JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – This episode of Culinary Nunnsense is Rated C for controversial.
Your mom did it, her mom did it, they probably taught you do do it, but I am here to tell you, basting your turkey does nothing for a juicy, moist bird.
There I said it, basting is bad for your bird. I know this time of year "them's is fightin' words," but someone has to dispel this basting myth. I am sure you are thinking, why? Why doesn't basting work?
Number one, basting applies a thin layer of juice on the skin, which is the hottest part of the bird in the oven. The excess heat just allows the water to vaporize. Basically, it evaporates rapidly leaving little to nothing behind. Meanwhile the oven door is open and the oven cools off. The oven then goes in to recovery mode and increases the heat to catch up. All the while this is increasing your cooking time. More time equals more heat and more heat means a drier bird.
Think of the protein in the turkey like a wet sponge. In this example your fist is the heat. If you gently squeeze the sponge some water comes out. Keep squeezing and more water is expelled. If you really SQUEEZE hard then you sponge is nearly rung dry. Well the longer you bird spends in the oven, the more heat, the longer in the heat the drier you bird will become.
Yes, brining takes a little extra time up front, but the reward is a shorter cooking time and a bird full of flavor and juice.
Here is a simple brine. There are hundreds of recipes online if you are looking for something with a different or enhanced flavor.
1 gallon water
1 cup kosher salt
2 Qt. veggie or chicken stock, low sodium is best here
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 10# bag of ice
Heat the water just enough to allow the salt and sugar to dissolve
Add the stock and then ice. Cool by stirring until the temperature reaches 35 degrees or lower.
Add the turkey for a minimum of 6 hours. 12-24 hours is best.
Allow the turkey to drain the excess brine, about 10 minutes. Rinse and then pat dry with paper towels.
From here it's up to you. Season simply with salt and pepper. Stuff the inside with apples, or a veggie medley made of onion, carrot and celery. The choice is up to you.
Here is a cooking tip for a beautiful golden bird if you have read this far. Coat the skin with melted butter or olive oil before adding seasoning.
Start the bird in a preheated 500 degree oven on the bottom rack FOR 30 MINUTES.
Reduce heat to 350 degrees and cover the breast portion of bird as well as the legs and wings with foil. Remove the foil for the last 45 minutes of roasting. Roast until the temperature reaches 160 degrees in the thickest part of the bird. If you stuff your bird it is recommended to cook to 180 degrees, although this is something else you should avoid...but that's for another episode.