Serves a Crowd
Torrisi's Turkey
Popular on Food52
78 Reviews
Allison A.
November 30, 2022
I used a turkey breast from Wild Fork and it was incredible! Great recipe thank you! I made for leftovers week. :)
Sandra
December 15, 2018
Delicious, although a bit unnerving. Wrapping something in plastic wrap and putting it in the oven sounds wrong, doesn't it? But I was game. And I hadn't read the glaze section in advance (when, oh when, will I learn???), so there I was, with only a few minutes until the internal temperature got to 135, trying to make a glaze, microwaving the garlic instead of baking it. I also only did one breast, so I was only making half the glaze, but it didn't work well; there's not enough for the food processor to work with, so it was only sort of blended; it was pretty much a loss. So after the ice bath, the breast was out a lot longer than I think was intended (20-30 minutes). I "glazed" it (putting glops of under-food-processed garlic and honey here and there), put it in the 425 oven for 20 minutes, and the thermometer said it was at 165, so I pulled it out. It was still a bit pink, but delicious, moist, and without that rubbery uncooked texture. Delicious! I'll do it better with the glaze next time, but even with lousy glaze it turned out really well.
Victoria G.
November 28, 2016
I love this recipe! My college boy is making this for us each year now and I think it needs to be in the mix more often! So, I'll make it this coming weekend to go with the leftover gravy I have in the freezer! Thanks for all the fun modifications too.
Victoria G.
November 27, 2017
This year I followed the recipe perfectly, but, wrapped the breast in unbleached parchment before the plastic wrap. It is the best we've had. Can't wait to have it at Christmas!
AntoniaJames
November 23, 2016
Have any of you actually broken this down, doing the wrapped immersion at low heat on one day and then finishing much later, as in on the next day?
I'm seeking guidance on completing the process. Here is my question on the Hotline. https://food52.com/hotline/34042-i-roasted-torrisi-s-turkey-breast-just-to-135-degrees-chilled-it-how-long-what-oven-temp-is-best-f
I'd really appreciate any insights from those of you who have made this recipe or are knowledgable about the process.
Thanks so much, everyone! And Happy Thanksgiving to you all. ;o)
I'm seeking guidance on completing the process. Here is my question on the Hotline. https://food52.com/hotline/34042-i-roasted-torrisi-s-turkey-breast-just-to-135-degrees-chilled-it-how-long-what-oven-temp-is-best-f
I'd really appreciate any insights from those of you who have made this recipe or are knowledgable about the process.
Thanks so much, everyone! And Happy Thanksgiving to you all. ;o)
Kitspy
November 21, 2016
I made this last night for an early Thanksgiving with my partner in crime since we spend the actual holiday with our families. I'm not sure if I followed the recipe correctly, in terms of temperature and timing, but I did my best - and it turned out excellently. There are only 2 of us and leftovers will only be consumed up to Thanksgiving day, so I had one very small turkey breast, around 1.5 lbs.
I was uneasy about my particular brand of plastic wrap, so what I did instead was cut a roasting bag into a flat sheet and roll up my turkey in it before tightly wrapping it in foil. I discovered at the last moment that I had a broken thermometer, so I threw it in there and hoped for the best, leaving it in at 250 for about an hour. By the time I had submerged it, unwrapped, and glazed it I had a back-up thermometer. Pulled it out of the oven at 160 degrees and let it rest while I finished everything else.
I have made us our own mini Thanksgiving dinner for the last 4 or 5 years, and this was hands-down the best one. Despite my initial skepticism and bumps in the road along the way, the turkey turned out perfectly. I made the glaze the night before and it was delicious (a little thick because I don't own a food processor and mashed the garlic by hand). Highly recommend this recipe - don't be afraid!
I was uneasy about my particular brand of plastic wrap, so what I did instead was cut a roasting bag into a flat sheet and roll up my turkey in it before tightly wrapping it in foil. I discovered at the last moment that I had a broken thermometer, so I threw it in there and hoped for the best, leaving it in at 250 for about an hour. By the time I had submerged it, unwrapped, and glazed it I had a back-up thermometer. Pulled it out of the oven at 160 degrees and let it rest while I finished everything else.
I have made us our own mini Thanksgiving dinner for the last 4 or 5 years, and this was hands-down the best one. Despite my initial skepticism and bumps in the road along the way, the turkey turned out perfectly. I made the glaze the night before and it was delicious (a little thick because I don't own a food processor and mashed the garlic by hand). Highly recommend this recipe - don't be afraid!
Julio C.
October 18, 2016
Amazing recipe, totally a repeater. The meat was so juicy... I add 2 un punch smashed garlics, 2 bay laurel leaves to the brine... and cooked according to the directions. DELICIOUS.
Nicole O.
November 24, 2015
Just started my brine for this. 2nd year making it! I love this recipe because I always feel there's so much waste with a regular turkey in my house. (Husband is allergic to turkey :-( )
CarolineSL
October 27, 2015
this didn't work for me either - I think the recipe should be revised to state that the internal temp should reach 150 - 165 during the 2nd roasting. I failed to read the intro text thoroughly (my mistake), and now have wasted a turkey breast and an afternoon of roasting it.
Deborah
January 24, 2015
Major failure with this. I followed the recipe but using only a half of a turkey breast, about 2-1/2 lbs. The oven was at 375 F, (verified by the oven thermometer that I keep in the oven). After 3 hours the probe thermometer reached 135 F. I plunged the wrapped bird in ice water for 5 minutes, unwrapped it & removed skin, glazed
it, back in the oven for 20 minutes. The breast was just beyond raw in the center and not edible. Waste of time and effort (and plastic wrap and aluminum foil)! The USDA recommends 165 F as a safe temp for poultry breasts, a temperature that can't be achieved in this recipe by the additional 15-20 minutes in the hotter (425) oven. Comments, please!
it, back in the oven for 20 minutes. The breast was just beyond raw in the center and not edible. Waste of time and effort (and plastic wrap and aluminum foil)! The USDA recommends 165 F as a safe temp for poultry breasts, a temperature that can't be achieved in this recipe by the additional 15-20 minutes in the hotter (425) oven. Comments, please!
Karen L.
January 14, 2015
A classic example of pro kitchen staff including a lot of effort that makes sense for a high volume kitchen, but is a lot of unnecessary effort at home.
Simplified home cooking directions:
Brine and dry.
Place turkey breast in a lidded roasting pan, large casserole or dutch oven. Or, cover pan tightly with a double layer of foil.
Slow roast as directed.
Take lid off, slather on glaze, finish roasting as directed.
The individual wrapping makes sense if you are cooking half a dozen of these at once. If you are cooking one, it doesnt. It also sounds like they are trying really, really hard to mimic sous-vide. If you want to play around with one of the home sous vide gadgets they now sell, go for it. But for one turkey breast, a covered pan will do.
The cold water bath makes sense to slow down the cooking by residual heat of multiple breasts while you deal with glazing. It also makes sense if you want to hold the multiples of par-cooked breasts cold and finish off two or three at a time, as needed, based on orders. Neither make sense for a home cook roasting one breast for serving as soon as it is done. Just open it up, glaze it, and carry on.
Simplified home cooking directions:
Brine and dry.
Place turkey breast in a lidded roasting pan, large casserole or dutch oven. Or, cover pan tightly with a double layer of foil.
Slow roast as directed.
Take lid off, slather on glaze, finish roasting as directed.
The individual wrapping makes sense if you are cooking half a dozen of these at once. If you are cooking one, it doesnt. It also sounds like they are trying really, really hard to mimic sous-vide. If you want to play around with one of the home sous vide gadgets they now sell, go for it. But for one turkey breast, a covered pan will do.
The cold water bath makes sense to slow down the cooking by residual heat of multiple breasts while you deal with glazing. It also makes sense if you want to hold the multiples of par-cooked breasts cold and finish off two or three at a time, as needed, based on orders. Neither make sense for a home cook roasting one breast for serving as soon as it is done. Just open it up, glaze it, and carry on.
caninechef
November 2, 2016
This is one of the best comments I have read on food52. I will be trying this using Karen's suggestions. They make a lot of sense to me.
AntoniaJames
November 5, 2016
caninechef, I couldn't agree more. I woke up this morning thinking that I'll do the same, but will run a test - one (half breast) in a lidded pan, the other wrapped as instructed. Stay tuned . . . . ;o)
Alexandra
November 9, 2016
Please keep us updated on your test, AntoniaJames. I've had this recipe on my to-try list for two years and have never worked up the gumption to do it! I agree that Karen's suggestions are fantastic, and I always seem to stumble upon YOUR comments and ideas on other recipes. I like to think that we're kindred cooking spirits, making many of the same dishes :)
Kristy M.
November 24, 2019
Thinking about making this! Did you find that the simplified method worked?
jherr
November 23, 2023
Agree. Definitely yields great results, but you could cut the glaze in half as it yields way more than needed, thus spending less time squeezing garlic from their messy skins.
Renée (.
December 8, 2014
Worked out here, brilliantly! I did have to do things a little differently, though. It's difficult to find kosher boneless turkey breast. Here, anyway. Kosher poultry is soaked and salted before it can be sold as kosher, and therefore does not require brining. I took a half turkey breast, on the bone, and wrapped it in plastic wrap and foil, and roasted it exactly as described in the recipe. I did not shock it in ice water, nor did I remove the skin after unwrapping it. I also didn't make the glaze, because we were having gravy and I thought the flavors might clash. So I just sprinkled it with a bit of sea salt, pepper, and Hungarian paprika. It took about 30 minutes to come up to temperature (I assume because of the bone). It was gorgeous, juicy, and delicious. I was skeptical and scared, but I'm now a convert!
Rinkey
November 26, 2014
Eeyore's idea of chopping off the top of the heads of garlic rather than smashing them is a brilliant one! Saved me lots of time removing the garlic...
Victoria G.
November 29, 2019
I made this today and thought the same thing. Next time. Mine turned out salty too and i used kosher salt. Bummerama. But we kept it in the mix. Can’t imagine why it’s different this time.
foodynewty
November 25, 2014
Would the cooking time be longer for a bone-in breast?
Kristen M.
November 25, 2014
I haven't tested this with a bone-in breast, and there's a chance it might not cook evenly. You can ask your butcher to bone it out for you -- or do it yourself, preferably with a sharp boning knife. (I happen to find DIY butchery therapeutic.)
Rinkey
November 25, 2014
I have the same question as bakeaholic- have a 7 lb. turkey breast. Longer baking time?
Kristen M.
November 25, 2014
Yes, definitely -- it's hard to say how much longer, since the temperature creeps up slowly on this one (a good thing!) so I would start early.
Rinkey
November 25, 2014
Thanks Kristen- I'm going to shoot for 4 hours at 250F degrees with the boneless 7 lbs. breast. If the internal temp doesn't get high enough before my noon deadline of taking it out of the oven I can always up the oven temp to 350.
I'll let you know how it works out with the timing! I think this is going to be an outstanding turkey!
I'll let you know how it works out with the timing! I think this is going to be an outstanding turkey!
Molly
November 25, 2014
Any potential problems with using a 6 lb. turkey breast instead of 3-4? I wasn't able to find the right size at my overrun grocery store.
Kass B.
November 25, 2014
I got my 5-7 lb turkey breast with rib meat today at Walmart. I thought I saw Kristen answer a similar question below. I think the time would be longer, just need to keep an eye on the thermometer for the suggested cooking temperatures. You could probably cut it in half, which would shorten the cooking time. I've seen whole turkey's cooked this way probably to reduce the cooking time.
I just bought Saran wrap too since my Glad plastic wrap said not to touch the food. It did not list what it was made out of, but it did say Microwave safe. I saw oven bags too, but they were more $$ and I wanted to follow the wrapping method specified in the recipe.
I just bought Saran wrap too since my Glad plastic wrap said not to touch the food. It did not list what it was made out of, but it did say Microwave safe. I saw oven bags too, but they were more $$ and I wanted to follow the wrapping method specified in the recipe.
Kristen M.
November 25, 2014
Yes, definitely just allow more time -- check out my note to Rinkey above. Thanks for weighing in, Kass!
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