Cooking turkey at 130°F (typically using sous vide) requires a much longer time than traditional roasting, and careful attention to safety is needed. Turkey is not considered safe to eat at 130°F unless it has been held at this temperature for several hours to effectively reduce foodborne bacteria; a common recommendation is to keep it at 130°F for at least 4 hours after reaching core temperature, but this is lower than most official guidelines advise for poultry safety.

Sous Vide Turkey Safety

• The USDA generally recommends a minimum temperature of 165°F for turkey, as this temperature kills salmonella in less than ten seconds.

• At 130°F, harmful bacteria are not effectively eliminated unless the turkey is held at that temperature long enough after it has reached the core temperature, and even then, it's outside conservative safety standards.

• Some expert sources note that a bath temperature of 132°F with a core temperature of 130°F and a total cook time of four hours is used for very moist, pink turkey, but this comes with a higher food safety risk.

Best Practices

• If you have already cooked your turkey at 130°F for four hours after reaching the core temperature, it is at the edge of what some chefs consider safe, but well below USDA recommendations.

• If you want to maximize safety, it’s safer to finish the turkey at 150°F or above for at least several minutes.

Recommendation

• To ensure safety, increase the temperature to at least 145°F and hold for more than ten minutes, or ideally 165°F for instant safety.

• At 130°F, if it has not been at that temperature for four hours after reaching core temperature, continue cooking until you reach that time mark. For best flavor and safety, consider finishing at a higher temperature.