It’s almost Turkey Time! Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which means lots of people think of those dry turkeys they’ve had to endure in the past and how to fix it for this year. If you are in that group, might I suggest injecting your turkey with a flavorful marinade to help with moisture and flavor. Everybody needs options, so I wanted to give you some of my different turkey injection recipes.
Brining vs. injecting
The first thing people will say is, “you should brine your turkey.” Yes, brining has many adherents but there are some pros and cons to brining. First, brining a turkey requires a good bit of refrigerated space, generally for a two days, if you include drying time. Space in the fridge is generally in short supply around the holidays and this may not be something you can accommodate. Secondly, brining has its drawbacks in terms of how it affects (for me at least) the skin and texture of the turkey. To combat that, remove the turkey from brine at least 12 hours before cooking. Place the turkey on a cooling or drying rack on top of a sheet pan.
Injecting a Turkey
I think it’s best if you have the time and space to inject and hour or two before cooking. If you’re in a hurry, you can inject right before cooking and it will still improve the bird. You’re going to need an injector obviously. If this is a once-a-year thing for you, then grab an injector from the grocery store for a couple of dollars. They will suffice to get through one turkey a year. If you cook and BBQ more often through the year, you’ll want to invest in a better injector. Here is a heavy duty injector that will make short work of turkeys, pork butts, whole hogs, etc.
When you inject the turkey, try not to go through the skin too often. I usually work around the skin of the breast as much as possible. If I do go through the skin, I will use it multiple times by injecting through that spot multiple times (at different angles.)
Turkey Injection Recipes
I’m attaching some recipes below to help you get started. As you see, you’ll only be limited by your imagination when you inject, so if you want to add some different flavors, knock yourself out. The only caution is making sure you don’t have too large of particles in your injection recipe, or you might clog your needle. These recipes also work great with any poultry, so don’t just save them for Thanksgiving!
Other Turkey questions
If you have other questions about cooking turkeys, I have several other turkey recipes and guides to go through. Thanksgiving Turkey Q and A, Smoked and Lacquered Turkey, Holiday Smoked Turkey, and even Sriracha glazed turkey legs.
As always, I hope you enjoy!
Spicy Maple Poultry injection
Description
This injection recipe brings the heat and the sweet to your bird.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken stock or 1 cup prepared Melissa’s Poultry Brine
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1 tsp hot sauce
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a saucepan and bring it to almost a boil while whisking. Allow to cool before use.
Sage Butter Turkey Injection
Description
This is a delicious injection recipe that works perfectly for your Holiday turkey, but I use it often for roasted or smoked chickens when I cook in the fall.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup chicken stock or 1 cup prepared Melissa’s Poultry Brine
- juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp dried sage
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
Instructions
- In a saucepan, heat all ingredients until butter is melted and spices are incorporated. All to cool down. Before it thickens too much, inject poultry in thighs, legs, breasts, and along the breast bone. Allow to sit for 1 hour before cooking.
Cajun Turkey Injection
Description
This injection recipe will bring a little cajun heat to your turkey, especially if you are frying one!
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a container and whisk until combined.
- Inject turkey and place in a pan in fridge for 1 hour before cooking. This will allow injection to spread through the meat.
4 Responses
Amazing recipe. Thank you for sharing. I will recommend this to friends.
Thank you!
Great one there…. Thanks for sharing this. Yummy!
Thank you!
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