Reliving past trauma from cooking a whole Turkey?
Stressed about times and temperatures?
Too dry?
Too slow?
Welcome to Sous Vide Turkey where everything is an easy to make ahead meal.
For a perfect bird every time, on time!
Plan to work on this recipe the day before serving.
Turkey skin can be roasted in advance, cooled completely, then stored, loosely covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
The Crispy Skin part is optional.
The recipe can be greatly simplified without it and by starting with Skinless Turkey Breasts.
Note that cooking the Turkey Sous Vide with the skin on is not wise as the texture is off putting.
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Turkey plucked and butchered. Or Skinless Turkey Breasts (If omitting Crispy Skin)
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
- A thin flexible boning knife and some pliers
- Food grade vacuum bags
- Parchment Paper
- 2 matching large baking sheets
- Sous Vide Cooker
Deboning a Turkey
- On the day before your meal we will need to prepare the Turkey, if using a whole Turkey.
- Use the All Recipe’s guide for Deboning a Turkey, pause after removing all the bones but before seasoning.
You will need a thin flexible boning knife and some pliers to do this
https://www.allrecipes.com/article/how-to-debone-a-turkey/ - Remove the Turkey Wings (not legs)
- After deboning is complete an the tendons are removed remove the Turkey skin in once piece.
- This can be done by hand with a firm grip working your way along the meat.
- Occasionally use the knife to work on troubled bits. Attempt to keep the skin in once piece
- Separate the Turkey Breasts, Dark Meats, and Turkey Wings separately.
- Season Turkey Breasts, Dark Meats with Salt and Pepper generiously
- Flatten then Vacuum bag each Turkey Breast, individually.
- Vacuum Bag the Dark Meats together.
- Refrigerate and store the wings and skin separately.
Optional, Making Crispy Skins
- Pre-heat the oven to 400F
- Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper
- Spread out the Turkey Skin on the parchment paper, trying to make it as even as possible (similar to a pizza dough)
- Season generously with Salt and Pepper
- Place another piece of parchment paper over the Turkey skin and flatten out any bubbles
- Sandwich the Turkey skin by placing a 2nd large baking sheet on top of it, holding it flat
- Place another sheet of parchment paper on top of the 2nd baking sheet
- Place the Turkey Wings on the 2nd baking sheet and generously season with Salt and Pepper
- Bake the Turkey Skin and Wings together for 30-45 minutes until crispy and golden brown
- Turkey skin can be roasted in advance, cooled completely, then stored, loosely covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To re-crisp, place in a hot oven for a few minutes just before serving.
Sous Vide Turkey Temperatures and Times |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final Result | Bath Temp | Core Temp | Cook Time After Reaching Core Temp | Approx. Total Cook Time |
| Very pink, soft, extra moist | 132°F (56°C) | 130°F (55°C) | 2 hours | 4 hours |
| Pale pink, soft, moist | 138°F (59°C) | 136°F (58°C) | 1 hour | 3 hours |
| White, tender, moist (Recommended for most crowds) |
145°F (63°C) | 143°F (62°C) | 16 minutes | 2 1/2 hours |
| White; traditional roast texture | 152°F (67°C) | 150°F (66°C) | 4 minutes | 2 hours |
Sous Vide the Turkey
- Pre-heat the Sous Vide bath. It’s recommended to use 145°F (63°C).
- Turkey meat cooked at 63C will most closely resemble conventional roasts without becoming dry.
- Place the 2 Turkey Breast Bags, and Dark meat bag into the Sous Vide and ensure there is sufficient room for the water to circulate.
- Assuming you are using 63C, cook for 2 1/2h once the bath reaches the target tempurature.
Thanks to Serious Eats for the recipe.