Can I safely roast a turkey in a slow/low (200 degrees F) oven overnight?
The overnight slow-roasting method is unsafe because it involves cooking the turkey at 190 to 200 degrees F for 12 to 14+ hours. There are several versions of the slow-cooking method but all of them put you, your family and dinner guests at risk for foodborne illness (food poisoning). The turkey will take much longer to heat and the warm oven temperature provides an ideal environment for bacterial growth. Roasting turkey at an oven temperature set below 325 degrees F allows bacteria, which may be present on raw turkey, to multiply. The risk of harmful bacteria growth will increase with the chance that toxins will not be destroyed with further cooking. The low oven temperature is simply insufficient to kill foodborne bacteria. The National Turkey Federation joins the USDA in recommending an oven temperature of 325 degrees F for roasting whole turkeys and turkey breasts. Roasting the turkey at an oven temperature of 325 degrees F easily destroys any bacteria yet produces meat that is moi
