Slow cook turkey?

[jay santos]

USDA came out and said cooking turkey under 325 degrees is dangerous.

Googling around, I also see a few people saying that is hogwash and they have been slow and low cooking turkey for years with never a problem.

The last two times I've cooked turkey, I've done it low and slow and it came out marvelous.

Am I gambling on giving family and guests food poisoning or not?

Brine turkey, put it on rack breast down, cook 450 for 20-30 minutes to sear in juices and brown the skin, then slow and low until done. AMAZING turkey everytime.

[YOhio]

Just another example of Big Brother trying to ruin everything. I love my country but fear my government.

I gave this recipe a go for a party last weekend as a pre-Thanksgiving trial run. It was terrific, but a pain in the ass.

http://www.asianfoodchannel.com/reci..._smoked_turkey

[Coach McGuirk]

We will again be slow cooking our turkey over 12-13 hours. I have never been sick. tired yes, but not sick.

[jay santos]

Just another example of Big Brother trying to ruin everything. I love my country but fear my government.

I gave this recipe a go for a party last weekend as a pre-Thanksgiving trial run. It was terrific, but a pain in the ass.

http://www.asianfoodchannel.com/reci..._smoked_turkey

That does look like a pain in the ass. I go for minimizing time maximizing results. I'm getting the turkey thing down to a science and I don't put too much effort into it.

My brine is 2:1 salt to sugar, throw in a bunch of pepper and garlic powder.

Fill the cavity with celery, garlic, lemon, orange (no stuffing!).

Cook upside down so juices flow down into the breast. Blast it at high temp for 20-30 minutes to sear it and brown the skin (though the breast skin won't be good because it's cooking upside down). Turn it down as low as you want 180-250 depending on time and convenience, whether you want to go night before or early in the morning. Use meat thermometer, take out at 165. Let it sit for 20 minutes before carving.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Jay, how many hours are you looking at with the temp set at 250 degrees?

I am curing my turkey at the moment and I am going to smoke it for an hour or two and then finish it off in the oven.

[jay santos]

Jay, how many hours are you looking at with the temp set at 250 degrees?

I am curing my turkey at the moment and I am going to smoke it for an hour or two and then finish it off in the oven.

I don't really know exactly. I want to say the difference between 180 and 250 is roughly double the cooking time? Like 6 hours vs 12 hours, obviously depending on size. You can find more reliable info on the web.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I ended up curing the turkey for 1.5 days, smoked it for 2 hrs, and then finished it off in the oven at 325 degrees in a covered roasting pan for 5 hrs (on low for the last 1.5 hrs). The meat literally fell off the bones and it was moist as can be. I am not sure what I would have gained with slow cooking.

[jay santos]

I ended up curing the turkey for 1.5 days, smoked it for 2 hrs, and then finished it off in the oven at 325 degrees in a covered roasting pan for 5 hrs (on low for the last 1.5 hrs). The meat literally fell off the bones and it was moist as can be. I am not sure what I would have gained with slow cooking.

Is curing same as brining? I've always had good turkey with brining no matter the temp, as long as it doesn't overcook on higher heat, but the thing I've noticed with the low and slow is the dark meat is amazingly tender. Higher heat I have a hard time getting both breast and dark meat perfect.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Is curing same as brining? I've always had good turkey with brining no matter the temp, as long as it doesn't overcook on higher heat, but the thing I've noticed with the low and slow is the dark meat is amazingly tender. Higher heat I have a hard time getting both breast and dark meat perfect.

Yes, the same thing. I use Morton Tenderquick.