If I inject my turkey with marinade that is warm enough to keep butter soft, will it promote bacterial growth?
Asked by
josie (
30934
)
November 21st, 2016
I am pretty handy around the kitchen. So much so that my family expects me to cook the turkey and dressing and such. Especially since I am home for the holidays and everybody is fired up.
And I have cooked turkeys every way known to man and gotten good results, I gotta say.
But I have always been troubled by a particular question.
If make an injectable marinade for the turkey, and it is warm enough to make the butter liquid, will that promote bacterial growth in the turkey in the interval between when I inject (night before) and when I cook?
I know there are no bacteria in the turkey, but they exist on the surface and get carried into the meat when I inject.
I may be overthinking the problem. It is a fault.
But your expert advice would be welcome.
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7 Answers
Two questions:
1. Will you be refrigerating the bird right after injecting?
2. What time should I arrive and would you like me to bring a pie?
I would refrigerate after injecting, the intent being to let the injection do its work overnight before I cook the turkey.
You can arrive anytime after about 9 am, I need some sleep and coffee.
No need to bring a pie, I make those too.
My baby boomer mom and her boomer sister used to cook for all the aunts and uncles and cousins, but since they died (young) all the remaining Gen X’s and Millennials can’t cook worth a shit. They can eat out with the best of them but they can’t cook. So I got stuck with hanging on to tradition.
They thought I was a lost cause when I was in high school,but now that I can throw a party they love me.
And that’s OK.
Oh! And to answer your Q, it should be fine. Proper cooking will kill any stray cooties. :-)
As a grown-up, I’ve cooked most of the Thanksgivng dinners as well, this year I get to be a guest at someone else’s house. It’s nice, for once, to not spend a week doing intensive prep. You’re a good guy to be doing this for everyone!
I don’t have an answer to your question, but should you decide to call the turkey hotline, please let us know how it went.
If you are going to inject make sure the turkey doesn’t have a sodium/salt solution on board already. Most will say they have 6 % to 20 % solution already. DON’t add any more salt in the marinade.
For moister breast meat try putting a one gallon bag of ice on the breast for 30 to 35 minutes while the oven is completing the preheat. Then just put the turkey the oven after removing the bag. The logic is that the breast meat will now take longer to get to end temp of 165 F to 170 F
@josie thank “Mad” Max Rosen. He has been using the ice bag for over 20 years.
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