Your turkey must pass through a critical range of 40° F to 140° F in 4 hours or less. If the internal temperature is low after 3½ hours, take your turkey off the smoker and finish it in the oven. Cook the turkey to internal temperatures of 175° F to 180° F in the thigh and 170° F in the breast.
Can I pull smoked turkey at 160?
According to the USDA, all parts of the turkey have to reach at minimum 165 degrees before considered safe to eat. If the turkey was smoked at around the 300 degree range, remove it from the smoke when the breast reaches 160 degrees.
Can you overcook a smoked turkey?
One of the benefits of smoking a turkey is that it’s almost impossible to overcook anything in a smoker. The temperature remains low and the cooking is slow, resulting in perfectly moist and tender meat with a rich, complex flavor.
At what temp do you pull a whole turkey?
165 degrees F
According to the Department of Agriculture, a turkey must reach 165 degrees F to be safe, but you can take it out of the oven as low as 160 degrees F because the temperature will rise at it rests. 1. Use a digital, instant read thermometer for the most-accurate results.
Is turkey done at 165 or 180?
What is this? Generally, a turkey is safe to eat when it reaches a temperature of 165°Fahrenheit. You can cook dark meat to a temperature of 180° Fahrenheit, but white meat turkey should be pulled out of the oven at 165° otherwise, it will get dry.
What temp kills salmonella in turkey?
165°F
The USDA reports that heating poultry to at least 165°F destroys Salmonella, Campylobacter bacteria, and avian influenza viruses. That’s because, above a certain temperature, the bacteria’s cell will collapse and die.
Is 150 degrees OK for turkey?
According to the USDA’s own data, as long as your turkey spends at least 3.7 minutes at or above,150°F (66°C), it is safe to eat. In other words, by the time it’s done resting (you do let your turkey rest before carving, right?), you should be good to go.
Should I flip my turkey when smoking?
It should be placed squarely over your drip pan so as can catch all the drippings (and help keep your smoker clean). If your smoker is an offset model or otherwise puts out more heat on one side than the other, then you will need to rotate the turkey every two hours to make sure the bird cooks evenly.
How do you keep a smoked turkey moist?
My solution is to smoke the turkey directly on the grill grates, with a roasting pan filled with 1″ water underneath the grates, about 3-4 inches from the meat. This will keep the cooking environment moist but let the turkey get evenly crisp on the outside.
How long do you smoke a turkey at 225?
Set the smoker to 225° F. Place the turkey on a cooking rack and cook for 8 to 12 hours or until the inner thigh temperature reaches 180° F. Check the temperature of your turkey after 3½ hours.
What temperature should a smoked turkey be?
Whole Turkey
- Set smoker to 240°F.
- Cook 30-40 minutes per pound. A smaller, 8 pound turkey will take about 4 hours. A larger, 12 pound turkey will take about 6 hours.
What do you do if your turkey is done too early?
If it’s done around an hour early, let it rest uncovered for about 20 to 30 minutes. Then cover your turkey with some foil and a thick towel or blanket to keep it warm. By letting it first rest you release the initial heat. That way it won’t overcook once it’s covered.
How do you tell if a turkey is done?
But there’s only one way to be sure: the temperature. It just takes a simple reading with a meat thermometer to test if your turkey is ready to eat.
Check these places on your turkey and look for these temperatures:
- 180°F in thigh.
- 170°F in breast.
- 165°F in stuffing.
How do you keep a turkey warm for 4 hours?
A kitchen towel placed over the foil helps keep the meat warm and moist until it’s time to be carved and served. For another option, cover the bird with foil and return it to a low-temperature, 200F oven. Place a pan of water under the turkey to create steam, which contributes to moistness.
How long should a turkey rest before carving?
Thanksgiving Help Line
Pull it out as soon as the temperature hits 165, or even a little lower. The amount of resting time depends on the size of the bird, but at least 20 minutes is needed. A large bird can wait up to 40 minutes or longer, depending on the temperature of the room.
How many degrees will a turkey rise while resting?
10 degrees
(Yes, we know that new safe cooking guidelines say to cook your bird to 165 degrees (they used to say 180!), but remember that your turkey will continue to cook after removed from the oven and it’s temperature will increase by 10 degrees while resting.
How do I know if my turkey has bacteria?
Many times people can tell if a turkey is spoiled by the texture and smell of the turkey. The skin might become slimy or have a rotten smell. Don’t wash your turkey. While many people might think that rinsing the turkey will remove bacteria from the bird, nothing could be farther from the truth, according to the USDA.
How common is salmonella in turkey?
The new strain was especially causing problems in ground turkey, where salmonella in general is found much more frequently. While USDA inspectors rarely detect salmonella in whole turkey during testing, last year they found it in 18% of ground turkey samples.
Can I leave my turkey in cold water overnight?
Thawing turkey in a sink of cold water is faster than thawing in the refrigerator, but it’s not safe to leave it in the sink to thaw overnight.
Can you pull a turkey at 145?
The range of doneness for all proteins–from eggs to fish to meat and Thanksgiving turkey–begins at 125 degrees, where rare starts; at 145 degrees the medium range begins, and at 165 degrees well-done starts; 185 degrees is the very top of the range.
Is Pink turkey OK to eat?
The best way to be sure a turkey — or any meat — is cooked safely and done is to use a meat thermometer. If the temperature of the turkey, as measured in the thigh, has reached 180°F. and is done to family preference, all the meat — including any that remains pink — is safe to eat.