Go to the Recipe: Sous Vide Holiday Turkey
I'm a little short on time and I looked at the note above. I'm a little confused about the shorter time suggestion listed above. It says that I can cook the thighs at 167 degrees for 7 hours, if necessary, and 131 degrees for the breast for 8 hours. Could I do the legs at 167 degrees 7 hours and then lower them to 131 for the breasts to finish (meaning the legs would go from 167 to 131 once the breasts were added.)
Olive oil will probably burn at the temperatures needed to sear.
Can you finish these under a broiler? Trying to maximize my multitasking
I'm curious what temp did you have your smoker?
Nicely done! It really is the best way to go!
Last year I tested this and it worked perfectly. I have 2 sous vide setups so I did both light/dark at the same time for about 24 hours. They went into the fridge and then day of onto the smoker for about 2 hours to get a little extra flavor and crisp up perfectly. This is the only way to do turkey now, it's insanely good.
I haven't tested it, but I'd probably drain the bags and freeze? I'm not sure it matters. To reheat you can go directly into the sous vide if you want, it will take longer but shouldn't make much difference to the final product.
great
I made this last year and my family requested a repeat. Unfortunately, I’ll be working the days preceding TG. When you say freezing is okay, is that in the bag with all the “juice” or drain it? And how long would you defrost in the fridge for the sectioned pieces before replacing into the sous vide warmer? Thanks
OMG - This was AMAZING!
This Thanksgiving I followed this receipe for the first time and modified it a bit to suit our family's situation. It was AWESOME! FANTASTIC! AMAZING!
TLDR:
Turkey placed in oven at 425 for 15-20 minutes for glaze to brown.
OMG - everything looked great out of the oven. Let sit for about 30 minutes before carving and serving.
I started with the base recipe. We had a 24lb Supreme Champion 4-H Turkey we bought at auction, and I was terrified I was going to screw it up. I started with the base recipe and followed the video on how to break down a turkey.
Because of the size of the turkey, I could only do one breast per bag and 1 leg per bag. I vacuum sealed them.
Breaking down the turkey took longer than expected so I only did 8 hours (instead of 12) for the first cycle with the legs at 149 degrees.
At the 8 hour mark I added the breasts and lowered the temperature to 131 degrees. 10 hours later I was worried we would run out of time and the meat would be under cooked, so I raised the temperature to 145 for about 3 1/2 hours. At about the 21 1/2 hour mark from initially putting the legs in the sous vide, I pulled the bags out, put them in large stock pots surrounded by towels, and we began our drive to my parents house.
People were delayed so the bags sat insulated for another 1 hour.
Breasts and legs were patted dry, seared, and brushed with Torissi's Turkey Honey Garlic Glaze, then placed on a flat pan into the oven at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
30 minutes later everything was carved and served. It was amazing!!!!
Dry brined the turkey for 2 days in the fridge before cooking it Sous vide. Made the Panang curry sauce as the gravy. Delicious!
Hey Andy. I do not rinse the turkey after SV. I do thoroughly dry it with a paper towel before searing. Be sure on the skin side you pat it dry to insure you don't rip the skin. Broiling at the end is a great way to finish!
thank you Nicholas! Tell me, do you rinse and dry the turkey after SV but before searing? I plan to use the broiler for a more complete browning.
I've used this method since you posted it years ago with phenomenal results, doing a short deep fry at the end instead of searing. Now I'm in culinary school and ServSafe Manager certified and all of a sudden the 131F number raises my eyebrow. Douglas Baldwin's poultry pasteurization tables only go down to 134.5, right at the edge of the danger zone. Is there another set of tables out there that include the 131F temp?
Morning Jonathan. I totally agree with Frederick. Chances are your bird will still need a little extra seasoning but better to just play it safe and skip the seasoning. I'm sure some finishing salt to serve and gravy will get the seasoning to a point that everyone will be happy.
Hello Andy. This is not uncommon. You're correct thats harmless myoglobin coming out from the attached wing. Once you take them out of the bag, pat them dry and give them a post sear they will be looking awesome!
If you have the ability, 4 minutes per quarter in a deep fryer produces an exceptional turkey.
Happy Thanksgiving! Thanks for unlocking for the Big Day! I am really enjoying this.
I pulled these two chicken breasts out of the SV early this morning after 16 hours at 131 degrees...one has a red liquid inside...do you think there may be a problem with doneness or is this harmless Myoglobin I've read about?
Check the label to see how much salt and sugar was added to the bird. You can probably cut the sugar and salt from this recipe in half and you'll be ok.
Edit: most pre-basted turkeys don't add enough salt, expecting folks to salt themselves. If your turkey has instructions saying don't salt at all, then skip the salt here.
I had a feeling it would just caramelize the skin faster, but wanted to make sure. Wonderful, thank you for the response!
How about high end delicious Spanish Olive oil?
Thanks and no problem flipping the script! In the video I saw (what appeared to be) some succulents smoked skins/turkey parts. I assume you guys finished those on the smoker post sous vide? Curious because I’m doing a second turkey day after for a sandwich party. Can I attempt the same idea but smoke for less than 2 hours after the sous vide you think? Appreciate the quick response!
Hi Ali! You can do this, and no modifications are needed to the time.
If using a Butterball turkey that's already pre brined from the processor, should the dry brine be adjusted or omitted?
Morning Chris. So the only thing that will affect is the pre-sear. The sugar will cause the turkey to brown much faster in the pan. So if you haven't done this part yet I would just skip the pre-sear. But if you already had fun doing that just continue with the recipe and I'm confident it will turn out great.
Hey Ds. I hate to flip the script on you just days out from Thanksgiving but here is what I would do.
Follow the recipe up to step 6. Season the turkey parts with the dry brine and transfer to the fridge to cure for a minimum of 1 hr. During this time get your smoker preheated to it's lowest temp, cold smoke if you have the setup. If it's a Traeger I believe the lowest temp might 160f (but that temp can swing up to 180f). Smoke your turkey parts for about 60 min. While smoking I like to insert a probe just below the surface of the meat a couple mm. The goal is to keep the temp of the meat below the surface under 131 °f for white meat and below 149f for dark meat. Try and smoke for as long as your can without exceeding those temps but no need to go over 2 hrs. Once smoked jump back to step 6, bag and cook.
Finishing with a broil is great. You can broil the white and dark meat at the same time. When broiling what matters most is how close the meat is to the top elements in the oven. So if your breasts are a little taller than the legs they might finish a minute of two earlier so keep a close eye on them. The video says 10-12 minute but make sure you're watching them closely the whole time in the oven. The added sugar in the dry brine will speed up the browning.
Hope this answer helps. I figured this plan would get you the smoke flavor you want with a easy broil at the end. I find the less equipment and things I have to juggle on Thanksgiving day the better. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Ah sorry Ali, just seeing your comment now. The recipe will still work great with a larger bird. I recommend using the higher end of the time ranges. To be more specific cook the legs for 12 hrs at 149 °F / 65 °C and the breasts and legs for 24 hrs at 131 °F / 55 °C. I'm sure it will be great. I really hope this answer finds you in time!
I accidentally added my dry brine to my Turkey before I did my pre-sear. Will my Turkey be okay to still Sous vide?
Excited to give this a go. You mention you can smoke the pieces after the sous vide. Do you have recommendations for that? Should I plan to smoke for about an hour at lower temp (I saw your other video w Meathead but that’s more grilling it than smoking)?
Otherwise if we go w a broiled finish, is it about the same time for breasts as legs mentioned in the video? Thanks.
Hi! Hey the recipe says that you can only go up to 16 lb bird. Do you think I can still do the recipe with a 20lb bird? Would I have to change length of time?
Absolutely!
Can i use clarified butter in lieu of "neutral oil"?
Ohh good tips. I'll use parchment between skin/pan also to help with release from the frozen aluminum of the pan. Thank you.
Hey Greg, sorry the skin wasn't on point for you. Personally I like the texture of some un rendered skin. But if I was trying to render it as much as possible the best time to do this is during the pre-sear (just like with duck breast). At this stage the turkey is cold and you can sear it much longer and harder without overcooking the meat.
Few tips for the pre-sear:
Just did the breast portion only for a test-run. Really happy with the texture and taste of the flesh. My disappointment comes with the skin. The brief time pre- and post-searing didn't seem to render the skin's fat as well as it should've. And I recognize a cook at 131F won't render it. Hopefully a longer sear at beginning & end will be the difference. Any other guidance/thoughts?
Yes, but also you could start the cook a couple hours early (or a couple hours late) - at these scales, a few hours won't affect the end result too much.
Re: the breasts, cooked way too low to suffer much moisture loss. Certainly less moisture loss than an oven would give you
I would echo these comments (just cooked over the last 30 hours). I’m not sure the turkey breast is truly underdone, but compared to “typical” roast turkey, it seems positively rare in the very centre of the breast from a texture perspective. The legs are awesome.
Also, if I were to make again I’d dial back on the brine, as there was a certain “hamminess” to the meat.
The turkey stock is great, also used the bones and stock to make the associated turkey gravy. Stock is quite mild (I would probably oven-roast the bones first next time). Might be the best bird gravy I’ve made.
I'm volunteering a few miles away when my Joule needs to start... can I install i
again on my husband's phone?
Hi I'd like to try that recipe, but with a goose. How would that likely change the sous vide settings? Higher temperatures because of the fat?
Where can I find the OG recipe? I've been following it for many years and it would be nice to have as a reference.
I followed your recipe for the turkey (20 pounds) and generally followed for stuffing and gravy. By far the best turkey meal I've ever made.
My only comment is the cooking time or temperature may be a little low. I cooked the breasts sous vide at 131 degrees for 18 hours. Excellent but possibly slightly under done. I reheated the other breast last night in a 136 degree sous vide for 4 more hours....seared served...pretty perfect.
Thanks for all your help
Maybe you could comment on my questions in the turkey break down section.
Hi Guys! I'm a little confused about brining. If I decided to brine by Equilibrium Brine (Immersion) first. Once the brining period is finished and prepare to sous vide, do I still add the salt and sugar mentioned in this recipe?
Thanks you
No, I would follow our Joule guides for chicken. You will end up with mush. We treat turkey like a tough cut of meat that needs time to break down.
The turkey turned out great. Can we use the same temperature and durations for chicken?
I looked at sous vide chicken breast and leg recipes and saw the temps are higher and durations shorter.
Thank you.
I made this for my spouse and son and they said it was the best turkey they had ever had! So moist and juicy! Plus I had plenty of time to make the other sides while the turkey was in the sous vide. And you don't have to deal with the big carcass afterwards! Thanks for the great recipe!
The staggered cook times for dark and white meat worked out pretty well. But I think the breast meat could have been in less than 24hrs.
With these long cooking times, is there not an extreme amount of liquid that comes out of the turkey, resulting in it being dry? I have had this issue before with beef.
Hello Karen. Sorry to hear about water getting in the bag, but it will still be good to serve. What I would expect is the seasoning will be diluted now so you might need additional seasoning when serving. You can definitely sear under the broiler instead of pan searing. I recommend brushing it lightly with oil first.
It was already 24 hrs when I discovered this. Also, can I sear under broil instead of pan sear?
The butcher left the bone in the split breasts. Will that affect the cooking time?
To oil or not to oil? This is the second year I did this. But this year, I did it by just following the video. I had to rush it. I kept asking myself about oil... Came back to read and the written instructions say to add oil to the bag! The video does not include this step. Should I stop the bath half way, open the bag and add oil and reseal? Or is this an updated recipe with the dry brine and without oil?
To oil or not to oil? This is the second year I did this. But this year, I did it by just following the video. Came back to read and the written instructions say to add oil to the bag! The video does not include this step. Should I stop the bath half way, open the bag and add oil and reseal? Or is this an updated recipe with the dry brine and without oil?
Deep fried update!!!!
Just served this for family with a deep fried twist, and it came out perfect.
I wanted to do this for YEARS, and finally convinced the family that it was a good idea. I skipped the pre-sear and deep fried, instead of roasting, each quarter at the end. It was perfect!!! Several “non-turkey eaters” declared it amazing.
I may have helped sell a couple of sous vide set-ups today.
Pop it into a new bag
What should I do if water seeped into the bag?
