Page 228 - Turkey Book from Meathead
P. 228
2) Set up the sous vide machine. The experts at Joule recommend we cook the breasts at 130°F and legs at 150°F, but our tests found very little di erence if you compromise and cook them both at the same temp, 140 to 145°F. So set your sous vide machine for one of them.
3) Cook. Slowly slip the bags into the water so the water pushes out the air and then seal them. Push them under water. Here’s a 40 second video on the process. If the bags float, open them and insert a weight like a spoon. Leave the bags in the water for at least 12 hours. Watch the water level since some will evaporate. You can drape the top of the container with a plastic bag weighted down with a clean kitchen towel to cut down on evaporation.
4) Make gravy. After 12 hours or more, remove the meat and pour the juices from the bag into a sauce pan. Bring to a low simmer and skim o any scum. Season the “jus” with salt and herbs. We like thyme and sage. Strain. This is the basis of your gravy. You can thicken the “jus” with a roux made from equal parts butter and flour stirred and heated in a pan ‘til it turns pale yellow, but we prefer to serve the gravy thin so it can penetrate a bit.
5) Crisp the skin. Pat the meat dry. Fire up a grill, get the direct heat side up to Warp 10, as hot as possible and throw wood chips or pellets on the fire to generate as much smoke as possible. We like to use a product called GrillGratesTM because it has valleys in the bottom that can hold wood chips or pellets, and thus smoke, in very close proximity to the meat. Paint the meat with the Huli-Huli sauce. Turn the meat every 2 to 3 minutes so the grates don't burn the skin.