The Best Ways To Save Your Undercooked Turkey

An undercooked turkey makes for an especially tragic Thanksgiving. Many of us carve the turkey before setting it on the serving table. that way, we can avoid anyone seeing or, even worse, tasting an undercooked turkey. We still have time to save an undercooked turkey and no one will be the wiser! We've consulted Bryan Ogen, executive chef at Bourbon Steak New York on the best ways to save your undercooked turkey.

Of course, you can avoid an undercooked turkey altogether if you know how to tell that the turkey is fully cooked in the first place. To that effect, Chef Ogen says: "Temperature is number one. The turkey should be cooked until 165 degrees Fahrenheit." No matter what way you cook a turkey, this internal temperature is a failsafe indication that it's cooked through and ready to eat. Consequently, a meat probe thermometer is key to cooking the perfect turkey.

If you happen to pull the turkey out before it's done, Ogen gives you two ways to save your undercooked turkey that don't involve the oven. "If you notice the bird is undercooked, you can pan roast the pieces in a saute pan on the stove," he explains. "Or if you have a wood fire grill, you could place them on the grill until they are fully cooked." These two methods are a lot faster than simply sticking the turkey back into the oven because you break the turkey down into smaller pieces.

Before you embark on fixing undercooked turkey, you'll first need to carve it into pieces to determine which parts are, in fact, undercooked. Generally, you can simply separate the wings and legs from the breast, cutting the breast in half to check for a pink hue that indicates the undercooked pieces.

If you're pan roasting the undercooked pieces, you can use a non-stick skillet or cast iron skillet placed over a medium flame. Add some butter or turkey drippings from the oven roasting pan to the skillet, followed by the undercooked turkey. Cook the turkey in the sizzling pan, turning every so often until cooked through. The fat and liquid will keep the turkey moist, while the hot skillet will brown the skin.

A wood fired grill will impart an irresistibly smoky flavor, plus notes of whichever wood you choose to burn the fire. Grilled turkeys are already a popular choice for a show stopping Thanksgiving centerpieces. Most recipes have you spatchcock a turkey to reduce cooking times and expose more of the meat's surface area to the hot grill grates for a textural contrast. While you can't spatchcock a mostly cooked turkey, cutting it into pieces is enough to get it fully cooked faster. A medium to high heat grill is ideal, enclosing the grill to prevent the pieces from drying out. You can use this baster with turkey stock to keep the turkey moist as it smokes.