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 I’m not usually one of them. I have always preferred injecting to deliver added moisture and flavor for a few reasons. First, brining a turkey requires a good bit of refrigerated space, generally for a couple of days. Space in the fridge is generally in short supply around the holidays. Secondly, brining has its drawbacks in terms of how it affects (for me at least) the skin and texture of the turkey. Maybe I’ve just not been doing it right, but I’ve just never been a huge fan. I have published brined turkey recipes that were quite good, I thought, but overall I just prefer injecting a turkey.
Injecting a Turkey
When you are going to inject, you can do it right before cooking. You can also put in a different flavor profile than you can when you brine. Also, I’ve had some brined turkeys that were just too salty, and you won’t run the risk of that by injecting.
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. I have 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 sweet to your bird.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 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
- 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!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup liquid crab boil
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 TBS Cajun seasoning
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a saucepan. Heat until butter is melted and spices are incorporated. Remove and allow to cool to room temperature (it should still be liquid.)
- 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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