Cooking a Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving meal can seem like a daunting task. All of those nostalgic dishes have to taste great and be served at just the right time. The turkey is the most difficult one to get right. It’s hard to say how long to cook a turkey. If you do it for too long, it will be dry, and if you do it for too short, your guests could get sick. And why is it always Thanksgiving Day when you realize you dont have a meat thermometer?.
According to Butterball, the only way to be sure if your turkey is done is to use a thermometer to check the temperature inside. Thats the recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, too. The CDC says that your turkey should be at least 165°F. There are three places to measure it: the thickest part of the breast; where the body and thigh meet, aiming for the thigh; and where the body and wing meet, aiming for the wing. Even if your turkey has a pop-up timer, the CDC recommends using a thermometer to be sure.
But if its already Thanksgiving day and you dont have a thermometer, youre not out of luck. We talked to the experts behind the Turkey Talk-Line at Butterball for help. To make sure your turkey is fully cooked, read these tips. They include how to tell if a turkey is done without a meat thermometer.
Cooking up the perfect juicy turkey for your next holiday meal requires starting with high-quality raw turkey. But undercooked turkey is a major food safety hazard that can cause food poisoning. So it’s crucial to know how to inspect turkey and identify signs it is fully cooked versus still raw
Here is a comprehensive guide on techniques for determining doneness in turkey, so you can serve thoroughly cooked, safe and delicious turkey every time
What Does Raw Turkey Look Like?
Raw turkey has a distinctive appearance that differs based on the cut.
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Whole turkey and turkey parts like drumsticks and thighs are tan, pinkish or red with some fat marbling when raw. The legs are often darker while the breast is paler.
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Raw ground turkey is light pink, moist and slightly tacky on the surface.
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Raw turkey deli meat appears glossy, wet and bright pinkish red.
The color should be relatively uniform with no grayish, greenish or yellowish hues, which indicate spoilage.
Using a Meat Thermometer
A meat thermometer takes the guesswork out of determining doneness. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the breast, thigh and wing, avoiding bone.
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Whole turkey and parts are safely cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F.
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Ground turkey should reach 165°F with no pink remnants.
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Pre-cooked deli turkey is safe at 140°F after heating.
If your turkey does not reach the proper internal temperature, it is not fully cooked and could contain harmful bacteria. Keep cooking it until it hits 165°F throughout.
Checking Appearance
You can also gauge doneness through visual cues. Fully cooked turkey looks significantly different from raw.
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The meat changes from pinkish to white and loses any reddish, bloody hues.
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The juices run clear rather than red when pierced with a fork.
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The texture turns from glossy and slippery to firm and opaque throughout.
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The fat and skin will appear golden brown when roasted.
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Ground turkey browns and looks crumbled with no raw pink bits.
Any turkey with raw pink areas or red juices should be cooked longer until done. Undercooked spots can harbor Salmonella and other dangerous bacteria.
Performing The Fork Test
Insert a fork deep into the thickest part of the turkey and feel for firmness.
- Raw turkey feels soft, mushy and spongy.
- Fully cooked turkey is firm and springy to the touch.
If your fork test reveals any soft, squishy areas, keep cooking until the turkey firms up.
Poking turkey multiple times as it cooks also allows steam to escape so it cooks more evenly. Just be sure to sanitize your fork between tests.
Checking For doneness When Slicing
Cut into turkey in several spots to inspect the interior.
- Raw turkey looks shiny and translucent inside with red or pink juices pooling.
- Cooked turkey appears opaque all the way through with no traces of pink.
If you see any underdone portions after slicing, remove those pieces and keep cooking them separately until 165°F. Do not put partially raw turkey back in the oven.
What If Turkey Is Still Pink Inside?
It’s common for properly cooked turkey to retain a pinkish tinge, especially around bones and joints. This meat is safe since reaching 165°F kills any bacteria.
But deep pink areas with bloody juices indicate undercooking. To be safe, keep cooking any turkey with pink remnants beyond a slight blush until the meat is fully opaque and white inside. Don’t rely on color alone but use it along with other doneness tests.
Why Is Proper Doneness Important?
Eating raw or undercooked turkey can lead to food poisoning from Salmonella, Campylobacter, Clostridium or other pathogens. Typical symptoms include:
- Nausea, vomiting and stomach cramps
- Diarrhea
- Fever and chills
- Headache
So carefully check your turkey’s doneness through multiple methods. Look for thorough browning, opaque meat with no blood, juices running clear, and most importantly an internal temp of 165°F.
With the right techniques for identifying fully cooked turkey, you can enjoy perfectly safe and delicious holiday meals and turkey dishes all year round. Just never serve turkey until tests confirm it’s lost all evidence of pinkness inside and out.
Find Out the Cooking Time Based on the Weight of Your Turkey
The best way to figure out how long your turkey needs to cook based on its weight is to use Butterball’s turkey cooking calculator. At 325°F, it will take three and a half to four hours to cook a 20-pound turkey that doesn’t have food inside it.
Don’t Open the Oven Door to Check the Turkey Frequently
Even though you might want to check on your turkey, opening the oven door lowers the temperature and lengthens the cooking time, which could mess up the time you thought it would take. Stay away from the oven until you’re about two-thirds of the way through. Then open it and check on it. If the turkey breasts are getting too browned too quickly, cover the turkey in a tent of foil. If they dont look browned, feel free to skip that step.
How to Tell if Ground Turkey is Bad (Before & After Photos!)
FAQ
How do you know if a turkey is undercooked?
What does uncooked turkey look like?
Is it okay if turkey is a little pink?
How do you know if a turkey is safe to cook?
How do you know if a Turkey is cooked?
When checking your turkey’s temperature using the recommended meat thermometer method, you’re looking for an internal temperature of 165 °F all the way through to know that your bird is cooked and ready to eat. But if you find yourself without the right tools on Thanksgiving, don’t panic: All you need is a fork.
How do you know if a Turkey is Rotten?
However, if the meat is no longer pink and more of a grey color, it has either been exposed to heat or has started to rot. You should also smell a rotten turkey when it changes color. Don’t take any chances if it only looks bad without a smell, it’s likely bad.
What should a fresh turkey look like?
Here is what a fresh turkey should look like. It has white skin, no blemishes, and pink meat. Whether your turkey has a sell-by or use-by date, once it gets past that date the quality of it will not be at its best.
How to cook a turkey breast if it is not cooked?
When you start to carve the turkey, you discover that the dark meat on the bottom of the turkey is not cooked even though the turkey breast is at 165°F (74°C). In this case, remove the fully cooked breast meat and to keep it warm and moist, set it aside and cover it to prevent it from drying.
How do you know if a Turkey is done without a thermometer?
Nicole Johnson is the the co-director of the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line. To find out if your turkey is done without a thermometer, pierce the mid-thigh muscle with a fork, explains Johnson. “When the juices run clear, and no longer reddish or pink in color, it’s a good indication that your turkey is done.”
Should you throw out raw turkey?
If your raw turkey smells bad while cooking, and your oven is clean and other ingredients are fresh, then you should probably throw it out. Yes, a whole turkey can be an expensive purchase and there may not be enough time to get another, but you shouldn’t risk making everyone sick. Raw turkey should be moist when touched, but not slimy.