Temperature technique


 
R

Ray Crick

TVWBB Emerald Member
As info, yesterday I smoked a self basted turkey without brining and with pecan wood chunks. It was good, but not as good as the Apple Brined.

A comment on technique - yesterday my ET-73 said that temp in thigh was 170 degrees. Took bird off the smoker and when I had it inside, I just felt like it should have been on longer so I double checked the temp with a handheld Pyrex and it was only 156 degrees. I re-inserted the ET-73 probe into the breast and it was also reading 156 degrees. I concluded that my probe was probably against a bone! I put bird back on grill and finished it. Key lesson to me for the future is to use my Pyrex or other thermometer to double check while the bird id still on the grill (just before removing it).
 
Ray-- Good lesson learned, huh? I, too, like to double-check my temps with another therm--learned the hard way years ago. Wasn't pretty.

Depending on the sodium content of the self-basted bird you bought, you can still brine, though you might need to cut your salt. I only buy naturals but there are several people on the board that have brined self-basteds.
 
Ray, I agree on the double check. Target sells an electronic quick read Taylor for just under $10 that I like to use.
 
Thanks to all of you for your comments. I already have two other hand held thermometers. One is a small Pyrex with digital readout that is very easy to use. That is what I double-checked the reading with. Anyway, my lesson is to use a second source to confirm the temp.

I too prefer a natural bird but the supermarkets in my area do not always have them. This particular bird was a "Jenno turkey" and was quite moist and delicious. I treid peacn chunks, and my wife and I decided that we like the apple chunks better.

Ray
 
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