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!
meghan
November 24, 2014
I've gone to 3 grocery stores and none of them carry boneless turkey breasts. Is that not a common thing?
Kristen M.
November 25, 2014
We've always gotten ours at Whole Foods, and a lot of butchers and butcher counters will bone the breast for you. Hope that helps!
meghan
November 25, 2014
Thanks Kristen! I used instacart, which ships to BK from Whole Foods & Fairway and had free delivery for first time users. Just a tip for NYers! :)
Kass B.
November 24, 2014
The glaze calls for 8 heads of garlic. However one of the pictures shows 4 heads of garlic. Is it 4 heads for each turkey breast and 1 tsp olive oil for each head?
Kristen M.
November 26, 2014
Sorry I missed this, Kass -- I halved the recipe in the photos, which worked out well.
Kass B.
November 26, 2014
That's what I thought you may have done. Since the recipe says two 2-3 lb turkey breasts, I assumed you would wrap them separately and place the two side by side in the roasting pan. Then you'd stick a thermometer in each, right?
Kristen M.
November 26, 2014
Just be sure to leave space between them in the pan for the hot air to circulate and cook them evenly.
Jeana B.
November 24, 2014
24 hours is the longest I would brine anything. After that the protein can actually become tough . You would be better off to roast and warm again on Thursday. That's just my opinion and others may have another idea. Happy cooking !!!
Caesar
November 24, 2014
Any know if you can leave this turkey breast in the brine longer than 24 hours? I started brining last night and probably don't want to cook it tonight for Thursday. Any suggestions?
Eeyore
November 22, 2014
This was delicious! I found it time-consuming to squeeze out all that garlic, so next time I will try chopping off the top of each head rather than just lightly smashing them. Next time will be soon because this glaze is amazing...
Liz
November 21, 2014
Kristen- 2 questions. 1) Can I double this recipe? I'm concerned it won't be enough turkey for my guests. 2) The turkey breasts that I just ordered are boneless, but are skinless as well. Will this affect the recipe?
Kristen M.
November 21, 2014
Yes, you can double it! How many guests are you having? I wouldn't worry about the skin -- the meat will be plenty juicy without it with this method.
Molly
November 21, 2014
Made a Thanksgiving trial run of this last night - it's so tender! Great recipe.
amyyank
November 20, 2014
I would love to make this recipe w just 2 turkey breasts at a pound each. Suggestions?! Thanks :)
Kristen M.
November 20, 2014
You can follow most steps, including the brine, just the same, but the breasts will cook for a much shorter time at 250, so check the temperature early. I would make the full amount of glaze too and eat any leftovers smeared on bread :)
Cindy R.
November 20, 2014
I'm loving this glaze idea but I need to cook more than just two turkey breasts. Can I use it on a full turkey? Would I have to double the glaze recipe?
Kristen M.
November 20, 2014
Yes, I think you'd want to double it -- or if the turkey is really big, maybe even triple it, but the only thing that will add more work is peeling the garlic.
Cindy R.
January 30, 2015
Hi All- I did triple this glaze recipe for the full turkey and let me tell you I had more than enough! Doubling it for a full bird is plenty, but having lots of this delicious glaze isn't terrible. My husband and I put it on EVERYTHING! Roasted garlic, honey, olive oil, YUM!
asaps
November 18, 2014
Would frozen or fresh breasts both work? And if so, should I thaw the frozen breasts before brining?
Kristen M.
November 18, 2014
Yes, frozen will be just fine, and I would defrost them completely (in the refrigerator) first. Hope you love this recipe!
mary A.
November 17, 2014
another question. can it be cling wrap or does it have to be the conventional plastic wrap?
Kristen M.
November 17, 2014
Any plastic wrap (or cling wrap) that's labelled microwave-safe is considered higher quality and safest to heat.
mary A.
November 17, 2014
Thoughts on cooking the day before and reheating? If so, advise on reheat logistics?
Kristen M.
November 17, 2014
I would heat it up at a low temperature in the oven (say 250 F), covered tightly, with a little water in the bottom of the pan. It will take at least an hour to warm through. You can either save the glazing stage for after it's warmed through, or do it ahead and just crisp it up at 425 F at the end of the warm-up.
Karen L.
January 14, 2015
Taking a hint from the recipe: The day before, stop at the cold shock stage, wrap it and refrigerate it. Next day, proceed from the glazing step. As a pro, the recipe reads to me like it is designed for that purpose as it is the only sensible way to have just roasted turkey available all day long for individual order.
AntoniaJames
November 22, 2016
KarenLM - I posted this to the Hotline, but no one has answered me . . . . Do you think that going cold from the fridge, directly into the hot oven with the glaze will work? I'm concerned that the inside will still be cold at the point that the glaze is at its best. The inside will be considerably colder than if I'd just heated to 135 and then shocked. I'd like to know how to go from cold back to the ice water-bath state. Please note: I did not cook it all the way; just to 135. Help!! Please. And thank you. ;o)
Kristen M.
November 22, 2016
Antonia, I agree that the broiling alone probably won't heat the chilled breast all the way through—see my recommendation above to mary anderson about reheating it gently first. I would take it all the way up to 135F internal temperature again (and it should continue to climb after you take it out)—it's hard to say how long exactly this will take, since I haven't tried it, but it doesn't hurt to start early, then broil it, and hold it. (The crust doesn't suffer from not being freshly crustified.) The great news is that the brine should make it this reheating process very forgiving. Please let us know how it goes!
Dave M.
November 13, 2014
135 Deg. F. ? What about the pathogens that were pushed into the meat with the thermometer. I though poultry should be cooked to 165 ish. Am I missing something.
Kristen M.
November 13, 2014
Hi Dave, the temperature will continue to climb in the ice bath, and then it goes back in the oven at a higher temperature. See the headnote above and the original article for a bit more explanation: https://food52.com/blog/11723-torrisi-s-turkey
Kass B.
November 25, 2014
Any suggestions for reheating leftovers the next day? We always made gravy so we could reheat leftovers on the stove in it. Thank you Kristen for all of your answers, they are very helpful. :)
Kristen M.
November 26, 2014
I would reheat it in a low oven if possible, covered, with a splash of water in the bottom of the pan. Or you can cut or shred it to work into sandwiches, salads, soups, tacos, you name it.
Jeana B.
November 12, 2014
This definitely looks like a must try recipe !!! I always brine but the rest is new to me !!! Thank you for the challenge and inspiration !!
michael G.
November 12, 2014
Could you do the Turkey in a Sous Vide bath after the brining?
If so what temp I'm thinking 140 for about 6 to 8 hours
Thanks
If so what temp I'm thinking 140 for about 6 to 8 hours
Thanks
Kristen M.
November 13, 2014
Yes, you could! Check out their more sous-vide-like version of this recipe in Lidia Bastianich's Italy in America cookbook: http://books.google.com/books?id=FX4zX7oWnRIC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=torrisi%20turkey&f=false
Sheimo51
November 12, 2014
Can you make it a day ahead and heat up for Thanksgiving?
Don R.
November 12, 2014
Somewhere, in the remarks, it says you can serve this hot, warm or cold. So, I presume you could make it a day ahead. I’m the only one in my family who likes the dark meat, so I’m very tempted to try this for Thanksgiving. We’ve eaten at Torrisi’s a couple of times. If they know you as an out-of-towner, the service is unbelievably condensending. BUT, the food is absolutely exquisite. And pricey!
Jazzball
November 12, 2014
remove the skin before glazing??? why?
Kristen M.
November 12, 2014
Check out the comments from nzle on the article page, linked below -- there are actually a number of reasons why the skin doesn't add much here, but you can crisp it up on the side as a cook's treat! https://food52.com/blog/11723-torrisi-s-turkey
See what other Food52ers are saying.