Most people only eat turkey once or twice a year. However, once you try sous vide turkey, you’ll want to find reasons to eat it all year long.
After learning how to prepare turkey sous vide, it’s difficult to return to the tasteless, dry-roasted variety.
Sous vide is the best method for consistently producing succulent turkey because it eliminates the need for high temperatures. You’ll get all the information you need for a fantastic bird with this sous vide turkey guide.
Are you looking for a foolproof way to cook a juicy flavorful turkey for your next Thanksgiving feast? Look no further than sous vide! This innovative cooking method ensures perfectly cooked turkey every time, regardless of your experience level.
This guide combines the expertise of two renowned sources: The Food Lab Sous Vide Turkey Guide by Anova Culinary and the Sous Vide Turkey: Breast and Leg Done Perfectly article by ThermoWorks. We’ll delve into the optimal time and temperature settings for achieving the perfect texture and flavor in your sous vide turkey
Understanding Sous Vide Cooking
Sous vide, meaning “under vacuum” in French, involves cooking food in a precisely temperature-controlled water bath. This method eliminates the risk of overcooking and ensures even doneness throughout the meat.
Choosing the Right Temperature and Time
The ideal temperature and time for sous vide turkey depend on your desired level of doneness:
| Doneness Level | Temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Very pink, soft, extra-moist | 132°F (56°C) | 4 hours |
| Pale pink, soft, moist | 138°F (59°C) | 3 hours |
| White, tender, moist | 145°F (63°C) | 2 1/2 hours |
| White, traditional roast texture | 152°F (67°C) | 2 hours |
Important Note: Always consult the USDA safe poultry temperatures chart to ensure proper pasteurization.
Skin and Bones: To Remove or Not to Remove?
While removing the skin and bones before cooking can slightly improve the texture of the thinner end of the breast, it’s not always necessary. Leaving the skin and bones intact provides insulation, preventing overcooking.
Tip: For a more even cook, consider shaping the turkey breasts into a roll, ensuring a uniform thickness throughout.
Achieving Crispy Skin
Sous vide cooking doesn’t produce crispy skin. However, you can achieve the desired texture by roasting the skin separately on a baking sheet between two layers of parchment paper. This method results in a perfectly crisp, flavorful skin that complements the perfectly cooked turkey.
Additional Tips
- Use a ChefAlarm leave-in probe thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of the turkey.
- Season the turkey generously with herbs, spices, and salt for enhanced flavor.
- Render the turkey fat after cooking to create delicious schmaltz for drizzling or using in gravy.
- Consider using a sous vide circulator for optimal temperature control.
With the right time, temperature, and technique, sous vide cooking allows you to achieve a perfectly cooked turkey with juicy, flavorful meat and crispy skin. Embrace this innovative method for a stress-free and delicious Thanksgiving feast!
Sous Vide Turkey Temperatures and Times
Turkey that is overcooked, flavorless, and dried out is a common sight in domestic kitchens. Turkey can be cooked to perfection using traditional methods with practice, but there’s always a fine line between done and overdone. Turkey cooked sous vide consistently turns out to be extremely moist and tender. Further sous vide times and temperatures for many of the particular items are listed below.
How to Safely Cook Sous Vide Turkey
With turkey and all poultry, ensuring sous vide safety is a major concern. Previously, this meant preparing it until the interior reached a minimum temperature of 150°F or 165°F (65 5°C to 73. 8°C). However, as we covered in the Sous Vide Safety lesson, cooking for a longer period of time at a lower temperature can still result in the same levels of safety. You can now eat chicken that is far more juicy than you otherwise could.
Turkey and other poultry are pasteurized once heated by sous vide cooking them for the following durations of time:
- 140°F (60.0°C) for 30 minutes
- 145°F (62.8°C) for 12 minutes
- 150°F (65.6°C) for 4 minutes
My suggested sous vide turkey cooking times and temperatures are listed below.
Sous vide turkey breast (a delicious sous vide Thanksgiving dish) with cooking temperature + time!
FAQ
How long would it take to sous vide a turkey?
What temperature is sous vide turkey dark meat?
What is the best time and temperature to cook a turkey?
How long to cook turkey at 140?
|
Thickness
|
134.5°F/57°C
|
140°F/60°C
|
|
30 mm
|
3¼ hr
|
2 hr
|
|
35 mm
|
3¾ hr
|
2¼ hr
|
|
40 mm
|
4 hr
|
2½ hr
|
|
45 mm
|
4½ hr
|
3 hr
|
How do you cook a Turkey in a sous vide machine?
Preheating: Preheat the sous vide machine to 140ºF (60ºC) for white meat or 150°F (65.6°C) for dark meat. Trim and Season turkey: Trim off any fat or gristle. Salt the meat then coat with any spices. Seal in Sous Vide Bag: Place the turkey in a sous vide bag and then seal.
How long does it take to sous vide a Turkey?
The leg meat comes out tender, yielding, and delicious. How long does it take to sous vide turkey? Cooking a turkey via sous vide doesn’t take very long—about 2 hours! Even with only one circulator, you can get the whole thing done in less time than it takes to cook a bird in the oven.
How long do you cook a turkey breast in a sous vide bag?
Seal in Sous Vide Bag: Place the turkey in a sous vide bag and then seal. Sous Vide the breast: Place the sealed turkey in the sous vide water bath and cook until pasteurized, which is usually 3 to 4 hours, depending temperature used, but can go several hours longer.
Can you cook a Turkey under a sous vide?
One of the best things about sous-vide cooking a turkey is that you can cook it to the exact temperature you want for just the right doneness—whether dark or light meat. Use the USDA safe poultry temperatures chart and dial in just the temp you want, then make sure it cooks at that temperature for the food-safe time.