🍴Dry as Death Valley, Turkey Breast🍴

[Nac Mac Feegle]

24. What temperature are you cooking the turkey to?

And how soon after removing from the oven are you carving it?

Those little pop-up indicators are designed to go off at 180 degrees, well into the dry as @#$% stage. Don't go by those. Get yourself a leave-in type probe thermometer, and stick the pointy end of the probe into the crevasse between the thigh and the breast of the trussed turkey (not touching any bone), set the oven to 350, pull it when it reads 155 degrees, cover it with aluminum foil and a towel, then let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes (without removing the thermometer probe) before carving. You can watch the temperature go up. You will be amazed by the juicy tenderness and flavor.

A large piece like a turkey has a lot of 'thermal mass' and the heat takes a while to get from the outer surface to the inner parts. This is what's known as 'carryover cooking'. The best temp for white meat is about 160, while the best for dark is 165 or so. Since the leg and thigh is more toward the outside, it will end up a higher temperature than the protected breast.

Dry meat is from the long strands of protein denaturing. They go from bundles of parallel strands to knotted up strands at a temperature that varies with the type of meat itself. When it goes all knotted up, the water is squeezed out, making the meat dry and tough. This is what you want to avoid.

You can find all sorts of more in-depth information on YouTube or by Googling. I hope this at least gives you an idea of what to look for.

Best wishes for a great Holiday season.