Sous Vide Turkey

The standard temperature that turkey is typically cooked to is 165 degrees. However, breast meat cooked to this temperature is dry.   For my first try, I cooked a boneless turkey breast at 145 degrees for 2 1/2 hours.   This is the result. This was definitely moister and more tender than the typical roast turkey breast.   Brined Sous Vide Turkey Breast with Sage Spice Rub - a combination of brining, sous vide and a spice rub ensure a moist, tender and flavorful turkey breast   For my second try, I decided to first brine the turkey breast to provide more flavor throughout the meat as well add juiciness, then sous vide it.   In addition, I stuffed this turkey breast with a sage spice rub for aromatics.   This time, I cooked the turkey sous vide at 133 degrees for 4 hours.   To finish the turkey breast, I pan seared the turkey, skin side down, to try to replicate a roasted turkey look.   You might think it’s unsafe to eat turkey that has been cooked to only 145 or 133 degrees, but it’s actually just as safe to eat as turkey cooked to 165 degrees, as long as the turkey is cooked long enough at those temperatures to pasteurize it. Serious Eats explains it all here.

Sous Vide Turkey Temperature and Times
Final Result Bath TempCore 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