The Ultimate Sous Vide Turkey Guide by Kenji López-Alt

Sous vide cooking has revolutionized the way many home cooks prepare turkey for holidays and special occasions. Among sous vide aficionados, Kenji López-Alt’s method for sous vide turkey is considered the gold standard. Kenji is the Chief Culinary Consultant at Serious Eats and the James Beard Award-winning author of “The Food Lab” cookbook series. His expertise in sous vide technique and scientific approach to cooking have made his turkey guide hugely popular among home cooks.

In this article. we’ll provide a comprehensive overview of Kenji’s famous sous vide turkey guide covering topics like

How sous vide achieves the perfect turkey
Step-by-step instructions for Kenji’s sous vide turkey
Turkey safety and pasteurization
Temperature and timing recommendations
Special considerations for skin and bones
Finishing with crispy roasted skin
Key takeaways and tips

How Sous Vide Achieves Turkey Perfection

Traditional roast turkey often ends up unevenly cooked, with dry, overcooked breast meat and underdone legs and thighs Sous vide solves these problems through precise temperature control

Vacuum-sealed turkey cooks gently in a precise water bath, allowing the meat to cook evenly from edge to edge without drying out. Long, low-temperature sous vide also tenderizes turkey by slowly breaking down connective tissue.

Kenji’s meticulous testing determined the best time and temperatures to achieve optimal textures. His guide ensures turkey that is safer, juicier, and tastier than conventional methods.

Step-By-Step Instructions for Kenji’s Sous Vide Turkey

Here are the basic steps to follow Kenji’s popular sous vide turkey guide:

Prepare the turkey – Remove giblets, rinse, pat dry, and season both inside and out.
Seal in a bag – Put seasoned turkey in a large zip-top bag and vacuum seal.
Cook sous vide – Cook at 130-150°F for 2-4 hours depending on desired doneness.
Chill turkey – Chill sous vide turkey for at least 4 hours before proceeding.
Crisp the skin – Roast skin separately until crispy (more on this later).
Finish and serve – Sear turkey exterior if desired, then serve with crispy roasted skin.

Turkey Safety and Pasteurization

Proper pasteurization is critical for food safety, and Kenji provides detailed guidance on time and temperature required to eliminate pathogens. Turkey is safe when held at 130°F or above for at least 2-4 hours depending on thickness. Refer to Kenji’s guide for precise pasteurization info.

Temperature and Timing Recommendations

Kenji recommends turkey breast at 130-150°F for 2-4 hours. Higher temperatures produce increasingly firm, sliceable texture. Dark meat can go up to 165°F. Refer to Kenji’s guide for full details on achieving your preferred texture and doneness.

To Skin or Not to Skin?

Skin and bones act as insulation, slowing heat penetration. For even cooking, Kenji rolls and ties skinless breasts into cylinders. Leaving bones and skin on may be slightly better for retaining moisture.

Getting Perfectly Crispy Skin

The trick to Kenji’s signature crispy skin is roasting it separately on a baking sheet. Skin roasted this way stays crisp for serving without steaming the meat.

Key Takeaways and Tips

Kenji’s guide unlocks foolproof sous vide turkey with superb juiciness and consistent doneness edge to edge. For best results:

Reference Kenji’s guide for proper pasteurization time and temperature.
Remove skin and bones for most even cooking.
Chill turkey completely before searing or crisping skin.
Roast skin separately on a baking sheet for crispy skin without steaming meat.

With Kenji’s detailed directions, you can confidently cook the juiciest, most flavorful turkey of your life using sous vide. His turkey guide takes the guesswork out of timing, temperature, and properly crisping the skin. For perfect holiday turkey worthy of the Food Lab name, try Kenji’s famous sous vide turkey recipe.

sous vide turkey kenji

Choosing a Time and Temp

Let’s be real for a second: I give you a time and a temperature to cook turkey legs sous vide, and you’re off to the races. Those are the key specs in a sous vide recipe, right?

The truth is, there are likely innumerable combinations of time and temperature that produce an “acceptable” result. Do you want fall-apart tender? Do you want plump and juicy? Do you want some combination of both qualities? I can give you approximate guidelines, as well as my own preferences, but at the end of the day, these parameters are all subjective. Youll ultimately have to settle on a time and a temperature that work for you.

Following Daniel’s testing for duck legs, I ran temperature tests ranging from 140°F to 170°F (60°-77°C), at time intervals from 8 hours to 36 hours. Here are my results, with my preference in bold:

Temperature	Time	Result
140°F (60°C)	24 to 36 hours	Firm, tender, and slightly pink at the bone across all cook times. Definitely a non-traditional turkey texture.
150°F (65.6°C)	24 to 36 hours	Moist, tender, zero pinkness at the bone. Meat still pulls off the bone, but the legs don’t fall apart during handling/searing. Best results at the 24 to 30 hour mark.
160°F (71.1°C)	20 to 36 hours	Very tender, meat falls off the bone. Legs are slightly more delicate.
170°F (76.7°C)	8 to 36 hours	Exceptionally tender, reminiscent of traditional roast turkey. At about 20 hours, the meat became dry and chalky. At 8 hours, the meat was more moist, but still drier than all other samples.

My favorite texture came around the 150°F (65.6°C) mark for around 24 hours. Of course, you could tinker in smaller temperature intervals above or below this value (say 145°F and 155°F), but I suspect that the differences start to become less apparent—especially at the upper limit.

Sous Vide Turkey Legs Recipe

4 to 4 1/2 pounds (1.8 to 2 kg) turkey legs, number will vary by size
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 sprigs fresh thyme

Set up an immersion circulator and preheat the water bath to 150°F (66°C).
Season turkey legs all over with salt and pepper. Set thyme sprigs on bottom sides of legs. Place turkey legs into two separate vacuum bags and seal according to vacuum-sealer manufacturers instructions. Alternatively, seal turkey legs in two 1-gallon zipper-lock bags using the water displacement method. Tim Chin
Fully submerge turkey legs in water bath and cook for 24 to 30 hours. Make sure to cover top of container with plastic wrap or custom lid to prevent evaporation and to keep temperature consistent. If bags float, weigh them down by placing a wet kitchen towel on top or by using binder clip. Tim Chin
Remove turkey from water bath and transfer to refrigerator to chill. The turkey legs can be kept refrigerated within the sealed bag for up to 1 week. If using right away, remove turkey from bags and pat surface dry with paper towels; discard thyme. Tim Chin
To serve: If using immediately, heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working with one turkey leg at a time, sear on all sides until skin is crispy and golden brown, about 6 minutes (gently turn or prop up turkey leg with a spoon or tongs to get even browning all over). If serving after refrigeration: Remove turkey from bag, wipe away any congealed fat or solids, and pat dry with paper towels; discard thyme. Cook turkey legs skin side up in a 450°F (230°C) oven or broil until the meat is heated through and the skin is browned and crispy, about 7 minutes. Tim Chin

How to Make Porchetta-Style Turkey Breast With Your Sous Vide Cooker

FAQ

How long does it take to sous vide a turkey?

So What Time and Temperature Should I Use?

Sous Vide Turkey Temperatures and Times
Very pink, soft, extra moist	132°F (56°C)	4 hours
Pale pink, soft, moist	138°F (59°C)	3 hours
White, tender, moist	145°F (63°C)	2 1/2 hours
White; traditional roast texture	152°F (67°C)	2 hours

Is turkey done at 165 or 180?

Hold the thermometer still until the numbers stop increasing. If it is not ready, return it to the oven. According to the Department of Agriculture, a turkey must reach 165 degrees F to be safe, but you can take it out of the oven as low as 160 degrees F because the temperature will rise at it rests.

Can you cook turkey to 145?

The range of doneness for all proteins–from eggs to fish to meat and Thanksgiving turkey–begins at 125 degrees, where rare starts; at 145 degrees the medium range begins, and at 165 degrees well-done starts; 185 degrees is the very top of the range.

How long does Gordon Ramsay cook his turkey?

For Gordon’s classic roast turkey recipe with lemon, parsley and garlic, he roasts the unstuffed 5kg (11lb) turkey at 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7 for 10-15 minutes, then the oven is reduced to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4 and the turkey is cooked for 2.5 hours.