What You Need To Know About Pink Turkey Meat

Carving into a perfectly roasted autumnal herby turkey, most people would expect to see juicy slices of pristine white meat behind the herbed, caramelized skin. But if instead of that, you get slices with a suspiciously pink tinge in the middle, we wouldn't blame you if you freak out a little and wonder if you had accidentally undercooked it. Well, according to the USDA, it turns out that pink turkey meat is actually pretty normal.

You see, there are two proteins within turkey meat that affect its color. The first is myoglobin, which typically breaks down during cooking and turns the meat white. However, when the meat's pH level is a bit higher, this protein might become more heat resistant and retain some of its color. The second, lesser-known protein is called cytochrome C and is quite interesting — it's more abundant in older turkeys and is notably more resistant to heat than myoglobin. If your bird happens to have high levels of this protein, you might notice that pinkish hue even after you've cooked it through.

There are other factors that can contribute to this coloring, too. For example, if you've added smoked ingredients like bacon to your turkey, like in bacon and jalapeño stuffing, their natural nitrates can cause the meat to take on a reddish tinge. Whatever the case, this case of turkey chemistry is quite safe and isn't a food safety hazard.

Unfortunately, there's "normal" pink and there's "undercooked" pink. While a light tinge of pink in your meat is probably fine, if your turkey shows a deep pink color throughout or has pink areas near the bones, those are genuine red flags indicating it needs more time in the oven.

Since we can't always trust our eyes in this case, rely on your meat thermometer. Plug it into the thickest part of the turkey, usually the breast or thigh, and look for the magic number of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The USDA noted that at this temperature, any harmful bacteria will have been eliminated, so even if your turkey's a bit pink on the inside, it should still be perfectly safe to eat.

As parting words, here's one thing you should know if you're certain you have a pinkened turkey: Don't bother fixing it. One of the more common culprits, cytochrome C, might require you to cook your turkey up to 220 degrees Fahrenheit to completely break it down — at that point, your roast turkey wouldn't be any different from cinderblocks. Just enjoy yours as-is; think of it like a medium-rare turkey (or give it a coat of mayo to pretty it up while doubling the flavor).