I would at least call the store and ask the meat dept manager.

Don't go buy that thermometer...just keep on cooking.....those things are useless.

I followed Marie's suggestion and called the meat manager. He said the same thing happened with his turkey! He, too, was surprised to see all the blood. But his turkey was cooked through, as mine is, and he didn't want to dry it out with further cooking. So he just discarded the bloody juice and carved the turkey as usual. He told me to do the same. None of his guests got sick. :-)

Thanks, guys!

It was probably not washed out well enough.

Never go by those plastic popup things. Use a meat thermometer.

Clean the bird, cook it to the right temp and enjoy.

And yes, I wash bagged salads too.

I had never cooked an unstuffed turkey before, so I followed the directions--which said to rinse the bird, empty both cavities and wash them out (I would have done that anyway), then salt & pepper the main one. I added herbs, and the meat manager put an apple in his.

If mine wasn't washed out well enough, then neither was the meat manager's, since the same thing happened to him.

I can't escape the thought that all my years of stuffed turkeys probably had all that blood absorbed into the stuffing. :-/

Mine had the red stuff, too. It really turned me off. The turkey had a pop-up, too. But when it popped up the meat thermometer read 160 degrees. That's not cooked enough so I left it in the oven until it reached 165. The meat was cooked, but I didn't like that red stuff!! Glad to hear I'm not the only one.

I have had that happen in the past. I dumped the reddish liquid out and then turned the turkey upside down and cooked it a little while longer. That way it browned some and the liquids ran clear afterwards. Perhaps it wasn't completely thawed out. I roasted a 10 lb one yesterday and it was completely thawed- no red liquid in the cavity. I usually just put in some celery and onion, not enough to "stuff" it, just to add some flavor.

I had a bit as well, but it had soaked into the apple and onions that I had in the cavity....ignorance is bliss ya know! I didn't know how long it had been there! LOL!!!!!

Much of this demonstrates why I like to cook turkey breast (and otehr parts if needed) rather than a whole turkey. Too many people don't know how to cook a turkey. Temp is the key. America's Test Kitchen did a great show about cooking turkey in parts rather than whole. The oooh and aaaah of the presentation isn't worth it, IMO.

I have baked many turkeys through the years and I have never used a meat thermometer. I stuff the turkey and use my blue enamelware roaster with chicken broth in the bottom, season the outside of the bird with oil or melted butter, salt & sometimes will put some bay leaf under the skin. Cover and bake...it is never dry and I bake it until the legs about fall off,(lol) and nice and brown. And baste often!

I have baked many turkeys through the years and I have never used a meat thermometer. I stuff the turkey and use my blue enamelware roaster with chicken broth in the bottom, season the outside of the bird with oil or melted butter, salt & sometimes will put some bay leaf under the skin. Cover and bake...it is never dry and I bake it until the legs about fall off,(lol) and nice and brown. And baste often!

Mboston, I think you're right. I'll bet my turkey wasn't completely thawed. I bought it on Sunday and cooked it on Friday.....only 11 pounds, I thought that would be long enough, and it appeared to be thawed. But I only saw and felt the outside, of course.

I put it back in the oven, long enough to dry out the white meat (although I had it tented with foil) but not long enough to thoroughly the thighs. The thigh joints were bloody. By this time I was so weary of dealing with this turkey. It had long since lost its bargain appeal! So I finished cooking the thighs in the microwave and then cut up a lot of the meat and all the skin and packed it up to freeze for the dogs at the animal shelter.

I could have used the carcass for soup, but by now I was happy to slide it into the trash.

I'll be cooking tofu tomorrow...... :-)

You know, I've been reading lately that it's safer to NOT rinse your poultry. All the water splashing in the sink and then turning off your taps after touching the raw chicken isn't worth the risk.

Cooking till done destroys any threat of germs. Seeing red water/blood.....oh boy, that would scare me!

I use blue speckled roasters like Mary. I think they really roast beautifully.

I always use a thermometer (160 white, 170-175 dark). My father never used a thermometer, he can tell from twisting the leg. We don't use the pop-up timers and remove them before putting it in the oven. We also cook them uncovered until they brown enough and then lightly tent to protect the breast meat.

I've never tried to cook a partially frozen turkey, but have done that with a chicken. Takes FOREVER.

I use a meat thermometer just not the ones that come with the bird. I did a 21 Lb bird this year but regardless of size the process is always the same.
I brine overnight then cook the turkey upside down @ 500 for the first 1/2 hour, then I turn it over and cook @ 325 for the remaining time. I only stuff with sliced apples, onions, and herbs. I make a garlic and herb butter and put that under the skin and schmere over the entire bird. It comes out beautiful and always very juicy.

I see I'm not the only person who wants more turkey after enjoying Thanksgiving at someone else's home. Her bird was DELICIOUS, but...no leftovers!

I returned this afternoon from my maiden voyage to the Costco that has opened ten minutes from our house. I bought a 16 lb. 49-cents-a-pound fresh Butterball hen turkey. (I put back the little $4-a-pound package of sliced turkey after I spied the bargain birds.)

I'm not going to rinse this gal, per what I heard on GMA earlier in the week, and I'm not stuffing her either. I'll use my meat thermometer to get it up to 160F in a 325F oven, then take it out to 'sit' (and rise to 165F). I don't plan to baste. I hope she has enough fat to make gravy, but I have a jar of chicken gravy stashed somewhere just in case!

I think if I put her in the oven at three she will be ready to carve by six.

See any flaws in my 'plan'? Tell me before Sunday at three p.m. please.

Oh, I have to say I was amazed to get to this brand new store at ten a.m. and park thisclose to the door. It didn't start to draw crowds until about noon. Got some of their good rosemary bread too.

I don't have any issues with washing poultry, in fact I'd be uncomfortable *not* washing it. Of course I also bleach everything after the bird is in the Nesco. I wipe everything down that's nearby, and it's a good time to do the frig door handles and the like too.

After having an aunt who worked in a poultry processing plant tell me what went on there, there's two things I'll never do:

1) Never cook unwashed poultry; and
2) Never buy "parts missing" birds!

After the points raised here, I am hesitant to consider a stuffed bird too. Will it kill you? No, probably not. Could you get sick? Well possibly, but I guess it's more the gross factor and bliss ignorance thing. I really don't understand the lure of stuffing the bird though. There's only two possible reasons I can think of: 1) the juices of the bird get in it, and from the above, do you want them? LOL But you can still take juices and mix into the dressing, juices that are cooked and reduced so they're probably more flavorful too; and 2) Saves cleaning a pan used to cook the dressing. However stuffing a bird also takes more time to cook, throws off the cooking of the bird and then the bird cooks more unevenly.

I've read and I do believe the loose leg test is a bad way to judge if it's done. Sure, it means the dark meat is done but also probably means the best part, the white meat, is overcooked. And then people complain that white meat is dry! LOL To each their own.

Curious thing, I was reading on the cooking forum one of the posters who to me has demonstrated great cooking knowledge has and will cook frozen turkeys. I'm not sure I would, but I don't doubt what she says.

The other interesting thing I've been reading is about basting. It does nothing for juiciness or assist cooking. It does make it take longer since you lose oven heat each time you open it and it can help give more color to the bird. But color doesn't always equate to taste. Great for the ooh factor though.

I need to get my turkey breast washed and into the Nesco... probably tomorrow!

Between my father and I we have cooked hundreds of stuffed turkeys and no one has ever gotten sick. We also sometimes make extra stuffing and cook it in the oven. I can tell the difference. The stuffing from inside the bird is much better.

We use Bell's croutons, butter, celery, onion, ground pork and hamburg (all cooked before, tossed with the croutons). It's a meal itself.

As I said, my father used the leg test, but I don't. He has a LOT of experience cooking (in his 70s, plus he cooked professionally at one point). He can tell how cooked pretty much anything is by poking it. Also, at Christmas and Thanksgiving we only use local, fresh birds (organic, I think) (no Butterball). At other times of the year we will buy supermarket birds, but not for holidays.

Anyone interested in gravy? I melt a 1/2 stick to a stick of butter, add flour, and make a roux (get the mixture toasty brown). I then add a couple cups of the "juice" by the ladle, wisking, and add all that to the pot with the rest of the "juice". Wisking, cooking. Too thick? Add turkey or chicken broth. Too thin? Mix water with more flour (or make more roux) and add, wisking constantly. I made a huge stockpot of gravy Thursday. My father will use what was leftover to make pies.