So I followed kenji’s recipe to dry brine approximately 30ish hours, spatchcocked and did the herb butter underneath the skin. I pulled at 150f and rested for 40m or so. It came out unfathomably dry. I’m at a loss for what happened.
by exterminatorzed
7 Comments
Only thing I can think of is either your oven is running way hotter than the internal thermometer indicates or your meat thermometer is broken.
If you have a BBQ thermometer you trust and can use, maybe put it in the oven, set the oven 300, and see what temp your independent thermometer reads. Your skin looks very dark, almost burnt, so I feel like your oven ran really hot.
I did buy a new thermometer for this and generally have to run my oven 10-20 degrees hotter on the dial because it underheats. I think the burnt looking bits are from rubbing the butter over the skin with bits of herb in it. I also roasted some lamb with the same thermometer but it came out perfect at 130.
At the end of the day, it’s turkey. It’s ridiculously lean with almost no fat. It’s going to be dry. There’s a reason gravy is a thanksgiving staple right next to the turkey.
Did you probe it before eating? I usually deep fry and if I pull at 130, it’s at 155-160 after resting. Maybe pull at 135/140
Have you ever heard of Luisa Tettrazini?
Yeah, I think you got a bad turkey. It doesn’t matter how great your technique is, if the product is bad, it’s bad. I was forced to cook a shit ass brisket flat this week. I tried my best, but it is what it is.
I had the exact same thing happened to me this year only I used an herb mayo on the spatchcock turkey instead of butter. I pulled it at the same temps and the breast was super dry.
What is strange, is that I’ve cooked a turkey in a very similar method, at least the same temps, several times and never had an issue.
Just out of curiosity, where did you get your bird and how much did it weigh?