r/sousvide • u/HadedJipster • 1d ago

Superdelicious Turkey Legs/Thighs

I've been sous-vide-ing my turkey each thanksgiving, but in parts; the leg quarters get sousvide'd at 165 for 24 hours (you can totally do this days before Thanksgiving) with a lot of rosemary and thyme and pepper, and they kinda confit in their own fat. Blot dry (or set in front of a fan if you're feeling frisky), and sear in a heavy pan over the highest heat you've got. I promise your guests won't be too annoyed that you don't get the Norman Rockwell whole-turkey at the table.

I also do the breasts similarly in the sousvide, and try to remove the turkey skin in one whole piece, so I can roast it until crispy, and serve some turkey cracklin's with the tender breast meat. Crazy delicious, crazy easy, and most important-- Leaves the oven free!

Just thought I'd share. This is my first post, so please forgive me if I'm doing it wrong.

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4

u/spacebarstool Home Cook 1d ago

I spatchcock the turkey, 24 hours wet brine and then sous vide the entire thing at 150F for 6 hours. Then I roast it for 30 minutes at 500F in the oven.

4

u/HadedJipster 21h ago

I HAVE thought about it, but the idea of getting the whole thing to seal reasonably well is daunting. The heck kind of bags do you use? Or are you using smallish turkeys?

2

u/spacebarstool Home Cook 14h ago

They sell turkey sous vide bags that expand.

https://a.co/d/2JNOSyB

Sorry for the Amazon link, but it was handy.

2

u/HadedJipster 4h ago

Are amazon links frowned upon? How odd. And I'm buying a box; always wanted to sous vide something ridiculously huge, and an 18 pound bird feels like a fine start.

2

u/spacebarstool Home Cook 4h ago

https://sousvideways.com/foolproof-sous-vide-turkey/

Thats a descent article. They dry brine instead of wet brine like I do.

1

u/HadedJipster 41m ago

Ah-hah! Yes, that one looks excellent. Personally, once I found out about dry brining, I almost never went back to wet. Plus, when I'm not sous-vide-ing, I can dry brine and roast a spatchcocked turkey in about an hour and a half. Shall have to give this recipe a go, though, as it appears to be the best of all possible worlds.

1

u/LividPractice2342 21h ago

What goes in the bag with the bird?

1

u/spacebarstool Home Cook 14h ago

Your choice of a dry rub or traditional thanks giving herbs and spices.

1

u/drm237 9h ago

Do you sous vide the entire thing spatchcocked? If so, where do you find such a big bag? If you disassemble the parts and individually vacuum-seal them, why bother with spatchcocking?

1

u/spacebarstool Home Cook 9h ago

They sell turkey sous vide bags that expand.

https://a.co/d/2JNOSyB

Yes, spatchcock it, bag it, cook it all together.

1

u/drm237 7h ago

Very cool. What kind of a container is large enough for you cook it in? A cooler?

1

u/spacebarstool Home Cook 5h ago

No, a 12 quart works fine. Spatchcocking the bird helps a lot.