The magic behind sous vide cooking is undeniable and can be holiday-altering. I’m two years removed from my first sous vide turkey experience, and I’m hooked.
Understandably, “sous vide” (under vacuum) can be intimidating to home cooks, but it’s one of the simplest hands-off cooking techniques around. Ingredients are cooked in an airtight, sealed plastic bag within a warm water bath. An immersion circulator maintains the temperature of the water until the food is cooked through. From a few hours to 24, sous vide is a low and slow cooking method that results in perfectly cooked food every time.
Why perfect every time? The immersion circulator controls the water temperature, which is typically the “done” temperature of the food being cooked. The ingredients are slowly brought to the water temperature, achieving the “perfect” outcome, which means tender and succulent.
The sous vide method of cooking is a must try for large bird cooking because the outcome is consistent and reliable. Plan to cook ahead, because turkey will require about 13 to 15 hours total: half an hour of prep time, two hours of dry brining in the fridge, 10 to 12 hours of sous vide on the countertop, and anywhere from five to 15 minutes of a browning process, whether that’s in the oven, on the grill, in a fryer or on the cooktop.
Not having to stomach another dried-out turkey is reason alone to attempt a sous vide bird this Thanksgiving. But there are even more benefits:
Reliable outcome. The regulated cooking temperature of the water bath ensures even cooking, which slowly allows the turkey to come to a fully cooked temperature.
Predictable finish time. With sous vide cooking, you are in control of the dinner time, not the turkey. There is no temperature check at the end with wishful thinking that the bird will be thoroughly cooked and not dried out. With 10 hours for breasts and 12 hours for legs and thighs and a quick brown to finish, tell your guests to arrive accordingly.
Low-key prep, hands-free cooking. The prep for this turkey recipe is minimal. A dry brine is added to the turkey pieces two hours before the sous vide begins, and 10 to 12 hours later, with no basting or oven monitoring, the bird is done.
Frees up kitchen space. With sous vide, the oven is no longer necessary to cook the turkey, allowing for more cooking and warming opportunities in the kitchen come celebration day.
Engages more people. Sous vide is intriguing, which might lead to another pair of helping hands in the kitchen and interesting cooking discussions at the table.
Learn a new method of cooking. Learning how to sous vide creates new cooking opportunities for the present and future. It will also teach you new ways to approach food. Even if the immersion circulator is used once a year, I find that purchasing this small piece of equipment is worthwhile.
No one will miss the plated whole bird at the table when they eat what will likely be the best turkey of their lives.
Sous Vide Turkey
Author note: The immersion circulator controls the water temperature, which is typically the “done” temperature of the food being cooked. During the cooking process, the ingredients are slowly heated to the water temperature, achieving doneness. However, temperature is not the only element that controls food safety. Food safety is a function of both temperature and time. While a “done” turkey registers at 165 F, the 145 F temperature of the water bath along with the 10-hour cook time in this recipe achieves a safe-to-eat turkey.
Also, this turkey is not salty. If a saltier turkey is desired, slightly increase the amount of salt used.
2 sealable gallon plastic bags
4 teaspoons peppercorns, divided use
10 cloves of garlic (crushed and peels removed), divided use
4 rosemary sprigs, divided use
4 sage sprigs, divided use
4 bay leaves (torn in half), divided use
3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided use
2 teaspoons sugar, divided use
2 turkey legs
2 bone-in thighs
2 bone-in half breasts
About 13 to 15 hours before serving time, evenly divide the peppercorns, garlic and herbs into the two plastic bags. These two bags are for the different cuts of turkey. One bag is for the breasts (white meat) and the second bag is for the legs and thighs (dark meat). Set both bags aside.
Place 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar into a small bowl. Stir to combine. Repeat this step, creating two separate salt mixture bowls. Using the salt mixture from one of the bowls, thoroughly coat the breasts (including under the skin). Place the breasts into one of the gallon plastic bags. Repeat this step with the second bowl of salt mixture and the legs and thighs. It is important to separate the white and dark meat, as they require different cook times.
Twenty minutes before cook time, prepare your immersion circulator and water container (large pot) at 145 F for sous vide cooking. When adding water to the container, be sure to leave some room as the water level will rise once the turkey is added.
Once the water is heated (about 20 minutes), slowly lower the bag of dark meat into the water, allowing the water to press the air out of the bag. With the bag mostly submerged and the air evacuated, seal the bag. The bag should appear as if it has been vacuum sealed, with the plastic pressing tightly against the exterior of the turkey.
Cook the dark meat (legs and thighs) sous vide for 12 hours. Make sure the turkey is completely submerged in the water. Two hours after placing the dark meat in the pot, place the second bag containing the white meat (breasts) into the bath and cook for 10 hours. Be sure to follow the instructions above for sealing the bag.
When cooking sous vide, water levels will decrease if the pot is not covered. When necessary, add water so to keep the bags submerged.
Thirty minutes before serving, prepare your oven, stove or grill to brown and crisp the turkey skin. Remove the turkey from the bag and cover. Set aside the turkey drippings if making gravy (see recipe below).
There are a few options at this point to crisp and brown the skin. Below are two options, but keep in mind you can also brown in butter on the cooktop or deep fry in oil. Whichever approach is used, make sure it is quick, as to not overcook and dry out the turkey.
For the grill: Sear over medium-high heat about 2 minutes per side.
For the broiler: Brown at 500 F. Cook times vary on the cuts of meat: 3 to 4 minutes for the tops of the breasts and thighs and 2 minutes per side for the legs.
Slice the turkey and serve warm with Turkey Sage Gravy (see recipe below).
Serves 10-12
Turkey Sage Gravy
Author note: The amount of turkey drippings will vary. If you cannot extract 1 3/4 cups of liquid from the two bags of turkey, adjust the total cooking liquid amount (3 1/4 cups) with chicken stock.
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 3/4 cups turkey drippings
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 to 2 sprigs of sage leaves
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and add the flour. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Once the mixture is golden, deglaze the pan with the turkey drippings and chicken stock, stirring constantly to incorporate the liquid. Once combined, slowly stir in the chicken stock. Add the sage and salt.
Bring to a quick boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the gravy is at a desirable thickness. Stir frequently to prevent the gravy from sticking to the bottom of the skillet.
Add the vinegar during the last few minutes of simmering. Salt to taste and serve warm.