Potential Unsafe Turkey-Cooking Methods

December 15, 2004
Carol Ann Burtness
Extension Regional Center – Brainerd
Phone: (888) 241-0720
E-Mail: burtn002@umn.edu

As 2004 draws to a close, you may be looking at a different twist on preparing the traditional turkey. As you consider a new variation, don’t forget to keep your meals safe!

• Turducken : Popular media chefs and meat markets are promoting Turduckens in 2004! A Turducken is a boned chicken in a boned duck in a boned turkey. It also contains oyster dressing inside the chicken and another layer of stuffing (e.g. cornbread) between each bird. The entire mass is rolled, tied and roasted at 190 degrees for 12 to 13 hours. According to the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline, this recipe has been circulating for a number of years. There is a potential that guests sitting down to Turducken wouldn’t feel too good in a few days! To make this method safer, the USDA Hotline recommends keeping the birds chilled until ready to assemble. While you are boning each bird, keep the other birds and stuffing ingredients refrigerated. After you put the ingredients together, quickly get it into a pre-heated 325 degree oven. Use a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the bundle and cook the turducken to an internal tmeprature of 180 degrees F or more. Be sure to check the temperature in several locations.
• Slow-Cooking Overnight Method : Cooking the turkey at 190 to 200 degrees F overnight or for 12 to 13 hours is another popular turkey-cooking method. There are a lot of versions of this slow-cooking method around and all of them put you and your guests at risk of foodborne illness. A low oven temperature means the turkey will take longer to heat, increasing the risk of harmful bacteria growth and the production of toxins that may not be destroyed with furth er cooking. The US DA recommends cooking meat and poultry at tempe ratures no lower than 325 degrees.
• Brown Paper Bag Method : Placing a turkey in a large brown paper grocery bag and cooking the bird at a very low termperature is another popular cooking method. Paper grocery bags were not intended to use as a cooking utensil, are not sanitary and may ignite causing a fire. The ink, glue and recycled materials in paper bags can emit fumes when exposed to heat. To make this method safe, replace the brown bag with a turkey-size oven-cooking bag. Follow the manufacturer’s cooking instructions and put the bag in a pan large enough so the bag does not hang over the sides. Cooking turkey at tempe ratures below 325 degrees is unsafe. When using this method, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. This method produces a moist-heat cooking environment. A thermometer can be inserted right through the plastic into the thickest part of the thigh. The turkey is done when the tempe rature reaches 180 degrees F.

If you plan to put a different twist to your turkey preparation, keep it safe!