do you really need to baste a turkey

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.
do you really need to baste a turkey

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?

Yes, it is possible to cook a turkey without basting. Basting is not necessary for the turkey to cook evenly or to be moist. In fact, basting can actually be counterproductive, as it can cause the oven temperature to fluctuate and make the turkey cook unevenly.

Does basting the turkey make it moister?

Basting does little to make the bird more moist. And while it somewhat improved the browning of the skin, it actually made the turkey longer to cook from the oven door opening and closing.

How often do I need to baste a turkey?

How often should you baste a turkey? Basting a turkey every 30 to 45 minutes is standard, especially if you wait until the last hour or so of cooking to begin basting. Remember that basting too often can greatly increase the turkey’s cook time, so don’t baste anymore often than every 30 minutes.

What is the alternative to basting a turkey?

If you go with a smaller turkey, you can just rub oil or butter all over the skin or even drape a few pieces of bacon over the breast to keep it moist instead of basting.

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.

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