Page 115 - Turkey Book from Meathead

the target/safe temp without overcooking the exterior. One technique is to baste the exterior, but that keeps the skin wet and soft, and we want our skin dry and crisp. Another technique is to cook low and slow. We'll keep the temp at 325°F, which is medium, and we'll explain why later.
Interestingly, the meat keeps cooking after you take it out of the heat. The hot outer parts continue to pass their heat inward and in 15 to 30 minutes after coming out of the oven, the center of the muscle can rise another 5 to 10°F. Some heat also escapes into the air, so we don't want to leave the meat sitting around too long or it gets cold.
In the illustration above, on the left we have a piece of meat cooking at 325°F. It is absorbing heat from all sides, the outer surfaces are hottest, and the heat is passed to the center by conduction. In the center picture, the meat has been removed from the oven. Heat continues to be passed towards the center, even though it is sitting at room temp, and some of the heat is escaping into the surrounding air. On the right, the meat has come close to an even temp throughout and now it is cooling as more heat escapes.