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meat has reached a safe temperature. Turkey, fresh pork, ground beef, or veal can remain pink even after cooking to temperatures of 160°F and higher.”
The USDA recommends serving all turkey parts at a mini- mum of 165°F. But here's what they don't tell you: that's not a hard and fast rule. It is a number they give the con- sumer in order to simplify food safety. The truth is that killing microbes is a factor of both temperature and time. At 165°F internal temp in the geometric center of meat, all microbes are killed in about seven seconds, so it is called the “instant kill zone.” But you can also kill all the mi- crobes at lower temps if you cook the meat for a longer time. For example, turkey or chicken can be safe when it reaches 150°F if you can hold it there for five minutes. And if you cook a large bird like a turkey you can take it off at 155 or 160°F since it retains enough heat to kill pathogens, and it will likely rise at least 5°F due to carryover cooking.
Bottom line
Once upon a time, the clear juices and pink meat rules may
have been helpful, but (ahem) clearly they are not any longer. You cannot tell if poultry is safe by merely looking at the meat, at the bones, or at the juices, as directed in most turkey recipes. Enter the digital age! Test your turkey's doneness with a reliable digital thermometer. We say: Remove your holiday bird from the heat when the breasts hit 155°F. The temp will continue to rise to 160 or 165°F from carryover cooking and, at that temp, the meat and juices are perfectly safe. Any higher and you will be serving cardboard for Thanksgiving.
Meathead is the Barbecue Hall of Famer who founded Amaz- ingRibs.com, by far the world's most popular outdoor cooking website. He is the author of "Meathead, The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling," a New York Times Best Seller that was also named one of the "100 Best Cookbooks of All Time" by Southern Living magazine. This article was excerpted and modified from his book and website. For 2,000+ free pages of great barbecue and grilling info, visit Meathead’s Amazin- gRibs.com and take a free trial in the Pitmaster Club.
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