Carving Turkey - are ALL the juices supposed to still be clear

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I'm really glad that you reported the ignorant behavior to Butterball. There's no reason for that! :mad:
 
If the turkey has been properly cooked to 160 or above the pink is no doubt from the myagobin in the muscle itself.

From the FDA:

The color of cooked poultry is not always a sure sign of its safety. Only by using a food thermometer can one accurately determine that poultry has reached a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F throughout the product. Turkey can remain pink even after cooking to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F. The meat of smoked turkey is always pink.

To understand some of the causes of "pinking" or "pinkening" in fresh turkey, it’s important to know first what gives meat its natural color.

Why is Poultry Lighter in Color Than Beef?
The protein myoglobin is the major pigment found in all vertebrates and can exist in various forms which determine the resulting meat color. The major reason that poultry meat is much lighter in color than beef is that it is dramatically lower in myoglobin. Also, as an animal becomes older, its myoglobin content usually increases. Turkeys today are young — 4 to 5 months old at the time of slaughter.

Why Are White & Dark Meat of Poultry Different Colors?
The pink, red or white coloration of meat is due primarily to oxygen-storing myoglobin which is located in the muscle cells and retains the oxygen brought by the blood until the cells need it. To some extent, oxygen use can be related to the bird’s general level of activity: muscles that are exercised frequently and strenuously — such as the legs — need more oxygen, and they have a greater storage capacity than muscles needing little oxygen. Turkeys do a lot of standing around, but little if any flying, so their wing and breast muscles are white; their legs, dark.

What Causes Well-Done Meat to Be Pink?
  1. Chemical Changes During Cooking.
    Scientists have found that pinkness occurs when gases in the atmosphere of a heated gas or electric oven react chemically with hemoglobin in the meat tissues to give poultry a pink tinge. They are the same substances that give red color to smoked hams and other cured meats.

    The presence of high levels of myoglobin, or some of its redder forms due to incomplete denaturation during heat processing, can account for poultry having a pink to red color similar to that of an undercooked product.
  2. Natural Presence of Nitrites.
    Nitrites are commonly used to produce a desired pink color in traditionally cured meats such as ham or bologna. So it follows that the natural presence of nitrates and nitrites, either in the feed or water supply, used in the production of poultry are a factor in nitrite levels in the birds.

    One study found that during 40 hours of storage at 40 °F, naturally occurring microorganisms converted nitrate to nitrite. It also found that the local water supply had nitrate and, thus, it could serve as a nitrate source during processing.
  3. Young Age of Meat.
    Often meat of younger birds shows the most pink because their thinner skins permit oven gases to reach the flesh. The amount of fat in the skin also affects the amount of pink color. Young birds or animals also lack the shield of a fat covering.
  4. Grilling.
    Meat and poultry grilled or smoked outdoors can also look pink, even when well done. There may be a pink-colored rim about one-half inch wide around the outside of the cooked meat. The meat of commercially smoked turkeys is usually pink because it is prepared with natural smoke and liquid smoke flavor.
 
Coming late to this party but just wanted to add that - your turkey was perfectly fine & safe to eat!!!

My husband doesn't eat red meat so we consume copious amounts of seafood & poultry. Time & time again I've found that poultry - especially poultry that has had a solution added - will have pinkish/red juices regardless of how long you cook them. I used to agonize over this & literally incinerate food to make all the juices run clear. I finally ran across an article similar to the info supplied above, that made me feel like an idiot - lol!!!!
 
:w00t2: Oh, my gosh - Jennyema!!! That is PERFECT info!!! Thank you soooo much! That's the missing link I was searching for!!!

Ahh...now my wondering brain can finally relax. :clap:

Thank you to everyone else who posted their thoughts too. I learnt a lot in this thread and now have more techniques to try out!!! :D
 
BreezyCooking said:
Coming late to this party but just wanted to add that - your turkey was perfectly fine & safe to eat!!!

My husband doesn't eat red meat so we consume copious amounts of seafood & poultry. Time & time again I've found that poultry - especially poultry that has had a solution added - will have pinkish/red juices regardless of how long you cook them. I used to agonize over this & literally incinerate food to make all the juices run clear. I finally ran across an article similar to the info supplied above, that made me feel like an idiot - lol!!!!

:LOL: Sounds like I was on the exact same path as you were! Now I'm going to have to print this out and show my family so they can stop saying that undercooked the turkey!! I thought I had everything planned out perfectly - TWO thermometers - the probe in the turkey and an oven thermometer to monitor the interior of the oven as well. This thing was just driving me nuts! :ROFLMAO:
 
Nicholas M has an approach that does work.

Have followed Julia's re-assemling the turkey recipe in her 'The Way to Cook'.

The advantage is the meat comes out very well cooked and tasty.

However it is a bit of work and the product does not come out looking quite as perfect as a whole roasted bird.

You pay your money and you take your choice.
 
Wow...now that my excitement has died down a bit, my brain came up with another question.

Please don't shoot me.

But...does "pink meat" also refer to "pink juices"?
 
Andy M. said:
Yes.

Meat temperature is what matters.

:LOL: Thank you!

It's not just me. I just know that when I show my sister this article from the USDA, she'll want to cross reference it and she'll point out that it says "pink meat" not "pink juices". :-p
 
For such a long time, people have been bombarded with the statement that poultry MUST BE COOKED WELL DONE! Instructions often say to cook until the juices run clear.

That's a lot of indoctrination to overcome! Good luck.

My SO will cannot accept pink juices or even the purple stains on and around bones. It just freaks her out and she runs to the microwave with her portion to "finish cooking it".
 
My mother cooks her turkey for like an hour a pound till it has a hard crust.:( SHe repeatedly tells me that she doesn't like "rare" poultry. To her, if it isn't hard on the outside, it's rare.
 
Here is the email response from Butterball:

______________________________________________________________

Thank you for contacting the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line via the Internet!
I am sorry you felt you weren't handled professionally during your call to Customer Service. Did you speak to Customer Service or to the Butterball Turkey-Talk-Line? Regardless, I will forward your e-mail to the Talk-Line Director. We have received calls regarding the USDA guidelines and I can provide you with Butterball's response at this time.

Yes, the USDA recommends 165 degrees F as a safe end point temperature for cooked turkey. This is particularly important for stuffed turkey. When the stuffing reaches 165 degrees F the turkey is done.

Use a meat thermometer to determine doneness-especially important with fast cook methods such as a convection oven, high temperature foil wrap or "oven cooking bag" and for very large turkeys where the thigh may be done before the stuffing or breast.

For both safety and eating quality, Butterball recommends an end point temperature of 180 degrees F taken deep in the lower inner thigh of the turkey (close to the joint where the thigh attaches to the carcass); the thickest part of the breast reaches 170 degrees F; and the center of the stuffing reaches 165 degrees F.


It is not unusual to see clear pink juices inside the turkey, especially when roasted unstuffed. Frozen turkeys (with added basting) tend to have more juices and if the turkey was not completely thawed a greater amount of liquid could accumulate in the cavity.

Butterball turkeys are young turkeys and the bones are not completely hardened. The bone marrow contains the pigment (myoglobin) that colors blood. As the turkey cooks, this pigment can accumulate into the juices of the turkey collecting in the body cavity or next to the bone. This is more likely with fast cook methods (e.g. oven cooking bag and convection oven) due to incomplete denaturation of the myoglobin during the shorter cook time. Juices in the cavity should be at least 165 degrees F when the turkey is done.

NOTE: Use a meat thermometer to determine turkey doneness -- especially important with fast cook methods such as convection oven or "oven cooking bag" and for very large turkeys where thigh may be done before stuffing or breast. When done, the turkey thigh (joint where thigh joins carcass) should register 180-185 degrees F., thickest part of breast 170 -175 degrees F. and center of stuffing 165 degrees F.


Don't hesitate to contact us again for additional information or advice. If you would like to speak with one of our Butterball Turkey Talk-Line experts, call the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line at 1-800-BUTTERBALL (1-800-288-8372). When calling be sure to ask for a set of "Butterball Recipe Cards," a brand new collection of delicious holiday dishes from the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line.
Enjoy the best of all from Butterball!
 
jennyema said:
I'd have asked for a free turkey!!!

:LOL:

The email is from the Turkey hotline...I spoke to Customer Service...maybe they're sick of hearing people ask this...but with the USDA changing the required temperature and all this year...they should have something up on their website's FAQS or something to address it. But what do I know? :rolleyes:
 
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