Add moisture and flavor to your turkey in 5 minutes! This Turkey Injection Recipe includes everything you need to know about how to inject a turkey! This simple recipe requires hardly any time and results in tender meat with plenty of flavor for the perfect turkey.
So you’re looking to make the best Thanksgiving turkey and you’re interested in whipping up a turkey injection liquid to infuse the turkey with joy?
Well, you’re in the right place because I personally find injecting a turkey to be one of the easiest ways to level up the taste and texture of your holiday bird.
All you need is a few basic ingredients and a meat injector to make an injection sauce for your Thanksgiving centerpiece.
While injecting turkey is certainly not mandatory, I love performing this step because it makes both the white meat and the dark meat more flavorful down to the bone. Plus, it only takes a few extra minutes of prep time.
Without turkey injection, I feel it’s only the dark meat and the meat that’s closest to the skin that has much flavor.
Injecting turkey adds more moisture and takes the flavor to the next level, particularly to the turkey breast which can have an otherwise bland flavor.
Learn how to inject a turkey in a few simple steps using simple ingredients that you can find at any local grocery store.
Let’s dive into the details on how to inject turkey and discuss the ingredients for injection marinade.
Ingredients for Turkey Injection Fluid:
Wondering what to inject turkey with? In general, we need some form of liquid to hydrate the meat, some form of fat to add flavor, seasonings because we can, and sea salt to level up the flavor of the meat as well as tenderize it.
In this turkey injection recipe, I use apple cider, melted butter, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and sea salt.
The apple cider serves as the hydrating liquid and also adds just a touch of sweet flavor.
Melted butter brings that luscious creaminess, which is so beneficial to the white meat areas.
Garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning and sea salt inject delicious flavors into the meat, giving us flavor through and through, not just close to the skin.
I find this combination of ingredients makes for the best turkey injection recipe because it complements many flavor profiles and gives the turkey meat a lot of flavor for a juicy bird.
Liquid Options: Chicken broth (or chicken stock), apple cider, white wine, and orange juice are all delicious options for injecting turkey.
You can also use any combination thereof. I don’t recommend using lemon juice, lime juice or anything too acidic because it will leave a very tart flavor.
Fat Options: Butter, avocado oil, or olive oil are all going to add flavor to the meat.
The flavor of butter is more detectable which is why I like it, but if you’re going for a more neutral flavor go with avocado oil. More rustic flavor, choose olive oil.
Seasoning Options: Paprika, lemon pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, dried oregano, dried parsley, Old Bay seasoning, and black pepper are all delicious options.
Truly any dried spice or seasoning blend will work but be sure you pick something you think will go well with the theme of your turkey.
Tips for Injecting Turkey:
- Be sure to insert the needle of the injector deep enough such that the hole is entirely inside the turkey. If you don’t insert the needle past the hole, liquid will squirt aggressively all over the place and create a mess.
- Thaw the turkey completely before injecting it with injection sauce. If you inject a frozen turkey or partially frozen turkey, you may end up with turkey that cooks unevenly, causing certain parts of the turkey to be finished long before other parts. The takeaway: thaw that bird ahead of time!
- I don’t recommend adding chunky ingredients like fresh herbs or fresh garlic to an injectable marinade because they can clog the meat injector. If you are able to blend the ingredients small enough in a blender, then adding fresh herbs or fresh garlic will work.
- Use different angles to ensure you’re penetrating deeply into the meat for the best results. You can also inject the drumsticks for extra flavor if you’d like.
- As is the case with achieving any moist turkey, be sure to have an instant-read thermometer (or meat thermometer) at your fingertips to check the internal temperature during the cooking process so that you end up with perfectly cooked tender turkey.
- To add spice to a turkey, you can use hot sauce and creole seasoning in the injection mixture. You can also add umami ingredients like worcestershire sauce of soy sauce to play with different flavors.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s learn how to inject a turkey.
How to Inject a Turkey:
Remove the turkey from its packaging and transfer it to a large roasting pan (ideally the same roaster you plan to use to roast the turkey).
Pat turkey dry using paper towels. Reach into the turkey cavity and pull out the neck and giblets. Set them aside to cook separately or discard them.
Place the butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 30-60 seconds, or until it is completely melted.
Immediately mix in the apple cider, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning and sea salt until everything is well combined.
Note: if you wait too long to mix and inject, the butter may start to harden so try to work quickly. An alternative is to use avocado oil or olive oil instead of melted butter, which buys you all the time in the world.
Fill the turkey injector with the fluid using the instructions specific to your injector. Some injectors are loaded through the top whereas some suck the injection liquid through the hole of the injector needle.
Insert the needle into the turkey and press on the handle to release a small amount of liquid, about 1 to 2 teaspoons per injection site.
Continue injecting many areas in the breast as well as the whole turkey, focusing most of your attention on the white meat areas. Insert the needle in different directions to get those great flavors everywhere.
Be sure to get the side of the breast as well as the top of the breast for the best flavorful turkey.
It’s okay if some of the injection marinade spills out and coats the turkey skin – this is normal. You can either leave it or wipe it off with a paper towel if you’re using a dry rub for roasting the turkey.
Sprinkle the outside of the turkey with coarse sea salt for a dry brine since you’re already here. Note: You can also follow my tutorial on How To Dry Brine Turkey in order to get the complete details.
Cover the roasting pan with plastic wrap (or the lid of the roasting pan) and refrigerate for several hours, ideally overnight or up to 24 hours.
When you’re ready to cook the turkey, proceed with your chosen turkey recipe for seasoning the outside. You can make my Garlic Butter Roast Turkey or my Orange-Ginger Glazed Turkey.
The recipe in this post can not only be used as turkey injection marinade, but it can also be used to inject chicken and large chunks of meat. We’ve used it to inject a whole elk leg prior to smoking it on the smoker!
The best way to add juiciness and flavor to prevent dry turkeys this holiday season? Injected turkey using a savory turkey injection liquid.
Enjoy the flavorful meat with your favorite holiday side dishes for an unforgettable Thanksgiving dinner!
I hope you enjoy this fun method for injecting more life into your holiday centerpiece!
Turkey Injection Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup apple cider or chicken broth
- ¼ cup melted butter or avocado oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Remove the turkey from its packaging and transfer it to a large roasting pan (ideally the same roaster you plan to use to roast the turkey). Pat turkey dry using paper towels. Reach into the turkey cavity and pull out the neck and giblets. Set them aside to cook separately or discard them.
- Place the butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 30-60 seconds, or until it is completely melted.
- Immediately mix in the apple cider, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning and sea salt until everything is well combined. Note: if you wait too long to mix and inject, the butter may start to harden so try to work quickly. An alternative is to use avocado oil or olive oil instead of melted butter, which buys you all the time in the world.
- Fill the meat injector with the fluid using the instructions specific to your injector. Some injectors are loaded through the top whereas some suck the injection liquid through the hole of the injector needle.
- Insert the needle into the turkey and press on the handle to release a small amount of liquid, about 1 to 2 teaspoons per injection site. Continue injecting many areas in the breast as well as the whole turkey, focusing most of your attention on the white meat areas. Insert the needle in different directions to get those great flavors everywhere. Be sure to get the side of the breast as well as the top of the breast for the best flavorful turkey.
- Sprinkle the outside of the turkey with coarse sea salt for a dry brine since you’re already here.
- When you’re ready to cook the turkey, proceed with your chosen turkey recipe for seasoning the outside. You can make my Garlic Butter Roast Turkey or my Orange-Ginger Glazed.
Nutrition
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