I ran into this last Sunday during Xmas Eve Turkey Carving.
I had baked my turkey until internal temp was 177 degrees (Taylor Probe Thermometer in thick part of thigh), took out the turkey, let it sit for 30 min, started carving turkey.
Some juices were clear but some were not - while I was carving, the juices ran clear, but the juices that accumulated at the bottom of the cutting board had a pinkish tone to it. So family members said to throw the turkey back in the oven. I did, but when we took the turkey back out (after hitting 177 degrees again @ 1/2 hr later), the juices were the same - it ran clear, but accumulated at the bottom it was pinkish.
So now I'm confused. The USDA says turkey only needs to be cooked until it reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees F. I cooked my turkey until it was 177 degrees for a lot longer than I think it needed to be cooked...the only confusion is the "juices run clear" bit. Does there need to be NO pink at all?
Can someone clear this up for me? Thank you!
Dawn.
I had baked my turkey until internal temp was 177 degrees (Taylor Probe Thermometer in thick part of thigh), took out the turkey, let it sit for 30 min, started carving turkey.
Some juices were clear but some were not - while I was carving, the juices ran clear, but the juices that accumulated at the bottom of the cutting board had a pinkish tone to it. So family members said to throw the turkey back in the oven. I did, but when we took the turkey back out (after hitting 177 degrees again @ 1/2 hr later), the juices were the same - it ran clear, but accumulated at the bottom it was pinkish.
So now I'm confused. The USDA says turkey only needs to be cooked until it reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees F. I cooked my turkey until it was 177 degrees for a lot longer than I think it needed to be cooked...the only confusion is the "juices run clear" bit. Does there need to be NO pink at all?
Can someone clear this up for me? Thank you!
Dawn.