Am I Old School?

[slick4591]

I've been seeing where a lot of you recommend pulling a bird at 170F. I'm supposing this is the thigh temp, but I'm not sure.

I was reared that 160F for a boneless piece of bird was good. 170F for bone-in piece and 180F at the thigh for a whole bird was sufficient to kill all would be bacteria. I have experienced that pulling the bird at -5F of the recommended temp is good because the bird continues to cook another +5F when at rest and at room temp.

So is the world leaving me behind?

(I might add here that my heath inspector has told me that cool down recs may be extended from four hours to six in the near future.)

 

[scarbelly]

I have always used 160 as my pull for bone in bird and the final judgement is clear run juices - if it is not clear and a little pink I just run it into the oven or microwave til the juices are clear

Never had it fail me

 

[slick4591]

Is that whole bird or just a bone-in piece? I would also be interested in knowing how many times the 160F showed pink in your experience?

 

[mballi3011]

You are talking about chickens or turkeys here??? I have always taking my poultry to 170 in the breast and then let it rest and it still really juicy and quite tastey too.

 

[slick4591]

Hasn't made much difference as far as I can tell. If it's 170F in the breast that pretty much tells me what I was wondering. Thanks!

 

[travcoman45]

I pull my turkey's at 155° in the breast an let em coast the rest a the way durin the rest period. Clear juice bein the second doneness test.

Chicken I pull at 160° in the breast because there ain't as much thermal mass in them. Again, juices tell all.

Like so much a this craft, pullin temps (in the safe zone) are a personal choice, some folk like there bird done more others less. Yall will just have ta try some an find what works fer ya!