Turkey safe temp - time vs temp?

[Jeff010]

Why do people smoke turkeys to 165? Most recipes/sites say you need to cook turkeys to 165F for food safety purposes. Some sites also say that you can cook turkeys to lower temperatures, such as 145F, if you hold it at that temp for around 11minutes (I know this concept of cook time vs temperature from sous vide cooking). This doesn't make any sense to me. If you are trying to smoke a turkey to 165, then you are essentially holding the turkey above 145F for several hours. By the time it even reaches 150F, it would have been above the 145F/11 minute hold threshold by an hour. What am I missing? Thanks

 

[old sarge]

Poultry has to reach an internal temp of 165 for it to be safe. I am not sure about the 145 degree temp you mention and have never looked into smoking poultry. Beef and pork only. But here is an interesting video from one of our members you may enjoy:

 

[Banter]

It’s true that cooking poultry to a temp of 145F for an extended period of time will essentially make it safe to consume. Many people will take poultry to higher temps like 150F and/or 165F to achieve a firmer texture of the final product.