Page 23 - Turkey Book from Meathead

eat is made from muscles and muscles burn fat
and oxygen as fuel. A protein called myoglobin transports oxygen for release during exertion, and in general the more work a muscle does, the more oxygen-laden myoglobin and fat it needs. Myoglobin makes the muscle darker in color and richer in flavor. It also tints the juices pink.
White meat, breasts and wings, are muscles that don’t work hard because domestic turkeys can’t fly more than a few feet, especially in the typical confinement barn. Besides there is nowhere for them to fly. Breasts are known as fast- twitch muscles designed for brief bursts of energy and, because they don’t need much energy, they don’t have much fat or myoglobin. Because they are so low in fat they are notoriously dry when cooked to the safe temperature recommended by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), 165°F. That’s a bit too high for us. But more on this later.
Dark meat, i.e. thighs and drumsticks (together called legs), are slow-twitch muscles designed for steady movement and
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