| Many people have been taught that if any meat, but | | | | which nitrites can be found naturally in poultry. In order |
| beef is pink you are not supposed to eat it. The | | | | to produce a pink color in cured meats nitrates are |
| reason that all of us are told is that the pink meat | | | | used, a perfect example would be bologna. If nitrites |
| means that the poultry, lamb, or pork is not cooked all | | | | are in the poultry's feed or even their water supply the |
| the way through, which can cause us to get sick | | | | levels of nitrites in their blood will increase. The higher |
| because any of the bacteria that is present in the food | | | | the nitrite levels the higher the chance that the meat |
| has not been killed. | | | | will take on a pink color. |
| Of course, with pork, the color pink is a sign that the | | | | Something else that you might notice is that the |
| meat has not been cooked all the way through, but | | | | younger poultry has more of a pink color than the |
| with poultry, the meat being pink does not mean that it | | | | older poultry. The reason for this is that the younger |
| is not safe to eat. In order to tell if poultry is safe | | | | the poultry is when it is killed the thinner their skin is |
| enough to eat you will need to use a meat | | | | going to be. The thin skin allows the gases from the |
| thermometer to ensure the poultry is cooked to a | | | | oven to reach the meat, so the chemical reaction with |
| minimum temperature of 165 degrees, all the way | | | | the hemoglobin is more likely to occur. Not to mention |
| through, so you will need to check different sections of | | | | the younger birds do not have the fat protection in |
| the poultry. | | | | their skin that the older birds do. |
| One of the main reasons that poultry meat remains | | | | The last thing that can cause your poultry to look pink, |
| pink even after it has been cooked thoroughly is | | | | even though it has been thoroughly cooked is grilling it. |
| because of the chemical changes that take place | | | | Grilling the poultry or even smoking it outdoors usually |
| during cooking. How the pink color happens is that the | | | | causes a pink ring to appear around the poultry, the |
| gases in the oven react with the hemoglobin in the | | | | pink ring is usually about one half inch wide, but the |
| poultry, this chemical reaction is what causes the meat | | | | meat is still well done. Commercially smoked poultry is |
| to have a pink color to it. | | | | also pink, but that is usually due to the liquid smoke and |
| Nitrites can also cause poultry to have a pinkish color, | | | | natural smoke flavors that they use. |