Do Not Stuff the Turkey, Add the Cooked Filling While the Turkey Is Still
Alton Brown says minced meat is evil when it comes to turkey and offers an alternative way to save Thanksgiving dinner.
He explains that ground turkey usually means digesting it:
This is because the minced meat penetrates the middle of the bird and is very porous. This means that when the turkey is cooked, juices, which may contain salmonella bacteria, are absorbed into the filling, which must then be cooked to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit to be safe.
The turkey will dry out. Instead, Brown recommends preparing the filling separately and then placing it in the turkey while the bird is resting so that it can collect these tasty juices. (We already shared the “don’t start” recommendation in our turkey cooking guide , but I love the trick of adding the turkey filling at the end for this turkey flavor.)
If you still insist on the turkey stuffing, it has a recipe linked in the post below.
Ground Turkey Meat: Don’t Do It | Alton Brown