Rubbery turkey why

Log in. Contact us. Close Menu. Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this. Home Forums Smoking Meat and other things Poultry. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Rubber Turkey. Hi Guys.

I did a 8 pound turkey breast on the traeger last night and it came out tasty, but rubbery. Off-puttingly rubbery, to be exact! I brined the bird overnight in water salt and brown sugar, set it the smoker to and cooked to an IT of The bird was on a rack over a pan of water and apple juice.

What did I do wrong? Im thinking the water in the pan, but this is the instruction that Traeger gives on their website don't ask me why I followed that, but I did.

SMF Premier Member. Check the temperature now and see how close you are. Chances are you are pretty close. Another method to speeding up your turkey is to cut it in half. Right down between the two breasts on the front side and to one side of the backbone on the other side. By separating the turkey into two parts, you can reduce the cooking time dramatically. You can take this one step further and remove the legs and wings. Lay everything out so that you expose as much surface to heat as possible and the turkey will cook much faster.

You start carving and despite the fact that you were confident that the turkey was properly cooked, it is clear that parts of it are not.

If you try to put it back to cook more you will end up with a dry turkey. Well, there is a quick trick to cooking these parts fast without the risk of drying. In a large pot, bring a large amount of broth chicken, turkey, or vegetable to a boil and place these parts in the boiling liquid for a few minutes.

This will cook the turkey piece quickly and ensure that it is safe to eat. Note that if this is a smoked turkey , the meat might appear pink or reddish. This does not mean it is undercooked. Use the thermometer to verify.

The chemical reaction between smoke and protein will cause this coloring and it is perfectly normal. While this is caused by overcooking the turkey, it sometimes seems that some birds are just made dry. Step one in dealing with dry turkey is to fill a spray bottle filled with warm chicken stock and spray it over the meat as you carve it it's best to keep this secret.

Basting is the second-most important thing you can do to keep the turkey from drying out. Once the bird begins to give off juices, use those drippings to brush the bird periodically, about every 30 minutes. Eventually, you'll get great-tasting pan drippings, which you can use to make gravy. Be sure to stop basting at least an hour before the turkey is done to prevent soggy skin.

Watch this video for more on basting. Problem: The turkey looks pale and flabby. Solution: A beautifully browned bird is impressive and tastes pretty amazing. If you're having trouble getting a golden brown skin, there are a few things you can do. Before you put the bird in the oven, rub the skin with soft butter or olive oil -- lots of it. This will help the skin brown better and it will make it taste good. Also, don't forget to baste the bird. Another unique method that helps produce a brown skin is the cheesecloth method.

Basically dip the cheesecloth in your basting liquid and drape it over the bird. During roasting, baste the bird as usual -- the cheesecloth will turn almost black.

Remove it once the turkey is done and you will be left with the most glorious crackling skin in a shade of mahogany. Solution: Aluminum foil is your friend. If you notice that the turkey is browning too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil to redirect the heat away from the skin.

You might have to pick off some extra-black skin, but at least you've prevented a disaster. Some cooks like to prevent this altogether by roasting the bird tented with aluminum foil during the first half of cooking time. Another method is to roast the bird upside down with the breast down for the first half of cooking time and then flip it over onto its back to finish roasting, but don't make yourself crazy attempting that with a giant bird.

Solution: This is a problem, but it happens all the time. What you really needed was a look at a defrosting chart before the big day -- some birds take days to defrost -- but if pressed for time you can always turn to the microwave oven. Problem: There aren't enough pan drippings to make gravy.

Solution: This is a travesty and a result of not basting properly. As with wrapping meat, basting is another technique commonly used to keep meat moist during long cooks. Applying liquid to the turkey will slow the cook and have a cooling effect on the outer layer of the meat. However, basting will do nothing to help you achieve a crispy turkey skin. It will keep the skin moist and rubbery! Soaking your turkey in a brine the day before a cook is a good way of adding flavor and preventing the bird from drying out during the cook.

Soaking the bird overnight will cause the skin to soften and will do nothing to help you get a crispy skin. So rather than wet brining, try dry brining instead. If you salt the bird the day before the cook, the salt will penetrate the flesh of the turkey and enhance the flavor. The salt will dry out the skin but will also help the meat retain moisture during the cook.

Make sure you cook your turkey on a cooking grate. This will allow airflow around the bird and help keep the skin crispy.

If you sit the turkey in a pan, the meat juices will cause the bottom of the turkey to remain moist, therefore soft, rubbery skin. Some recipes cook turkey in a pan with liquid, but all that does in boil the bird and makes the skin soggy.