How to Baste a Turkey

Co-authored by Marrow Private Chefs

Last Updated: March 7, 2024

Basting is the process brushing, pouring, or spooning liquid over a food to make it moist and juicy from top to bottom and to give it a wonderfully golden look when cooked. While it isn't 100% necessary anymore like it used to be in grandma's day, it's still a quintessential image and tradition when you think of turkey.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Prepping Your Turkey for Basting

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1
Prepare your turkey for roasting. This includes de-frosting it, washing, stuffing, and trussing, etc.^{[1]
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Research source} Want some ideas? wikiHow is full of 'em.
- How to Roast a Turkey
- How to Brine, Truss, and Roast a Turkey
- Slow Cook a Turkey
- How to Roast a Turkey With Moist White Meat
2
Turn on the oven and place the prepared turkey in its large roasting pan. If you have one available, place the turkey on a rack in the pan so the drippings fall to the bottom of the pan and are easy to get to.
- Some people choose to baste from the drippings in the bottom of the pan, while others choose to make a special mixture separately to put over it. What you use to baste is up to you.
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3
Set your timer, and let the roasting begin. You'll want two timers: one for the basting intervals and one for the whole time. How long you put it in for overall largely depends on the size of your turkey.
- Set your basting timer for 30 minutes. You will be basting at every 30 minute interval.
4
After 30 minutes, open the oven to baste.i Pull out the rack part-way. Open the roasting pan lid, or pull back the foil tent cover a bit. Look at the meat. Is it starting to get a little tan? Excellent. Your turkey is ready for its first basting session.
- Some people do prefer to baste every 20 minutes or so. However, the shorter the interval, the more you'll be strapped to the oven.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Basting Your Turkey

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A bulb baster is a special rubber tool to suck up and pour out liquids. It's like a large, soft syringe. If you don't have one, a spoon or cup will work just as well.
2
Baste your turkey. Take some of the liquid you prepared for basting and pour it gently all over the surface, using your spoon, cup, or bulb baster. Use any kind of stock, wine, butter, oils, gravy, or juices. The idea is to keep the turkey meat moist.^{[2]
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- It's easiest to use the juices at the bottom. However, if you have a recipe for an herb butter, a marinade, or a gravy, that's great, too.
Reset the timer for 30 minutes. Go watch an episode of your favorite TV show or pick up a book, but don't go too far away!
Soon, once again, you will have liquid on the bottom of the pan. Now use that instead of any liquid from a bowl. Whether you used the original meat juices or something else, it is now at the bottom of the pan, infused with meat juices, ready to be reused again.
5
Remove extra liquid if the juices touch the bottom of the turkey. Don't let the turkey stew in juices. This will make the meat soft instead of giving it that golden outside, crispy rind.
- This is why a small rack in the roasting pan is best. With a rack, it stays out of all the juices.
Use some of the juices as a gravy base, or pour some into a bowl for table dressing over stuffing, vegetables, potatoes, etc. Don't let it go to waste! That juice has been stewing for hours with delicious turkey juices.

Part 3

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Using Basting Alternatives

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1
Make a foil tent. Many people choose to forgo the basting entirely and instead wrap the turkey in a foil tent – basically just a layer of aluminum foil loosely over the turkey. This keeps the juices in, serving the same purpose as the basting.
- This is more convenient in that once the foil is placed, you can set it and forget it, instead of going into the kitchen every half hour for maintenance.
2
Spray with apple juice. Instead of getting into the pan and dealing with hard-to-get-to juices or melting butter and herbs and getting sticky, just spray the turkey with apple juice! If you have a spray bottle, it's incredibly convenient.
- Of course, you could always infuse the apply juice with honey, herbs, butter, or anything else you can imagine for a more savory touch.
3
Use bacon. Want to put a trendy take on your turkey? What's better than bacon? Fry up some bacon, add in some paprika, garlic, or maybe some onion, and keep the juices. Set the bacon aside on paper towels to dry. Then pour the bacon juices all over the turkey.
- When the turkey is near done, chop up the bacon and sprinkle it over the turkey.^{[3]
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4
Know that you don't need basting for a brined turkey. A brined turkey is one that is kept in a large bucket or cooler for around 12 hours with a mixture of water, salt, broth, honey, and other additives. It's a great way to ensure that your turkey stays incredibly moist, and no basting required!
- You still have to cook the turkey as normal, and using a foil tent is a good idea. Some people choose to use wood chips on the bottom of the pan to give it a roasted hickory taste. If this sounds interesting, check out the article!

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Question

Do you have to baste a turkey in the oven?

Marrow Private Chefs
Culinary Experts
Marrow Private Chefs are based in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. It is a chefs’ collective comprised of an ever-growing number of chefs and culinary professionals. Though regionally influenced primarily by coastal, traditional southern, cajun, and creole styles and flavors, the chefs at Marrow have a solid background in all types of cuisine with over 75 years of combined cooking experience.

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Not necessarily! Some people prefer not to baste their turkey at all, as they believe that it can cause the skin to become soggy and can also interfere with the natural cooking process. If you choose this approach, be sure to use a meat thermometer to ensure that the turkey is cooked to the proper internal temperature (165°F/74°C for white meat, 175°F/80°C for dark meat).

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What alternatives are there to basting turkey?

Marrow Private Chefs
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Marrow Private Chefs are based in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. It is a chefs’ collective comprised of an ever-growing number of chefs and culinary professionals. Though regionally influenced primarily by coastal, traditional southern, cajun, and creole styles and flavors, the chefs at Marrow have a solid background in all types of cuisine with over 75 years of combined cooking experience.

Marrow Private Chefs

Culinary Experts

Expert Answer

Instead of basting continuously, baste at the beginning and end of the cooking process. This can help to seal in the juices at the start of the cooking process and can also help to create a nice, crispy skin during the final stages of cooking.

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At what temperature and for how long should I cook it?

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Cook it at 325 for 20-30 mins/lb or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh reads 165 (don't touch the bone).

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Tips

Don't slosh the boiling liquid on the oven when you pull out the rack. Pull it out slowly and carefully. It may be heavy.

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Don't use strong flavored basting liquid in a final gravy, as it will cover the gravy flavor.

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Don't let the turkey dry out. Be sure to drizzle on enough liquid as it roasts.

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