Can you tell if a raw turkey is bad just by looking at it? What about leftover cooked turkey? The last thing you want is to inadvertently consume meat that’s no longer fresh. Here’s how to know if turkey is bad—both before and after you cook it.
How To Know if Turkey is Bad
Once turkey has gone bad, it will usually give off a strong, rancid odor. It might also turn grayish brown, or grow patches of white or blue-green mold. Also, note that the surface of fresh turkey should be slightly damp, but not overly slimy or sticky.
How Long Does Turkey Stay Fresh?
As large cuts of meat go, whole turkeys have a relatively short shelf life.
It takes time for a whole turkey to be processed and shipped to the grocery store. By the time it gets there, you may only have a few days to cook the bird before it starts to display some of the signs of spoilage that we’re here to discuss.
If you’ve purchased a fresh turkey from the butcher, you should cook it off within 2 days. On the other hand, when you buy fresh turkey directly from the source, you might be able to hold onto it for 10 or more days.
Of course, not everyone is fortunate enough to live within driving distance of a reputable turkey farm. That’s one of the reasons why frozen turkeys are so popular with consumers.
Once you’ve thawed the turkey, you should cook it off within 1 to 2 days. Should your plans change, it’s safe to put the thawed turkey back in the freezer.
Be aware that this rule applies only to turkeys that have been defrosted in the refrigerator. If you use cold water or the microwave as your defrosting method, you need to cook the turkey immediately.
How Long Can You Store Turkey in the Freezer?
Turkeys will keep in the freezer indefinitely, assuming the temperature is set at or below 0 degrees Fahrenheit (see Tips on Safe Storage and Handling, below). But if you keep it in there too long, the meat will start to dry out.
Try not to store your turkey in the freezer for longer than 1 year. A storage period of 4 to 6 months is preferable. Since whole turkeys take up so much room in the freezer anyway, you’ll probably be happy to have a reason to cook it off.
How To Know if Turkey is Bad: A Guide
When turkey goes bad, it’s usually obvious the moment you open the refrigerator. While that’s convenient, it’s also unfortunate for anyone who happens to be in the room.
Spoiled turkey has a strong, foul odor, reminiscent of ammonia or rotten eggs. What’s more, whole turkeys are quite large—usually between 15 and 30 pounds. If one of those goes bad while it’s in your fridge, you’ll be able to smell it right away.
You may need to get closer to the source to sniff leftover cooked turkey, but similar rules apply. When it’s gone bad, the meat will probably smell sour or sickly sweet.
Although the smell test is important, it’s not the only way to test for spoilage. The appearance and texture of the meat may be able to tell you whether it’s still fresh or not.
Fresh raw turkey is pale peach or pink in color. Once cooked, the breast meat should be white and opaque, while the leg and thigh meat is a darker shade of brown. If the meat is starting to take on a grayish hue, then it’s turned the corner and should be discarded.
Turkey that’s been hanging around for way too long might even grow patches of mold. This usually has a fuzzy appearance and can range in color from white to yellow to greenish blue.
If the meat looks and smells fine, run your finger along the surface of the skin. A slimy or sticky texture indicates that bacteria have already begun to feed on the turkey.
Never taste the turkey if you suspect it’s gone bad. The only way to be safe is to throw it out. While it can be frustrating to discard a whole turkey after going to all that work to defrost it, if the meat has spoiled, you have no other option.
Why Did My Turkey Go Bad?
When meat goes bad in the refrigerator, it’s usually because you kept it for too long without freezing it. As we mentioned, raw turkey will only last for a couple of days before it starts to deteriorate.
Sometimes, the meat will start to turn even within the prescribed time frame. When this happens, it may be because the turkey wasn’t wrapped well enough. Exposure to the air will cause the meat to spoil that much more quickly.
It could also be that your refrigerator temperature was set too high, or the meat was too close to the door. Every time you open the door of the fridge, a gust of warm air meets the cooler air inside. Warm temperatures will hasten bacteria growth.
Tips on Safe Storage and Handling
Plan on buying fresh turkeys the day before you plan to cook them. As we mentioned, you’ll have more time to spare if you picked the bird up from a local turkey farm, but it’s still a good idea to cook it off as soon as you can.
Keep frozen turkeys in the freezer until you’re within a few days of your planned start time. Large cuts of meat thaw at a rate of 24 hours for each 4 to 5 pounds. That means a 20-pound turkey will need 4 to 5 days in the fridge before it’s ready to cook.
Whether you’ve pulled the turkey from the freezer or are storing it fresh, keep it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, toward the rear. If possible, place other items in front of it to protect the bird from those blasts of warmer air.
You can leave a turkey uncovered in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours before cooking it. This will dry out the skin, so it will be crisp and appealing once the bird is done. However, you might want to keep it covered in the meantime to protect it from falling debris.
Don’t let the raw turkey come into contact with anything else in the fridge. Raw poultry can harbor dangerous bacteria, even when it’s stored properly. That’s why it’s important to cook the meat to a safe temperature (see below).
Keep the turkey refrigerated until you’re ready to season and cook it. You can bring it up to room temperature for 1 hour, but don’t leave it out any longer than 2 hours. This rule refers to cooked turkey as well as raw meat.
About those leftovers: wrap them tightly using plastic wrap, then place in a zip-top bag or sealed container. Refrigerate and consume within 3 to 4 days. You can also freeze leftover cooked turkey for up to 3 months.
Note that your refrigerator temperature should be set below 40 degrees. The span between 32 and 38 degrees is ideal for storing meat products.
Similarly, make sure your freezer isn’t running too warm. 0 degrees Fahrenheit is considered the standard freezer temp, but some industrial models will run a few degrees below this.
Can Cooking The Meat Destroy Bacteria?
It can and it does, but unfortunately, cooking the turkey won’t help if the meat is already spoiled.
You can reduce the risk of food poisoning by cooking poultry to at least 165 degrees. When preparing whole chickens and turkeys, it’s better to allow the dark meat to cook to 180 degrees, as this gives it a more appetizing texture.
The bacteria that could lead to illness reside on the surface of the flesh. Turkey meat is not as dense as beef or pork, which means that these bacteria could make their way below the surface.
That’s why turkey and chicken need to cook to 165 degrees, while it’s safe to eat beef and pork medium rare. All ground meat products, meanwhile, need to reach an internal temperature of 160-165. That’s because the grinding process mixes all the meat together.
However, these rules only apply when the turkey is still fresh. If the meat has spent too long in the “danger zone,” which refers to the span of temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees, it’s no longer safe to consume, even if you continue to cook it.
Turkey that’s been hanging around in the fridge too long may also be harboring heat-resistant bacteria. Cooking or reheating the meat won’t wipe out these toxins, which is why you need to discard any turkey that you suspect has gone bad.
The Bottom Line
The good news is that it’s usually easy to tell when turkey has gone bad, especially a whole turkey. The bad news? At that point, there’s nothing you can do except throw it out and start over.
The easiest way to avoid this fate is to cook the turkey as soon as possible. Buying a frozen specimen will give you a broader time frame to work with. If you’re not sure when you might be able to cook off the bird, it’s a good idea to go with one of those.
Best of luck, and happy grilling!
