How were you judging "done"....with a thermometer? or by cutting into it.
I can't imagine that it was anything but dry after 2 1/2 hours at 325...unless your oven is way off....and even then It would have to be dry.
Did you cook it with a lid?
Linda C

I used a meat thermometer (not instant) which was in the roast the entire cooking time. When it was about 160 I thought "it must be done by now!", so I sliced into the thickest part and the juice was pink. I set it for another 15 minutes or so and when it reached barely 170 I removed it from the oven, then sliced into another thick spot and the juice was not pink. I cooked it without any cover until the last 20 minutes when I added a foil tent to prevent over-browning.

It was a little on the dry side... not too bad.

I suspect that you needed to take it out a little earlier and let it rest, to prevent it from being dry. The meat continues to cook out of the oven and tp reabsorb the juices. Did you let it rest?

Yes, I forgot to mention that.... I let it rest for 15 minutes with the foil tent over it.

If a recipe says to cook until thermometer registers 170 degrees, that's what I do unless it is obviously done... but without cutting into it again (and I already did at 160 and it was pink), it was hard to tell.

I found this recipe on-line at the Food Network site where it got rave reviews. Even comments like "This is the best turkey I've ever fixed, and I've fixed them all". So I figured I'd made it according to the recipe, which says to cook 1-1/2 to 2 hours, but that's for a breast twice this size so I aimed for a shorter cooking time.

Uh, you know, I wonder if the pan I used is the culprit. I said I used a shallow roasting pan, but in reality it is a baking pan, the gray non-stick variety. (blushing profusely) Would that make a big difference in cooking time?

No that wouldn't do it. Was the bird cold when it went into the oven? If it was right from the fridge it takes longer to cook. The bird should be out of the fridge for about an hour before cooking.

Did you set your oven at 300 instead of 325? Maybe your oven doesn't run as hot as you think. Do you have an oven thermometer you can use to test it?

Your best bet is the thermometer. If it registers an internal temperature of 170°F than it is cook. You can't go by the colour of turkey because a cooked turkey is often pink so it isn't an indication of whether it is cooked or not. If you are interested in the scientific reason you can read it here.

Ann

I can understand using an X minutes per pound guideline when cooking the same object of different weight (12 pounds turkey verus 15 pounds) but intuitively it doesn't make sense to me to think a 3 pound split breast would roast any slower or faster than a 6 pound whole breast. That's kind of like saying 2 hot dogs take twice as long to grill as one, no?

Anyway, I just looked at an Ina recipe for a 6.5-7lb whole breast and it calls for 1.75-2 hours at 325 to get to 165. So with you going up to 170, combined with I'm guessing several peeks into the oven including a longer one when you sliced into it (am I right?) your 2.5 hours doesn't sound all that far off base to me. Still sounds like your temp variance may be off a bit.

One suggestion if you are now questioning your oven temp and are going out to buy a thermometer - look at several of the same model and make sure that the pointers are all pointing in the same direction. If one of them is different, don't buy it. I bought a Taylor a few years ago and I couldn't get that thing to read 350 until the oven was set on 500 for an hour. Took it back to the store and sure enough, most of them looked the same and one other (plus mine) was pointing differently. Exchanged it and now my oven registers spot on.

Hmmm... I did a 6 lb T-breast (bone-in) at 350 in less time than that!

The USDA says to cook a turkey breast to an internal temperature of 165...If you had taken it out of the oven at 160, it would have been perfect. The temperature would have risen that five degrees upon standing.
Sometimes when cookinga whole turkey, you have to over cook the white meat to get the thighs properly done, but when just cooking a breast....there's no reason to overcook it.
How long has it been since your theremometer was calibrated?
Linda C

Foodonastump, I think the minutes per pound rule applies when the meat you are cooking is much thicker depending on weight. A 5 pound prime rib will cook much faster than a 10 pounder. Although the cook time isn't exactly a double.

When roasting something that is consistent in thickness, regardless of weight, like a beef tenderloin, the cook time is pretty much the same whether it is five pounds or ten pounds.

It all gets to mind boggling for me so I always use a thermometer and go by temperature for doneness and I use "minutes per pound" to help decide on the time it may be ready so I can start sides etc.

I'm with Linda and others. When it registered 160 you should have taken it out and tented it and let it rest. The pink would have been gone by time it was ready to cut and the temp would have risen. Twenty to thirty min a pound even sounds way too much, but measuring the temp is the only way to go.

Thanks everyone.

Yes, I used an oven thermometer. It's an old one (the standard metal frame) and I have no reason to think it's off, since setting the oven 25 degrees lower seems to work almost all the time.... and NOT setting it lower tends to burn/brown the food too much (though I haven't tried that for a long while....).

In addition, I always put the rack in the middle of the oven (unless the recipe says to do otherwise), then put the thermometer in the middle of the rack on which I'll put the pan, and wait until it registers at (or very close to) the temp I want.

And, yes, the breast was cold when it went into the oven -- I made the herb paste in the morning, spread it on, covered with foil, and put it in the fridge. I wanted to go for a bike ride and didn't want to cut that short to come back and prepare the turkey; all I'd need to do is stick it in the oven. No doubt, letting it sit at room temp for about an hour would have made a difference in cooking time. I bought it fresh, not frozen, and kept it in the fridge until cooking time. (I removed the foil except for the last 30 minutes.)

So, next time I'll let it sit for about an hour at room temp before cooking, then let it reach 165 degrees before removing it from the oven. This was Ina's recipe and tried and true so I'm going on the assumption I did something differently.

It wasn't overly dry.... a little on the dry side. The flavor is great and I would definitely make it again, but not for company until I get this right!

I also made the dill potatoes (posted here before), and brussel sprouts blanched then tossed w/ EVOO and drizzled with finely chopped walnuts then roasted in the oven. Hubby (who does most of the cooking since he's retired and I am still working) said "This is really good, Hon." .... then, after dinner, "Good job!"

All's well that ends well! :-)

Thank you all so much!! What a great forum.