# Dry assed Turkeys of yesteryear. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 20, 2012, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653 "2012-11-20T23:36:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653/1 "2012-11-20T23:36:57Z")
Is it just me or were turkeys in general way overcooked in the past? I have memories going back a decade or three regarding turkey day. My recollection is most turkeys were dry dry dry. You NEEDED that gravy to choke down that chunk of meat. Yeah, there was the occasional Uncle Bob who seemed to know how to cook a turkey but most people seemed to be following some simple rule like “cook for 12 hours at 475 and its done! Easy peasy”. So, is it just me or have Americans in general finally mostly learned to cook a turkey? ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653/2 "2012-11-20T23:53:16Z")
everyone learned a valuable lesson from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653/3 "2012-11-21T00:03:13Z")
I think there’s a much wider awareness of the benefits of brining the bird. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653/4 "2012-11-21T00:06:37Z")
Brining and not stuffing the bird. Makes a world of difference. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653/5 "2012-11-21T00:08:25Z")
Also checking the meat’s temperature rather than just going by a time chart or one of those pop-up buttons. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653/6 "2012-11-21T00:32:25Z")
The meat thermometers with markings that give “done” temperatures for different types of meat used to be _ **way** _ off. They would say, for example, that poultry should be cooked to 185 F. In fact, it is done at 160 to 165 F. I still see cooking instructions that tell people to overcook their meat. It’s common, for example, for recipes to say that beef is cooked to medium-rare at 140 F (not 120 or 125 F). I assume that pop-up buttons were similarly miscalibrated. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653/7 "2012-11-21T00:36:34Z")
I have no problem if the meat is slightly dry; it differentiates real turkey from the sliced crap you get at the supermarket. But I never brined a turkey and I never had it come out dry. I think the main difference is that they’re cooking at a lower heat then they have in the past. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653/8 "2012-11-21T00:37:07Z")
I’m a big fan of the oven bags. They seem to keep a lot of moisture in and there is no basting (or forgetting to baste) ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653/9 "2012-11-21T00:40:46Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > The meat thermometers with markings that give “done” temperatures for different types of meat used to be _ **way** _ off. They would say, for example, that poultry should be cooked to 185 F. In fact, it is done at 160 to 165 F. I still see cooking instructions that tell people to overcook their meat. It’s common, for example, for recipes to say that beef is cooked to medium-rare at 140 F (not 120 or 125 F). > > I assume that pop-up buttons were similarly miscalibrated. How sure are you those temperatures are safe, especially for pork or ground beef? My meat thermometer (probably purchased 10-15 years ago) has this scale: 145 Beef Rare 160 Ground Beef / Beef Med. / Ham 170 Beef Well / Pork 180 Poultry ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653/10 "2012-11-21T00:44:27Z")
All I can say is, thank god for cooking bags. My mom can’t cook to save her life, but thanks to cooking bags, the turkey is always reasonably moist. I couldn’t even begin to choke down a piece of white meat as a kid (the dark days, pre-cooking bag ) but now it’s edible. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653/11 "2012-11-21T00:44:41Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > T It’s common, for example, for recipes to say that beef is cooked to medium-rare at 140 F (not 120 or 125 F). > . :eek: I could get meat that hot on the dashboard of my car. I wouldn’t eat it though. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653/12 "2012-11-21T00:46:07Z")
Seanette, you should ignore the suggestions on that thermometer. Pork is perfectly okay if cooked to 150, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653/13 "2012-11-21T00:50:23Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > :eek: I could get meat that hot on the dashboard of my car. I wouldn’t eat it though. You take some steaks/roasts off the heat that early so that they’ll carry over to 130-135, which is medium rare temp. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653/14 "2012-11-21T00:58:31Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Seanette, you should ignore the suggestions on that thermometer. Pork is perfectly okay if cooked to 150, for example. No offense intended, but do you have a cite for that? I do worry about safety on some meats. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653/15 "2012-11-21T00:59:41Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > All I can say is, thank god for cooking bags. My mom can’t cook to save her life, but thanks to cooking bags, the turkey is always reasonably moist. I couldn’t even begin to choke down a piece of white meat as a kid (the dark days, pre-cooking bag ) but now it’s edible. I love those oven bags. Sure, the skin isn’t picture-pretty, but the meat is VERY moist and tasty. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653/16 "2012-11-21T01:00:54Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > No offense intended, but do you have a cite for that? I do worry about safety on some meats. How about the [USDA](http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/Pork_From_Farm_to_Table/index.asp), who say 145 is OK for whole cuts. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653/17 "2012-11-21T01:00:57Z")
[Department of Agriculture](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/25/dining/porks-safe-cooking-temperature-is-lowered.html) ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653/18 "2012-11-21T01:04:08Z")
I’ll have to check that site for info on poultry and ground beef. Should also probably buy an updated thermometer. Thanks for the links. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653/19 "2012-11-21T01:06:53Z")
I’m another vote for the oven bags. Those things work great. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2012, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653/20 "2012-11-21T01:09:45Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > I’ll have to check that site for info on poultry and ground beef. Should also probably buy an updated thermometer. > > Thanks for the links. 🙂 Poultry is 165 Ground beef is about the same, but not as risky. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-assed-turkeys-of-yesteryear/641653.md?page=2)