If you start roasting your turkey by completely washing it, you should give it another look. It turns out that pre-oven bathing your turkey can cause much more harm than good. There’s only one time you should ever rinse your bird, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Rinsing a raw turkey more than once won’t be able to eradicate all the bacteria, and doing so could splash and spread dangerous bacteria throughout your kitchen! Continue reading to learn more and the most secure way to do it.
Cleaning a turkey is an essential step in preparing a delicious and safe meal for your family and friends. Whether you’ve purchased a store-bought turkey or harvested a wild one yourself, knowing the proper techniques for cleaning will ensure a smooth cooking process and a delectable final dish.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through the different methods for cleaning a turkey, covering both store-bought and wild birds. We’ll explore the procedures for plucking, skinning, and cleaning a store-bought turkey, providing step-by-step instructions and helpful tips along the way.
Cleaning a Store-Bought Turkey
Store-bought turkeys typically come packaged with minimal cleaning required. However, it’s still important to follow these steps to ensure proper hygiene and food safety:
- Thaw your turkey: Choose a thawing method that best suits your time constraints and preferences. You can thaw your turkey in the refrigerator, in cold water, or using the defrost setting on your microwave.
- Wash your hands: Before handling your turkey, thoroughly wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds.
- Remove the packaging: Carefully cut open and discard the turkey’s packaging.
- Place the turkey in its baking dish: Transfer the turkey directly from its packaging to your baking dish or pan.
- Remove the neck and giblets: Locate the neck and giblets inside the turkey’s body cavity and remove them carefully. You can either cook them following a recipe or discard them.
- Rinse the inside of your turkey if it’s brined: If you’re cooking a brined turkey, rinse out the cavity with cold water and drain it thoroughly.
- Avoid washing the turkey if it’s not brined: Washing a non-brined turkey can spread bacteria around your kitchen and increase the risk of foodborne illness.
- Wash your hands, sink, and anything else that has touched the raw turkey: To prevent cross-contamination, wash your hands and forearms with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds. Clean any utensils and kitchen surfaces that came into contact with the turkey using hot, soapy water.
Plucking and Cleaning a Wild Turkey
Plucking a wild turkey is a more time-consuming process than skinning, but it helps preserve the bird’s moisture and is ideal for roasting, smoking, or deep-frying Here’s how to pluck and clean a wild turkey:
- Pluck the feathers: Use a sharp knife to remove the turkey’s head and neck, along with part of the wings.
- Heat a large pot of water: Fill a large pot with enough hot water to submerge the turkey, aiming for a temperature of 140-150°F.
- Dip the turkey for 30 seconds: Submerge the turkey in the hot water for 30 seconds to loosen the feathers for plucking.
- Hang the turkey up: Hang the turkey by its feet at head-height using a strong rope.
- Pluck out the feathers: Starting at the back, gently pull out the feathers a few at a time, grasping them by the roots and plucking with a downward motion.
- Remove the turkey’s innards: Carefully open up the body cavity with a knife and remove the entrails.
- Remove the legs or separate the breast fillets, thighs, and legs: If you want to cook the turkey whole, remove the legs at the knee or second joint. For cooking in separate pieces, cut the turkey into sections, separating the breast fillets, thighs, and legs.
Skinning a Wild Turkey
Skinning a wild turkey is faster and cleaner than plucking, making it suitable for grilling or frying separate pieces. Here’s how to skin a wild turkey:
- Remove the feathers: Pluck or skin the turkey as described in the previous methods.
- Cut the skin around the neck: Make a circular cut around the neck, separating the skin from the body.
- Pull the skin down the breast: Gently pull the skin down the turkey’s breast, working your way towards the tail.
- Remove the skin from the legs and thighs: Pull the skin away from the legs and thighs, using a knife to loosen it where necessary.
- Remove the skin from the wings: Pull the skin off the wings, starting at the shoulder joint.
- Trim off any excess fat or skin: Use a knife to remove any remaining fat or skin from the turkey.
Additional Tips for Cleaning a Turkey
- Always wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling raw turkey.
- Use separate cutting boards and utensils for raw turkey to prevent cross-contamination.
- Clean and sanitize your kitchen surfaces after handling raw turkey.
- Cook your turkey to an internal temperature of 165°F to ensure it’s safe to eat.
- If you’re unsure about any part of the cleaning process, consult a butcher or experienced cook.
By following these instructions and tips, you’ll be able to clean your turkey safely and effectively, ensuring a delicious and enjoyable meal for everyone at your table.
How do you clean a turkey before cooking it?
Well. You don’t! The USDA advises against washing your turkey before cooking it, just like they do with other meat. Unless you’ve brined it—more on that below—there’s no need to rinse your turkey whether you’re roasting, frying, or smoking it. Any bacteria are eliminated when a turkey is cooked, but cleaning a turkey before cooking it allows for risky cross-contamination. Rather, transfer your turkey directly from its packaging to the oven. To achieve crispy skin, all you need to do for “cleaning” is remove the giblets and neck from the cavity (saving them for giblet gravy, naturally!). Then, pat the turkey dry with a paper towel.
When should you rinse a turkey?
Rinsing your bird should only ever happen after brining it. This is to help the turkey lose some of its salt. However, in order to reduce the spread of bacteria, you’ll want to do some preparation beforehand. The USDA advises “to prevent splashing, remove any other food or objects from the sink, cover the area with paper towels, and use a slow stream of water when rinsing brine off of a turkey.” Before moving the bird to a roasting pan, make sure to rinse the bird’s exterior and interior cavity with cool water and hold it up to remove any remaining water. Next, dispose of the paper towels in the trash can and give your sink and the area around it a thorough cleaning. Lastly, use warm water and soap to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.
How to Clean a Turkey the EASY WAY!
FAQ
How do you clean a turkey before cooking it?
How do you clean a Turkey after cooking?
To avoid cross-contamination, wash your hands and forearms with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds after handling the turkey. Then, use hot, soapy water to clean any utensils and kitchen surfaces you used, such as the countertop or sink. Rinse with clean water afterwards.
How do you clean a brined Turkey?
If you’re cooking a brined turkey, first empty your sink completely, then clean it with hot, soapy water and rinse it out well. Fill it with 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) of cold water, then rinse out the cavity of the turkey with a gentle stream of cool water. Drain the turkey by holding it up over the sink, then set it down in the roasting pan.
Do I need to rinse the inside of a Turkey?
Just like with the outside of a turkey, there’s no need to rinse the cavity. All you need to worry about is removing the neck and giblets. Now, if you’re working with a brined bird, you will need to rinse the inside. Ree Drummond likes to rinse the inside and outside of her turkey under a running faucet with cold water for several minutes.
How do you sanitize a Turkey?
If you’ve rinsed your turkey, or had poultry on your counter, be sure to disinfect your kitchen. The USDA suggests cleaning with a bleach solution for extra safety: “For extra protection, surfaces may be sanitized with a solution of 1 tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach per gallon of water.