Page 40 - NOV2021 Digial Issue

Meathead, AmazingRibs.com
How many times have you seen a turkey or chicken recipe that says “cook until the juices run clear”? They claim that if you stab or carve your bird, and you see pink juices, it is not done. This myth lives in hundreds of cookbooks and thou- sands of websites. If you believe it, you could end up badly overcook- ing your holiday centerpiece.
What causes red or pink juices?
Food is done when it is safe to eat.
Period. That is a hard fast rule.
That means it is safe to eat when all the bacteria are dead and that is a factor of time and temperature. The only way you can tell if ii is safe is t=with a digital thermometer. The color of cooked meat or its juices is simply not a reliable doneness indicator. Here's why.
The pink color in meat is due to a protein called myoglo- bin that is stored within the muscles and usually found mixed with water, making a pink fluid called myowater. It is not blood, which is dark red, thick, and coagulates, just like your blood. When myoglobin is cooked, its protein struc-
ture changes, a process called de- naturing. When the molecules are altered, they absorb light differ- ently, the color changes, and meat and juices lose their tint, going from pink to clear or tan. The ques- tion is, at what temperature does myoglobin change color?
Turns out there is no fixed temp at which this happens because other factors come into play.
I spoke to a research scientist at a major poultry processor who prefers that I not use his
name. He explained that the acidity (pH) of the meat is a major factor. “When the muscle is high in pH [low in acid] it takes a higher temperature to denature the myoglobin. The meat may need to be 170 to 180°F before the myoglo- bin in breasts is denatured sufficiently to see clear juices. The drumstick and thigh have higher levels of myoglobin and they require an even higher internal temperature to denature it. Typically we cook drums or thighs to 175 to 180°F in our plant to make sure no pink remains. It is hard to convince consumers when they see pink juices or meat.”
Conversely, “If the muscle pH is low then the myoglobin is denatured at a lower cooked temperature. This means that one might potentially see clear juices at 150°F and this is not safe.”
BarbecueNews.com - 36
NOVEMBER 2021
WHY PINK TURKEY
MEAT MAY NOT BE
DANGEROUS