With Thanksgiving around the corner, turkeys are on my mind! This past spring, on my 40th birthday, eight of my best friends coordinated with my wife to surprise me for a weekend of turkey hunting and fishing in Central Idaho. A successful turkey hunt was only the cap to an unforgettable weekend of making memories around the campfire, hiking in Idaho’s public lands, and laughing so much that our stomachs were sore for a week!
I wanted to do something “different” with one of my turkey breasts, and we have seen recipes using a sous vide machine to make lunch meat with store-bought meats. So, we decided to try it with my wild turkey breast. The sous vide machine cooks by heating water to a desired temperature. The meat cooks in a sealed, plastic bag ensuring the meat reaches the exact temperature you set, and keeps all the moisture locked inside. This is a simple recipe, yet amazingly flavorful and moist. This sandwich idea is adapted from my favorite college food truck, The Silver Truck, which had the most amazing midnight turkey-bacon-avocado sandwiches. The leftovers went into a lovely turkey and wild rice casserole, which will be shared in a subsequent recipe. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 wild turkey breast
- Poultry seasoning. I used garlic salt and my favorite Kinder’s Mediterranean Seasoning, but salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, oregano, and parsley are good with any poultry.
- Bacon
- Sriracha Sauce
- Brown Sugar
- Lettuce, Tomato, Avocado
- Sourdough bread
- Condiments (mayonnaise and mustard)
Recipe directions:
- Generously season both sides of the turkey breast with the poultry seasoning.
- Place seasoned turkey breast in a Ziploc back, and remove as much air as possible.
- Place sealed turkey breast and sous vide machine in a water bath, and set temperature to 145 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 hours. (Note: you cannot overcook with the sous vide machine because it keeps the meat at a constant temperature, but you will want to ensure it has time to cook thoroughly. Alternatively, you can cook the turkey in a smoker, stove or barbeque. )
- Remove turkey breast from water and cool in an ice bath.
- Lay out bacon on a cooking sheet, brush with Sriracha sauce, and lightly sprinkle with brown sugar. Cook in the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit to desired crispiness.
- Slice turkey meat to desired thickness.
- Build sandwich with bread, wild turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and desired condiments.
