Save
Thanksgiving is one of the monumental foodie events in the calendar to look forward to. From pumpkin pie to cranberry sauce, there are lots of elements that make this feast truly festive. And no Thanksgiving dinner is complete without a perfectly cooked, juicy turkey. To get your turkey just right, discover how to baste a turkey below.
Why baste a turkey?
Basting, in its most simplest form, helps to preserve the moistness of the meat, and makes the meat really flavorful. It’s achieved by either spooning, brushing, or ladling liquid like melted butter or cooking juices onto the meat. You can also add herbs and spices into the basting liquid for additional flavor. Rosemary, sage, and thyme pair beautifully with turkey meat, and combine naturally with butter if you choose to use butter as a base for the basting. If you’re asking yourself should you baste a turkey, we’d say the extra effort is worth it for a special meal. It can take longer to cook the turkey, and the critics will say it can make the skin a little soft, but we think it creates the juiciest meat in the end.
If it’s a fresh, quality turkey it shouldn’t need brining, but you can brine the turkey first if it’s your preference to do so. This generally helps to make the meat even more tender and seasons the meat throughout for the best end flavor. If you need help on where to start, follow our advice on how to brine a turkey. You can choose from either a wet or dry brine method, but you’ll need to allow a minimum of 24 hours whichever method you choose. As you may suspect, a wet brine involves soaking the turkey, whereas a dry brine is rubbed onto the turkey instead.
To get the most out of your turkey, alongside basting, we have a full set of tips and tricks to follow, including letting the turkey rest for 30 minutes before carving to allow the juices to distribute evenly throughout the meat. Make sure you plate your basted turkey alongside a selection of traditional Thanksgiving dishes. Mashed potatoes, stuffing, and sweet potato casserole create the ideal savory pairing, whilst pumpkin pie is the only way to finish a traditional Thanksgiving feast. Find all the recipe inspiration you need in our round-up of Thanksgiving dishes.
How often do you baste a turkey?
When basting a turkey, you’ll get the best results when basting every 30 minutes to 45 minutes. You don’t want to baste it too often, as opening the oven door on a regular basis will mean the turkey will take longer to cook and ultimately this can dry out the meat if it’s left in the oven for too long. When you are basting, try to work safely and quickly to help prevent the oven door being open for too long. You want to strike a happy balance between ensuring it’s basted regularly without risking a longer cooking time in the oven.
How to butter baste a turkey
At its core, basting is about distributing fat across your meat to lock in the flavor and the juice. Butter is great for basting, as it develops in flavor as it melts and imparts a deliciously crunchy crust to the meat. For the tastiest results when butter basting a turkey, combine your butter in a separate bowl with your choice of aromatics and herbs. Rub the butter between the skin and the flesh of the meat, and brush a little melted butter over the top of the turkey before cooking. Any lumps will melt during the cooking process, and you’re guaranteed to end up with an exemplary juicy turkey using this combination approach.
How to use a turkey baster?
A turkey baster is a kitchen tool that has a squeezable bulb and a tube. You can simply use a ladle if you don’t have one of these to hand, but a baster will give you more control over where you squirt the liquid and avoid any spillage whilst basting. It’s incredibly easy to use. All you need to do is squeeze the bulb and then insert the tube into your cooking liquids. Let go of the bulb to allow the liquids to draw into the tube and, once inflated, your baster is full. Hold at an angle over the spot where you’d like to squirt the liquid and gently squeeze to release the liquid over the turkey.
Basting alternatives
If you don’t want to baste the turkey traditionally, some chefs will use a basting spray or you can use oil to keep a turkey moist instead of basting it. This especially works well for smaller turkeys. You can also rub oil, or butter, all over the skin, or even drape bacon strips over the turkey to impart moisture and flavor via the bacon meat.
Latest
