pound for a turkey breast.
• Stuffing should be prepared and stuffed into the turkey immediately before it is placed in the oven. Figure ¾ cup of stuffing per pound of turkey.
• Remove neck and giblets from the body cavities; rinse the turkey and pat dry. Place stuffing in the body cavities and secure. If roasting unstuffed, rub the body cavity lightly with salt. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Brush with melted butter or olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.
• Roast turkey at 325°F for approximately 15 minutes per pound. Add ½ hour to the total time for a stuffed turkey. Baste occasionally with pan juices, if desired. Begin checking for doneness 30-45 minutes prior to the calculated time.
• Appearance does not indicate when the turkey is done. The thigh meat of a fresh turkey will still be pink even when the turkey has been cooked to the proper temperature.
• The turkey is done when a meat thermometer registers 165°F in the innermost part of the thigh or the thickest part of the breast. Make sure the thermometer is not touching a bone. Stuffing temperature should also be 165°F. (When the turkey is removed from the oven and is resting, the internal temperature will generally rise at least 5 to 10 degrees; therefore it is suggested that the turkey be removed when the meat thermometer registers 160°F.)
• Remove the turkey from the oven and allow it to rest for at least 20 minutes. Remove the stuffing and keep warm (minimum of 140°F). The turkey is ready to carve.
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