cathy wrote in
:

On Wed, 18 Feb 2004 12:31:09 -0800, "Nexis" wrote:


"cathy" wrote in message
. ..
My brother has gotten hooked on Alton Brown's cooking. We've tried
AB's brined turkey a few times now, and the turkey comes out great,
but there seems to be one small problem. Here's the recipe:
SNIP RECIPE OK, here's the problem. When the turkey is carved, the
thighs and legs
look like they're almost still raw. They're pink, VERY pink, and the
juice runs pretty pink, too. Even the breast meat is slightly pink
around the edges, and pinker closer in to the bone.

We've followed the recipe exactly. We've checked the calibration on
the stove, the temperature is correct. We've checked the calibration
on the probe thermometer and it's accurate, too (my brother went to
great lengths to get the same one AB uses).

The turkey doesn't taste uncooked, it just looks that way. The
texture is that of cooked turkey, and no one has gotten sick eating
it. It just =looks= raw, and my sister-in-law is afraid to eat it.

Anyone have any ideas why it looks like this? Is it supposed to, and
if so, why? If not, any ideas as to what we're doing wrong?

Thanks,
Catly

Do you use a thermometer? As long as it's to temp, you're fine. Brined
turkey and smoked turkey can both have a pink appearance. Use a
thermometer whenever you're not sure, and go by that.

kimberly

Yes, we used a thermometer just like the recipe says to, and in fact
we use the same one Alton Brown does. Although we placed the probe in
the thigh, not the breast, because the thigh usually takes longer to
cook than the breast. And yes, it was to temp.

So we know it was cooked, but it sure as heck didn't LOOK cooked.
That's the problem. SHOULD it look THAT uncooked??

Cathy


So the oven was ok and the probe was ok...That just leaves the brine. Not
knowing what was in your brine my guess is some sort of nirtrate or nitrite
or a meat cure. The chemicals used in bacon, ham, sausages, corned beef
etc... These turn meats pinkish or redish depending on how much used.

--
Once during Prohibition I was forced to live for days on nothing but food
and water.
--------
FIELDS, W. C.