Take your turkey from ho hum to yum with a choice of seasonings, brine mixes and marinades. They're a deliciously easy way to add flavor to your bird.

Basting a Turkey

Basting is an easy cooking technique that keeps meats moist while cooking and adds flavor. It's used when roasting or grilling meats. The meat is left to cook, and periodically coated with the juice. Generally, you'll baste turkey every 30 - 45 minutes. Common bastings for turkey include; melted butter, pan drippings, broth and oils.

Tip: Try H-E-B Basting Oil with a blend of thyme, garlic and parsley. It's nothing short of magical for roasting turkey. See recipe for Flavor Rocket White Wine Baste.

Marinating a Turkey
Marinades are a great way to add complimentary flavor to turkey. Here's some tips when choosing to marinade a turkey:

• Allow about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of marinade for each pound of poultry. The marinade will penetrate the poultry about 1/4-inch from the cut surface.
• Marinate meat for 2 to 8 hours.
• Always marinate in the refrigerator, never at room temperature.
• Use a container made from a nonreactive material, such as ceramic, glass, plastic, or stainless steel.
• Never marinate meats in an aluminum container.
• Marinating in a re-sealable plastic bag keeps the meat coated and makes cleanup easy. Turn the sealed bag several times during chilling to redistribute the marinade.
• Do not reuse leftover marinade that's been in contact with uncooked meat.