You should pull your turkey from the oven when it reaches about 165 degrees, as measured from the thigh meat. At that point, especially with young birds, there will be some red, as shown, and around the bones in the dark meat. There is nothing wrong with this. It results in a far more moist and tender bird, and if you can't get past this, your birds will always be dry, stringy, chewy, and will...+READ

You should pull your turkey from the oven when it reaches about 165 degrees, as measured from the thigh meat. At that point, especially with young birds, there will be some red, as shown, and around the bones in the dark meat. There is nothing wrong with this. It results in a far more moist and tender bird, and if you can't get past this, your birds will always be dry, stringy, chewy, and will basically suck. Go ahead and overcook your bird, but please, don't invite ME to dinner. :P.

People have been programmed to worry about things like salmonella when it comes to poultry, and while this can be a valid concern, if they take the time to learn about it, they will realize that most of the things they do to try to prevent it basically amounts to superstition. First off, salmonella only grows on the surface of the meat. Second, it dies instantly at 165 degrees. Third, the only thing "washing" your poultry does is to give nasty bacteria the opportunity to splash around your kitchen. These are not just hearsay, but are documented and supported by the FDA.

What most people do in an effort to rid their birds of bacteria, aside from washing, is to overcook them. Cooking your bird until "the legs move easily and the juices run clear," as many cookbooks say is a recipe for disaster, at least assuming you don't like dry, stringy breast meat. I happen to like juicy, tender breast meat. Don't you?

So do yourself a favor. Pull your turkey out of the oven when it reaches 165 degrees, then tent it in foil and rest it for 20 minutes or so while you finish your side dishes. Carryover will take it up another ten degrees or so. You needn't worry about salmonella, or any other bacterial critters. And, your bird will be moist and tender. And don't worry about the red bits. They won't hurt you. All the nasty critters died as soon as your bird reached 165 degrees.


Oh, and regarding stuffing? the video is absolutely correct. Make dressing, and cook it separately. If you stuff your bird, it will be toast by the time your stuffing is hot enough to be safe to eat. And NEVER trust one of those plastic pop-up thermometers. They're set to pop at about 185 degrees, which is WAY too hot. Get a good probe thermometer, and use it.

I've been cooking birds for three decades now. In the beginning, I had some bad ones, but since discovering these simple concepts, they've all turned out perfectly.

Oh, and I usually brine, as well, but that is another story. For now, let's just say that it helps a lot, but is not totally necessary in order to turn out a good turkey.-COLLAPSE

By CorneliusSneedley on January 9, 2010 04:20 AM

This is the single most important video that saved my turkey from a disgraceful finale last year. I watched this video ONCE the night before; Chef mentioned the key cuts so succinctly that I was able to recall the whole process clearly on command.

While my entire family watched, I went from thigh, to wings and finally breasts in the kitchen, brought out a fully loaded platter and the dinner was...+READ

This is the single most important video that saved my turkey from a disgraceful finale last year. I watched this video ONCE the night before; Chef mentioned the key cuts so succinctly that I was able to recall the whole process clearly on command.

While my entire family watched, I went from thigh, to wings and finally breasts in the kitchen, brought out a fully loaded platter and the dinner was all about enjoying the meal and company, instead of negotiating with a carcass and sorry shreds of meat. And nobody gets cheated out of some skin.

Oh, and make sure you get your knives sharpened for the holidays.-COLLAPSE

By looseid on November 22, 2009 07:38 PM

I don't think it's that under-done--maybe just a few degrees. I think most of us are simply used to nasty, chalky, dry, over-cooked turkey, thanks to those thermometers that the manufacturers put in, set to go off at 180--about 15 degrees too high. Which from what I gather we can thank the FDA for. The guidelines might be great if you're really nervous about any chance of a food-bourne illness,...+READ

I don't think it's that under-done--maybe just a few degrees. I think most of us are simply used to nasty, chalky, dry, over-cooked turkey, thanks to those thermometers that the manufacturers put in, set to go off at 180--about 15 degrees too high. Which from what I gather we can thank the FDA for. The guidelines might be great if you're really nervous about any chance of a food-bourne illness, but I would personally rather take a small risk and have a delicious meal. YMMV, and have a great Thanksgiving!-COLLAPSE

By davis_sq_pro on November 13, 2009 09:01 PM

Thanks for the tips. Some times it is really hard to tell how much the turkey is done just on the color. Somtimes when it is slow roasted a really long time then it will stay a shade of pink. I am going to give him the benifit of the doubt because I am sure he knows what he is doing.

By twall on November 13, 2009 10:56 AM

Is it easier to "Do it all right" when you under cook the bird and leave a ton of meat on the carcass? That bird is really under done. Even the white meat is pink.
I always like to carve mine at the table in high hopes that an errant piece with hit my MIL.
On second thought a little MR turkey might be good for her.....
Thanks for the tip! ;)

By Fritter on February 13, 2009 07:07 AM

While Chef Dommen did a fairly good job of carving the turkey, he still left a ton of meat on the carcass. There is a way to strip the turkey of virtually every bit of meat on it wasting almost nothing. Start by tipping the turkey so it's standing on the narrow end of the breast. Remove the wishbone by gently scraping the thin covering of meat overlying it and either cutting or pulling it out....+READ

While Chef Dommen did a fairly good job of carving the turkey, he still left a ton of meat on the carcass. There is a way to strip the turkey of virtually every bit of meat on it wasting almost nothing. Start by tipping the turkey so it's standing on the narrow end of the breast. Remove the wishbone by gently scraping the thin covering of meat overlying it and either cutting or pulling it out. Make a scoring cut across the keelbone just to separate the two breast halves. You can now peel off the two halves of the turkey from the ribcage without using a knife. Sometimes the thigh portions come with it, sometimes not. From this angle, once the breast portions are separated, the thighs can also be torn out, again leaving almost no meat behind. The breasts and thighs can then be carved into serving portions (against the grain per Chef Dommen's advice). This works with all poultry since their anatomies are basically the same. Your guests will be amazed at the speed and efficiency with which you separated the meat from the carcass.-COLLAPSE

By jhupiter on February 1, 2009 10:13 AM

That's so cool how he reassembled the bird.

By Wiley on January 5, 2009 10:02 AM

Love it, thanks. I'll compromise on roasting with stuffing in, but the major insight here is removing the breast meat in one piece then slicing across the grain. Looks beautiful, tender, and actually way more efficient that tying oneself in knots trying to carve perfect slices off the breast of the bird.

By lccarson on December 30, 2008 09:22 AM

Alright, Thats How I've been doing to my BBQ grilled turkey, "A.LL WRONG"...Good job dude but Slicing it sooo perfect is gonna take a looong time for me at least!! Anyway, thanks for the tip...:-)

By Badsha on December 29, 2008 09:17 PM

Legs are a little to raw for my liking!

By xecuchef on November 16, 2008 10:17 AM