To be clear, you don’t have to baste your turkey. You can still get juicy meat and crispy skin without basting. Basting just scores you extra quality points. More juiciness + crispy skin = win, win.
Alton Brown: Prepping And Temperature Tips
He insists taking a bite of turkey should be followed by exclamation points. “You should be like, Oh, my dear Lord, WOW! Thats turkey!” Brown tells NPRs Melissa Block, host of All Things Considered.
Try Brining. Brown says he goes back and forth between wet brining and dry curing. “Brining definitely adds a lot of juiciness, moistness and it protects against overcooking a great deal because it kind of changes the cellular makeup of the meat and superloads it with moisture,” says Brown. “Dry curing can kind of do the same thing, but its more about intensifying the flavor.”
To brine his turkey he uses a drink cooler — the cylindrical orange kind — parked in the garage for a few days. “I find that it only gains a couple of degrees during that time,” he says.
Most good brines come with at least one ice option, he says, and sometimes he brines frozen turkeys. “Ill build the brine, stick a frozen turkey in there, cover it and leave it in there for like a week. Ive never had it get over 40 degrees,” he says.
As for the brine, Browns is a “balanced equation of sugar and salt dissolved in water with at least a minimum amount of seasoning.”
Stuffing A Bird Is Evil. Brown says cooking a turkey with stuffing is just a bad idea.
“If youre going to cook stuffing inside a turkey, youre basically creating an edible envelope for the stuffing,” he says. “Its now about the stuffing because you need to make sure that stuffing gets above the instant-kill temperature for salmonella.” Getting the stuffing to reach this 165 degree mark usually means overcooking the meat, Brown says.
How To Baste a Turkey
FAQ
Is basting necessary for turkey?
Does basting the turkey make it moister?
How often do I need to baste a turkey?
What is the alternative to basting a turkey?
Should you Bast a Turkey?
The liquid that you use for basting will help to create a browned crust on the turkey. This is not only aesthetically pleasing, but it also helps to lock in the flavor. There are several benefits to basting a turkey. * Moist turkey. Basting helps to keep the turkey moist by replacing the juices that evaporate during cooking.
When should you Baste a Turkey?
However, you can get away with basting less often if you use a meat thermometer to make sure the turkey is cooking evenly. The best time to baste a turkey is when the skin is starting to brown and the juices are beginning to run clear. This is usually about halfway through the cooking time. Should you baste your turkey?
Does basting a turkey make it juicier?
Except, in reality, basting a turkey doesn’t accomplish anything, except for making us feel good. It’s one of the common mistakes home cooks make. If you’re looking to make the meat juicier, drizzling fat over the skin (which is waterproof) won’t accomplish much. It will just drip back down into the pan.
What are the benefits of basting a Turkey?
There are several benefits to basting a turkey. * Moist turkey. Basting helps to keep the turkey moist by replacing the juices that evaporate during cooking. This results in a more flavorful and juicy turkey. * Flavorful turkey. The liquid that you use for basting can add flavor to the turkey.