Uploaded October 2022 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago
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A while back there was a regrettable food trend involving people giving themselves really bad grease burns while trying to deep-fry whole turkeys in their garages. Our fried turkey isn’t fried whole, so perhaps it has less visual impact. That said, I guarantee that anyone who tastes it will immediately cease to care
how it looks.
In this recipe we use turkey thigh. The drumsticks or wings could also be processed this way, as can chicken parts which have been the subject of a previous video. By adding a bit of liquid smoke to the cure used to prepare the turkey, a smoked flavor may be achieved which we found quite pleasant. After curing, the meat is rinsed clean and patted dry before repackaging for sous vide. For fried turkey, cook the parts for 4-6 hr at 148F. Heavier and especially thicker pieces need more time, while a single small piece should probably cook for just 4 hours or so. Using sous vide, “overcooking” takes on a new meaning – the meat won’t be ruined but its texture impression may change. If cooked for a little longer than the optimal time, the turkey will turn out to have a ham-like texture, which if it also is smoky may be perfect, so experiment and see what appeals most to you.
Once done cooking sous vide, let the meat rest and come to about room temperature or at least cool enough to handle comfortably, then dredge it in flour and deep fry it for 6-8 minutes, just to warm it through and get a lovely golden brown crust on it.
One turkey thigh should feed up to four people with reasonable side dishes.
Equipment:
• mixing bowl
• shallow dish for dredging, such as a pie tin
• sous vide setup
• deep frying setup
• wire rack w/ tray to rest fried items
• airtight bags, either heat-sealing or press-to-seal for curing, and also for cooking sous vide
Ingredients:
some turkey pieces
3 Tbsp kosher salt or homemade celery salt; +2 Tbsp for each extra piece in the bag
3 Tbsp sugar +2 Tbsp for each extra piece in the bag
1 ea bay leaf, rosemary sprig per bag
2-4 ea thyme sprigs per bag
4-10 drops liquid smoke optional
5 Tbsp AP flour
3 Tbsp cornstarch or potato, tapioca starch, inter alios
1-2 Tbsp mustard powder
Procedure:
1. In a small mixing bowl, combine salt, sugar and optional liquid smoke.
2. Place turkey pieces into one or more bags and add aromatics and curing salt. The meat should be completely covered in the salt mixture, but need not be caked with it or packed in it. More than one piece may be placed in each bag, or all pieces may be cured together in a larger rigid container. Keep the curing turkey refrigerated while it is curing.
3. Overhaul turkey pieces while they are curing by turning them over about once every 12 hours. This is more important when curing in a rigid container rather than a sealed bag; to do it, just rearrange all the pieces and try to turn them over.
4. Let the turkey cure for at least 24 hours if possible, or for up to a week.
5. When the turkey is done curing, rinse it and either rack it to drain or pat it dry.
6. Once the turkey is no longer dripping wet, place it into one or more bags for sous vide cooking.
7. Cook the turkey pieces sous vide at 148F for 4-6 hours, based on their weight and thickness.
8. Allow the turkey to rest in its bag until it reaches a comfortable temperature before attempting to handle it.
9. In a shallow dish, combine the flour, starch and mustard powder.
10. Remove the turkey pieces from their cooking bags and discard the liquid.
11. Dredge the wet turkey pieces in the flour mixture, and then deep fry without overloading the fryer, about 6-8 minutes to get the crust nice, golden brown and crispy. If need be, carefully use tongs to turn the pieces so that all sides can brown.
12. Let the fried turkey rest on a wire rack briefly before serving to ensure that the meat has relaxed and will stay moist after cutting.
13. One turkey thigh should feed up to four people with reasonable side dishes.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
Check our our Patreon!
patreon.com/loveyourfood
Need a kitchen thermometer? Check out ChefsTemp! Use code LoveYourFood for 15% off a meat thermometer!
shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2084649&u=3322095&m=111859&urllink=&afftrack=
A while back there was a regrettable food trend involving people giving themselves really bad grease burns while trying to deep-fry whole turkeys in their garages. Our fried turkey isn’t fried whole, so perhaps it has less visual impact. That said, I guarantee that anyone who tastes it will immediately cease to care
how it looks.
In this recipe we use turkey thigh. The drumsticks or wings could also be processed this way, as can chicken parts which have been the subject of a previous video. By adding a bit of liquid smoke to the cure used to prepare the turkey, a smoked flavor may be achieved which we found quite pleasant. After curing, the meat is rinsed clean and patted dry before repackaging for sous vide. For fried turkey, cook the parts for 4-6 hr at 148F. Heavier and especially thicker pieces need more time, while a single small piece should probably cook for just 4 hours or so. Using sous vide, “overcooking” takes on a new meaning – the meat won’t be ruined but its texture impression may change. If cooked for a little longer than the optimal time, the turkey will turn out to have a ham-like texture, which if it also is smoky may be perfect, so experiment and see what appeals most to you.
Once done cooking sous vide, let the meat rest and come to about room temperature or at least cool enough to handle comfortably, then dredge it in flour and deep fry it for 6-8 minutes, just to warm it through and get a lovely golden brown crust on it.
One turkey thigh should feed up to four people with reasonable side dishes.
Equipment:
• mixing bowl
• shallow dish for dredging, such as a pie tin
• sous vide setup
• deep frying setup
• wire rack w/ tray to rest fried items
• airtight bags, either heat-sealing or press-to-seal for curing, and also for cooking sous vide
Ingredients:
some turkey pieces
3 Tbsp kosher salt or homemade celery salt; +2 Tbsp for each extra piece in the bag
3 Tbsp sugar +2 Tbsp for each extra piece in the bag
1 ea bay leaf, rosemary sprig per bag
2-4 ea thyme sprigs per bag
4-10 drops liquid smoke optional
5 Tbsp AP flour
3 Tbsp cornstarch or potato, tapioca starch, inter alios
1-2 Tbsp mustard powder
Procedure:
1. In a small mixing bowl, combine salt, sugar and optional liquid smoke.
2. Place turkey pieces into one or more bags and add aromatics and curing salt. The meat should be completely covered in the salt mixture, but need not be caked with it or packed in it. More than one piece may be placed in each bag, or all pieces may be cured together in a larger rigid container. Keep the curing turkey refrigerated while it is curing.
3. Overhaul turkey pieces while they are curing by turning them over about once every 12 hours. This is more important when curing in a rigid container rather than a sealed bag; to do it, just rearrange all the pieces and try to turn them over.
4. Let the turkey cure for at least 24 hours if possible, or for up to a week.
5. When the turkey is done curing, rinse it and either rack it to drain or pat it dry.
6. Once the turkey is no longer dripping wet, place it into one or more bags for sous vide cooking.
7. Cook the turkey pieces sous vide at 148F for 4-6 hours, based on their weight and thickness.
8. Allow the turkey to rest in its bag until it reaches a comfortable temperature before attempting to handle it.
9. In a shallow dish, combine the flour, starch and mustard powder.
10. Remove the turkey pieces from their cooking bags and discard the liquid.
11. Dredge the wet turkey pieces in the flour mixture, and then deep fry without overloading the fryer, about 6-8 minutes to get the crust nice, golden brown and crispy. If need be, carefully use tongs to turn the pieces so that all sides can brown.
12. Let the fried turkey rest on a wire rack briefly before serving to ensure that the meat has relaxed and will stay moist after cutting.
13. One turkey thigh should feed up to four people with reasonable side dishes.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
