How Long To Cook Turkey Breast In Crock Pot (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 6 Hours

No Thanksgiving feast reaches its true potential without the giant Turkey meat unless the guests are vegetarian. Turkey is the signature dish on Thanksgiving occasions. It is a popular non-vegetarian dish carrying the bulk of expectations and is the center of temptation at Christmas and Thanksgiving occasions.

However, not every day is a Thanksgiving day and so, rarely anyone can afford to cook a 20 pound Turkey for a random occasion. This makes it logical to buy and cook the bird in parts rather than as a whole. In such cases, turkey breasts are more popular to eat out at.

How Long To Cook Turkey Breast In Crock Pot?

The preparation of turkey breasts in a Crock-Pot may take approximately 6 hours. This is one of the simplest and easiest turkey recipes. It technically involves only an hour of active cooking while the rest of the work is done in the Crock-Pot or slow cooker, as people may prefer to call it.

The first step of cooking turkey breasts is also the most crucial stage. It requires a time of about 10 to 15 minutes. In this stage, the chef has to marinate the entire meat piece and place it in the slow cooker under a layer of onions and garlic.

The next step is the long process of cooking turkey breasts in Crock-Pot. A 2 kg turkey breast shall be required to be cooked for over 5 continuous hours. This is the most inactive part of cooking a turkey breast.

Once the turkey breasts are cooked in a slow cooker, they need to be either boiled or grilled. This step takes about 10 to 15 minutes.

Turkey Breasts taste great when served with gravy. The onions and garlic cooked in Crock Pot with the turkey can be used to get rich gravy. This cooking stage consumes about 15 to 20 minutes.

The last step of cooking turkey breasts is garnishing and plating them. A dish is not completely cooked until it is garnished and plated properly. A chef might need to spend about 10-15 minutes at this step.

Why Does Cooking Turkey Breasts In A Crock Pot Take So Long?

The other popular name for a Crock-Pot is Slow cooker. As it may be inferred, a slow cooker is notably used for cooking dishes at a slow pace. This helps to increase the aroma and taste of that dish.

Similarly, cooking turkey breasts in a Crock-Pot adds up its aroma and essence. This is virtually different from turkey breasts cooked in a general fashion. Turkey breasts which are cooked in a slow cooker are more succulent, tender, and juicy.

It may also be kept in mind that turkey is not small for a bird to be cooked. It can be as heavy as 20 pounds at times. Thus, cooking a turkey is no easy task in itself and requires a Herculean amount of time and effort to pull it off.

Another reason that promotes such a long cooking duration is to cook it uniformly. Being a thick chunk of meat, the heat does not reach its interiors easily. A chef has to use a meat thermometer to see that the temperature at the interiors is no less than 165 degrees Fahrenheit or 75 degrees Celsius.

The temperature needs to reach these levels for the turkey breast to be considered cooked. In other words, the instant it reaches the specified temperature, nonetheless, time spent in the Crock-Pot, it can be considered as cooked.

Conclusion

The preparation of turkey breasts in a Crock-Pot is a long, though not arduous task. It can take up to 5 hours but requires the bare minimum of effort. Once kept in the slow cooker, the turkey breasts will cook slowly dissolving with themselves the unique aroma and texture.

This method of preparation is perfect for those who do not have much know-how of the cooking process or do not want to be actively engaged for a stretched period. The succulent and juicy pieces of the dish are a heavenly delight and a must-have at Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts.

References

1. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1077727X7500400102