Turkey Tips - How to Tell If Your Grilled Turkey Breast Is Done
Whether I'm cooking my turkey in my oven or grilling on my Big Green Egg it's always a challenge to get it right so that all the bird is cooked at the right time.
In my view there's only one thing worse than under cooking it, and that's over cooking it! After all you can always give an undercooked bird a little longer, but when it's over done and dry..
..
..
well frankly it's going to have to go for a curry.
The following techniques apply just as much if you are cooking the whole bird or just grilling the crown, it's just that with the latter you don't have to worry about the legs and wings which will cook at different speeds dependent on the thickness of the flesh.
There's essentially two ways to check whether your turkey breast is cooked to perfection, one is what I would describe as the artisan method and the other is somewhat more scientific.
Firstly, the artisan method which is based on using your natural senses of sight and touch, a technique that needs experience and is not to be relied upon first time out.
Take the raw turkey and feel the breast meat, you'll find it soft to the touch and if you press your finger into the flesh and remove it, the indentation will remain for some time.
As your turkey breast cooks, continue to feel it and you'll notice that it gradually gets more firm.
The trick then of course is to be able to tell by touch alone what represents a well cooked breast, not over done, and not under done.
That's why it's an art! The second stage to the artisan process is to prick the breast with a metal skewer when you think that it is cooked, remove the skewer after 5 seconds and check the color of the juices.
If the juice that runs out of the pricked flesh contains traces of blood then it need more cooking but if the juices run clear then you have done it (hopefully) to perfection.
The final check is the tip of the skewer when you remove it from the breast- it should be hot.
The scientific approach is a lot more simple and just requires a temperature probe.
You can insert one before you start cooking or you can use an instant read thermometer and in either case you are looking for the same thing - a temperature reading of 165°F.
So that's how to ensure that your turkey breast is done, but how do you ensure that you get supremely moist results? Well this tip applies especially to the whole bird and emanates from the traditional French methods of cooking the turkey, some of you will throw you're arms in the air in horror, others (like me) will try it.
The secret is to let the bird stand for the same amount of time that you cook it, so if you cook it for three hours, you let it rest for three hours before carving.
This gives the juices time to solidify rather than run out as you carve.
Is it a health hazard to let a turkey rest this long at room temperature? Well if it were a commercial restaurant then certainly the answer would be yes but in the privacy of your own home, it's up to you.
When I first heard this tip, I had to try it and for me it works, in fact not only does it work, it produces the most succulent turkey breast meat that I've tasted.
But one man's meat, is another man's poison and the choice to try this technique has to be yours.
In my view there's only one thing worse than under cooking it, and that's over cooking it! After all you can always give an undercooked bird a little longer, but when it's over done and dry..
..
..
well frankly it's going to have to go for a curry.
The following techniques apply just as much if you are cooking the whole bird or just grilling the crown, it's just that with the latter you don't have to worry about the legs and wings which will cook at different speeds dependent on the thickness of the flesh.
There's essentially two ways to check whether your turkey breast is cooked to perfection, one is what I would describe as the artisan method and the other is somewhat more scientific.
Firstly, the artisan method which is based on using your natural senses of sight and touch, a technique that needs experience and is not to be relied upon first time out.
Take the raw turkey and feel the breast meat, you'll find it soft to the touch and if you press your finger into the flesh and remove it, the indentation will remain for some time.
As your turkey breast cooks, continue to feel it and you'll notice that it gradually gets more firm.
The trick then of course is to be able to tell by touch alone what represents a well cooked breast, not over done, and not under done.
That's why it's an art! The second stage to the artisan process is to prick the breast with a metal skewer when you think that it is cooked, remove the skewer after 5 seconds and check the color of the juices.
If the juice that runs out of the pricked flesh contains traces of blood then it need more cooking but if the juices run clear then you have done it (hopefully) to perfection.
The final check is the tip of the skewer when you remove it from the breast- it should be hot.
The scientific approach is a lot more simple and just requires a temperature probe.
You can insert one before you start cooking or you can use an instant read thermometer and in either case you are looking for the same thing - a temperature reading of 165°F.
So that's how to ensure that your turkey breast is done, but how do you ensure that you get supremely moist results? Well this tip applies especially to the whole bird and emanates from the traditional French methods of cooking the turkey, some of you will throw you're arms in the air in horror, others (like me) will try it.
The secret is to let the bird stand for the same amount of time that you cook it, so if you cook it for three hours, you let it rest for three hours before carving.
This gives the juices time to solidify rather than run out as you carve.
Is it a health hazard to let a turkey rest this long at room temperature? Well if it were a commercial restaurant then certainly the answer would be yes but in the privacy of your own home, it's up to you.
When I first heard this tip, I had to try it and for me it works, in fact not only does it work, it produces the most succulent turkey breast meat that I've tasted.
But one man's meat, is another man's poison and the choice to try this technique has to be yours.
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