Are Pastured Birds harder to cook (and more importantly keep tender) than
conventionally raised birds? We vote no - as long as you are mindful of a couple of
things: time and temp.
The mantra we use around here for all of our grass-fed
pastured meat is low and slow! According to the USDA guidelines, turkey (and
chicken!) is done at 165 degrees internal temp. Here are a few tricks of the trade to keep
it tender and juicy!
1.) Use a meat thermometer! Ours is a small Taylor and it ran me $3.00 at the
store. Your bird will continue to cook in the roaster after you remove it from the
heat. I pull my bird out at 160 and let it rise to 165. You can wait to pull it at 165,
but take the roaster lid off right away when you do and that will slow the cooking
process.
We cook ours at 325 degrees - and estimate it will take about 7-10 minutes per pound. Pastured birds cook in almost half the time!
2.) Breast Side Down – those breasts with their delicate white meat are the first to
give up their moisture. We cook our bird breast side down, on a rack.
3.) Keep the stuffing separate – This is one of those things that people have
VERY strong feelings about. There are folks firmly rooted in the “Grandma’s
stuffing – inside the bird – was the best stuffing I ever had” camp and there will
be no changing now. There are also people who have approached me asking
about the safety of cooking stuffing inside the bird with regard to possible
bacteria etc. Here’s my advice: make your stuffing on the side.
Why??
Dehydrated bread absorbs moisture from the bird, so your juicy stuffing actually
creates a less juicy turkey. Instead, we stuff our bird with the moisture giving
treats that then get mixed into the stuffing afterward! I use apple, onion, and
celery (rolled around in a bowl with thyme, sage and a little olive oil) in large
pieces, and stuff the bird with that. It imparts good flavor to the bird, as well as
lots of moisture!
So, there you have it! Our tricks for a super tender, delicious pastured bird. There is no
need to be intimidated, and no reason to make the same mistakes that have already
been made (by me, I mean I’ve learned these things the hard way). You can enjoy a tasty
meal and all of the compliments that go along with serving it up!