Whole Turkey
Notes
tl;dr: I think setting the dial to 140-145°F is the sweet spot, and cooking for 3 to 12 hours[1] should be sufficient, but of course, play it safe.
You can use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the brine bag if you're nervous.
This year, I think I'm going to start the sous vide the night before, but I'm also not opposed to doing it the morning of. If it has skin, I'll follow the Serious Eats recommendation and season/roast the skin to make little chips that can be dipped in gravy or crushed and sprinkled over other parts of the meal.
Some data
Following Serious Eats[2] sous vide recipe, here's a table showing temperature, time, and result.
Here's their data for turkey Pasteurization times for salmonella:[3]
| Pasteurization Temperature | Time for 7-log 10 Lethality in Salmonella* | Listeria (salmonella times 3) |
|---|---|---|
| 136°F (57.8°C) | 64 minutes | 3h15m |
| 140°F (60°C) | 28.1 minutes | 60m |
| 145°F (62.8°C) | 10.5 minutes | 33m |
| 150°F (65.6°C) | 3.8 minutes | 12m |
| 155°F (68.3°C) | 1.2 minutes | 6m |
| 160°F (71.1°C) | 25.6 seconds | 1m15s |
| 165°F (73.9°C) | Under 10 seconds | 30s |
And their personal preference guide:[4]
| 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 | 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 |
Resources
- A Practical Guide to Sous Vide Cooking
- Great source of information for pasteurization temperatures
- Sous Vide Turkey Breast With Crispy Skin Recipe
- Serious Eats walk-through for sous vide-ing a turkey breast with no bone, and roasting the skin to get it nice and crispy
Trash-tier recipes (i.e., the 150 degrees wall of shame)
- Sous Vide Whole Turkey
- This recipe from Anova has you cooking at 150 degrees for 24 hours
- I think this is insane; the cook time may be fine, but 150 degrees is crap. It's sous vide, you can go lower and reach pasteurization!
- Sous Vide Whole Turkey Recipe
- AllRecipes recipe for sous vide-ing a whole turkey.
- IMO, it's insane that they suggest cooking at 150 degrees for 18-24 hours
- I guess if you want your turkey dry and tough, go for it. I remember we did this, and it was ok, but much drier than I expected.
- The Foolproof Sous Vide Thanksgiving Turkey - Sous Vide Ways
- These guys say 150 degrees for 6 hours, which is much more reasonable, but IMO, 150 degrees is too much.
depending on if you're using boneless meat in a vacuum or a brine-soak and if you're concerned about Listeria ↩︎