Thawing a turkey in a water bath is a safe and easy method without the risk of bacteria growth. It is important to use cold water and change the water every 30 minutes. A 20-pound turkey will take 10 hours to thaw using the cold water method. If you have an extra refrigerator, place the turkey bucket with water in the fridge. Thaw the turkey breast side down, in an unopened wrapper, with enough cold water to cover the turkey completely. Change water every 30 minutes and rotate every 30 minutes to keep the turkey chilled.
There are two methods for thawing a frozen turkey: in the refrigerator or with cold water. The safest way to thaw a turkey is in the refrigerator, with a thawing time of 24 hours for every 5 pounds of turkey. Food safety experts recommend thawing a 4- to 12-pound turkey in cold water for 2 to 6 hours, a 12- to 16-pound turkey for 6 to 8 hours, or a 20- to 24-pound turkey for 10 to 12 hours.
To properly seal the turkey as it thaws, cover it completely with cold water and let it sit until it defrosts. Be sure to refill the sink or tub with cold water every 30 minutes. There are three safe ways to defrost a turkey: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in a microwave oven.
If you need your turkey thawed a little more quickly, submerge it in water, but make sure the water must be cold. Place the wrapped turkey breast-side down in a cooler or large bucket and fill it with cold water to cover it. Transfer the sealed bag to the water bath and cook for four hours. Add the chilled turkey legs to the bath and cook 40 minutes longer to reheat.
📹 Waterbath canning turkey bone broth
We try to have very little waste in this household. In this video, we use our turkey carcass leftover from Thanksgiving to make a …
Can you thaw a turkey directly in water?
To thaw a turkey, place it breast side down in an unopened wrapper with enough cold water to cover it completely. Change the water every 30 minutes and rotate it every 30 minutes if the turkey cannot be completely covered. This process should take 30 minutes per pound of turkey. Rinsing is crucial for a juicy, flavor-filled turkey, and stuffing or dressing is a staple of Thanksgiving. Learn the do’s and don’ts of thawing your turkey.
What is the ratio of salt to water for brining a turkey?
This recipe can be used to brine whole turkeys, turkey breasts, turkey legs, or whole chickens. The basic ratio is 4 quarts of water and 1 cup of kosher salt, which can be adjusted as needed. The recipes include Mom’s Roast Turkey, Chard and Prosciutto Stuffed Turkey Breast, Turkey Breast with Roasted Garlic Gravy, Turkey Breast Stuffed with Bacon, Cranberry, and Breadcrumb Stuffing, and Roast Chicken with Carrots.
When buying a turkey for brining, ensure it hasn’t been brined or injected with a saline solution. Organic turkeys are usually safe, while “kosher”, “enhanced”, or “self-basting” turkeys usually have already been brined.
Does thawing a turkey in water ruin it?
To thaw a turkey rapidly, submerge the turkey in cold water and change the water every 30 minutes to prevent the temperature of the turkey from exceeding the optimal range for safe thawing. It should be noted, however, that this method requires the water to be at a sufficiently low temperature and for the browser to be capable of storing cookies. In the event that JavaScript is disabled or blocked, the method may prove ineffective.
Should I put my turkey in water overnight?
Thawing a turkey in the sink is faster than in the refrigerator, but it’s not safe to leave it overnight. Place the turkey in a leakproof plastic bag, fill the sink with cold water, and immerse it breast side down. Change the water every 30 minutes, turning the bag occasionally. This method allows you to thaw your turkey the day before or day before roasting and store it in the refrigerator until cooking time.
How long can you leave a turkey in a cold water bath?
To thaw a turkey, submerge it in cold tap water and change the water every 30 minutes until it is thawed. Cook the turkey immediately after thawing. Frozen turkeys are safe indefinitely, but bacteria can start to grow again as they thaw. Store the frozen turkey in the freezer immediately after grocery store checkout, not in areas with constant temperature monitoring. Frozen meat or poultry left thawing on the counter for more than 2 hours is not safe, as the outer layer is in the “Danger Zone” between 40 and 140 °F, where foodborne bacteria multiply rapidly.
How long do you water bath a turkey?
To prepare a turkey, start by making a dry brine by mixing sage, fennel seed, pepper, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Cut the turkey into a bone-in breast, separate the wings, and remove the legs. Heat a water bath to 66˚C (151˚F) and season all pieces with the dry brine. Place one leg and one wing in zip top bags and add 1 ounce of melted butter. Refrigerate the seasoned breast while the legs cook. Fill a pot or bowl with room temperature water and lower the bag into the water. Cook for six hours, then cool in an ice bath. Store in the refrigerator for up to seven days before serving.
Reduce the water bath to 62˚C (143. 5˚F) and place the turkey breast into a zip top bag. Cook for four hours, then add the chilled turkey legs and cook for 40 minutes longer to reheat. If not serving immediately, cool in an ice bath and store in the refrigerator for up to seven days.
When ready to serve, heat a water bath to 62˚C and add the sealed bags of breast and leg to the bath. Broil the turkey pieces on a baking pan and bake until golden brown. Learn more about becoming an expert chef by learning more about our Culinary Arts career training program.
What is the best way to defrost a turkey?
The USDA recommends thawing a turkey in the refrigerator for the safest method, as it maintains a consistent temperature. This method takes time, allowing one day for each 4 – 5 pounds of weight. For a 16-pound turkey, it will take about four days to thaw. Thawing can be started six days before Thanksgiving, the Friday before Thanksgiving. The other two methods (cold water and microwave) must be done immediately before cooking, so they must be done before Thanksgiving morning.
For cold water thawing, leave the turkey in its original wrapping and submerge it in a sink or container filled with cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes and replace it with fresh cold water. This method allows 30 minutes of defrosting time per pound, taking 8 hours for a 16-pound turkey. Cook the turkey immediately after thawing.
How to do a water bath for a turkey?
To defrost a turkey, wrap it in its wrapper, place it in a sterilized tub, large sink, or bathtub, cover it with cold water, and let it sit until it defrosts. Refill the tub every 30 minutes to prevent bacteria growth. After defrosting, remove the turkey from the water and pat it dry with paper towels. Start early, as 30 minutes of defrosting time is required for every pound of turkey, which typically takes around 7. 5 hours. Starting early on Thanksgiving morning can have the turkey ready to bake by noon, allowing time to finish before dinner.
Why cook turkey immediately after thawing in water?
It is recommended that the food be cooked immediately after thawing to prevent it from becoming warm and cooked during the microwave heating process.
Is it OK to soak a turkey in water?
Brining is the process of soaking a turkey in salted water for hours or overnight, absorbing some water and dissolving muscle proteins. This results in less meat contraction and moisture loss during cooking. However, experts like Kimball and Lopez-Alt are against brining large turkeys, stating that it is a pain and has negative effects. Kimball prefers a chewier turkey, while Lopez-Alt prefers a slow-roasting method that yields similar results. Both experts agree that brining a turkey is a pain and not all turkeys are suitable for this method.
Can you defrost a turkey by leaving it out overnight?
Thawing a turkey on the counter is technically possible but not recommended due to its complexity and potential for food poisoning. To minimize risk, it is recommended to thaw the turkey in a container in the refrigerator, inside its original packaging, in a pan. The U. S. Department of Agriculture also advises that thawing a turkey in a sink full of cold water or in the microwave is safe. This method is the simplest and safest approach to thawing a turkey.
📹 Water bath canning Meat @Michelle’s Garden.
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Hello Cheri, I think I may have just messed up my chicken bone stock 😢 I didn’t add vinegar to my broth b4 or after straining or canning. Is that going to affect the results of my chicken stalk? I’m a newbie at canning but I prefer the water bath method since the last time I used my pressure canner it started screaming at me 😮😂😂😂, any help will be appreciated. TY in advance. Blessings to you and yours 🙏
I love the reactions I get when I tell people I water bath meat, fish, green beans, etc. “YOU CAN’T DO THAT.” Well, I do, and no one has ever gotten sick. Also, can we discuss how blinkin’ new the invention of pressure cooking is?! People have been canning FAR longer than we’ve had the tech to pressurize anything. Thanks for sharing your knowledge! Happy Preserving!
Thank you for putting these articles out!!! I trust people, & Families (so obviously they’ve survived these cooking methods), that have done this for generations! Please don’t be so downtrodden by the comments people have probably, & will probably make. Stay with what you’re doing! It’s a trusted method. I guess not by the USDA, but by millions of people for all of these years? Yeah, we tend to be our own USDA. God bless you sweetheart. Keep going!
So glad to see this water bath canning. Finally! I’ve been posting and following a lady in Poland who learned from her grandparents during the war. She makes the most beautiful recipes. She adds bay leaf,pepper corn, sliced carrots, onions. Some meets she’ll dice up potatoes too. And she’ll layer it inside the jars. I saw her add 2 table spoons of rice in the layering too. The rice comes out cooked. Of course, she always adds 2 teaspoons of salt and one teaspoon of white vinegar to every recipe, but she also season the raw meat beforehand with spices They don’t even have pressure canner in Europe. I asked her where she got her jars. She said at the local supermarket. This is a long tradition and everyone water baths. As long as you follow the instructions to the T …You’re fine. If you dont hear that seal pop when opening the jar up …its not a good seal. Gotta hear that seal pop ladies. 😊😊
I’ve been doing it this way since the start of the pandemic and I’d like to add that I brown all my meat and practically cook it before canning. I’ve done stewed beef chilli con carne, chicken casserole and chicken curry . It’s sitting on my pantry shelves looking delicious and it is delicious to eat .
Hello from Australia, you cant buy a pressure canner here unless you import from the US, and the old recipe booklets I have from the fowlers jars (Aussie version of Mason Jars) have instructions that say water bath your meat for 3 hours, and the jars were only half covered with boiling water. They have since revised their “rules” stating low acid to be pressure canned which is interesting as mentioned above we cant buy pressure canners from local suppliers.
I’m SO glad to find your website! I’ve been doing rebel canning for a little bit but I’m out of ideas! I’m just excited to see you do this. Oh and you’re right, other countries have been water bathing everything probably forever! They don’t always have the options that we have. I know a lady who’s in her early 40s… she came from Bosnia. She laughs at our Ball approved methods. 😂 She told me that in Bosnia, they preserved food to actually LIVE. Her family lived thru the genocide. She didn’t have patience with the trolls who attack knowledge that didn’t come from govt approved methods. It seems like she knew, very well, that common sense won out every time. Anyway, THANK YOU!
For ur garden, Brussel sprouts can winter over in the garden, staying fresh the entire time. Just start low bending down the leaves. This covers the sprouts giving protection from the damage of colder weather. Continue bending the leaves all the way up to the top. I did this in Michigan, harsh winters, & it works. I had little garden trees as markers so there was no lost time searching.
Wonderful article! I’ve watched women (and some men too) in Persian countries WATER-BATH Can when they don’t have electricity. They process their meat all the time & don’t die from Botulism. It’s a tried & true method for ages. As long as Napoleon was around in the latter part of the 18th C. He offered a great reward for anyone who could devise a way to feed his troops without food spoiling. Anyway, our USDA always thinks the REGULAR PEOPLE are too stupid & can’t troubleshoot creative ways of food preparation. Heck, the govt. thinks that way about us in everything they do. My only bugaboo with any food prep has nothing to do with canning though. It’s the seasoning bottles outsides that concern me. We don’t think about it much, but when we’re touching meat or any food, we just take those shakers & Rarely clean the outside of the bottle. I decided to make special seasonings & put them in little sandwich baggies before I start to prepare any dish. This way, I don’t need to touch the containers when I’m touching Chicken (especially), Pork or Beef. Other than that, your technique is laudable. I’m a nurse who thinks about bacteria in our world constantly. So your techniques I applaud 👏
This was a great article. I am fairly new to water bath canning. I tried pressure canning, and was not comfortable with it. I can’t seem to maintain the right amount of pressure with my stove. I absolutely love water bath canning. I am interested in canning meat, only because it frees up my freezer space. Thank you for the Facebook info, I joined 2 water bath canning groups.
I’ve watched your articles and several others and I’m pretty convinced, but my family is scared to death of botulism. Everything I’ve read says water bath canning won’t kill the botulism bacteria. I canned four pints of chuck yesterday just to try it for myself and then made a stew with a jar of it tonight and I loved it. It would be really convenient to have on the shelf. Any words to convince the skeptics?
Could you please yell me if there is a chart i could follow as tohow many hours to hot water bath things. Ive canned most of my life. But am new to broths meats and veggies. Just followed you for fresh blackeyed peas and pintos. I love your canning and articles. I redid mine and filled jars 3/4 way up. They did perfect. Any info would be great. Im doing lemon jelly next week.
I was looking for a southerner who could water bath meat and you were the 1st one that popped up. I loved it! You were calm, knowledgeable, and have such a gentle southern way about you! Thank you! Now i have a question. I live in Oklahoma, where it gets incredibly hot! . I dont have a root cellar. How should I store them? Some have told me I have to refrigerate them. What do you think I should do? I appreciate any advice!
Hello 👋 New subscriber here and new to canning. I really enjoyed your article. I feel it it is important during times like these to know how to do this. I was wondering (if anyone knew), in the event we don’t have access to ew canning lids, is there any possible way to repurpose lids? What would we do in this situation?
This is so awesome! I love wb’ing, & l def need to carve out some time to do meats. I think it’s also great, to raw pack & can different meats, & use the bottom of a jar to pack it well, as long as 3 hr process time is done. It was hard for me to differentiate the size of the jars: were these pint size? Would you try doing qt. size jars at some point in time?
I am a long time pressure canner, trying to keep an open mind. I have an honest question. You frequently state that you take safety procedures to prevent cross contamination, and sterilize your jars, but not your lids. Here’s the question. If prolonged water bath canning is safe enough to kill botulism toxins, isn’t it safe enough to prevent any cross contamination? The whole idea of canning is to prevent botulism. Anything that would prevent botulism will kill all kinds of bacteria. So, why worry about cross contamination and sterilizing jars? Doesn’t make sense to me, and if you say that well, that’s the way you have always done it, it still doesn’t make sense. I am guessing you have some reason that may or may not make sense, but to me, knowing the science behind canning, it just doesn’t. So, why worry about cross contamination?
The only serious issue I have with water bath canning low acid foods such as all meats, is that the water temp doesn’t get hot enough (240-250 degrees F) to reach the KILLS ZONE FOR BOTULISM. Rolling boiling water no matter how long you boil the water for only gets as high as 212 degrees F. Soooooo you will be taking a RISK for botulism to grow spores to develop that are deadly. You can’t see, smell or taste botulism and that is the scary part. A small ‘taste’ can kill….hence why the SCIENCE proves that pressure canning KILLS botulism. So you do you and if you are a risk taker then by all means go ahead without doing your own due diligence. Some people truly do lack critical thinking skills. What would you do you fed this food to your family and they got extremely sick or died? Are you willing to take that risk????????? Do you home work first and don’t believe most of youtubers…
I must say this, the amish don’t make public their illnesses or deaths. The other thing, if you want to play Russian roulette with your food preservation it’s your choice. Last, good people who have had years of experience preserving food at home have offered their experience along with a solid education in biology to help people who want safe, solid and tested methods to follow so they can preserve food for their families. The FDA and Safe food preservation cooperatives are not a bunch of evil gremlins out there to be authorized rulers over anyone’s food preservation instead they offer tested, guidelines. Sadly, some demonize those who work hard to supply that information.