Comparing Thanksgiving at my place vs. my in-laws place is night and day

Last Thursday we did the big dinner at my in-laws. They had foil pans everywhere, plastic cups, and the turkey was dry because they cooked it at 450 for 3 hours straight. Then yesterday we did a smaller thing at my house with a brined bird roasted at 325 until it hit 160 internal. Perfect juicy meat and we used real plates. Has anyone else realized that a meat thermometer and simple prep beat all the fancy decorations?

3 comments

3 Comments

west.anna1mo ago

Dried out a turkey at my aunt's house once then realized I forgot to plug in the thermometer.

terryf6227d ago

Yeah but you gotta be careful with those wireless probe thermometers too. I had one where the battery died halfway through a rib roast and I didn't catch it until after the meat had way overshot. The whole "set it and forget it" convenience trap is real. Did you end up saving that turkey with extra gravy or was it a total loss?

kai9141mo ago

oh man @west.anna that's such a classic cooking fail, i've done similar stuff like the time i put a brisket in the smoker but forgot to light the coals. sat there for 3 hours wondering why the temp wasn't climbing. it's brutal when you put in all that effort just to realize the tool you were trusting let you down. at least now you know to double check everything before walking away. better dry turkey than raw though i guess.