Turkey Injection Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What do you inject turkeys with? ›

Inject the turkey with melted butter seasoned with salt, ground black pepper, and ground rosemary to achieve the moistest meat. Cranberry BBQ Glazed Whole Turkey: This glazed turkey is heavenly, but you can make it even better by injecting it with your cranberry BBQ glaze before cooking.

You can inject just right before cooking it. But, if you pull the turkey out of the package now and prepare it, you will have a couple of days refrigerator time to season it and help dry the skin some. If you were brining you would inject after the brine period.

Advantages of injecting turkey:

Fats like melted butter, duck fat, or olive oil can be delivered deep into the breast meat, increasing its succulence. Because the liquid is delivered under the skin, the skin tends to come out darker and crisper than that of a brined bird.

Injected and Baked Whole Turkey, Water, Salt, Dextrose, Sodium Phosphate, Carrageenan, and Natural Flavors.

Rubs, brines and sauces deliver flavor to the surface of the turkey, but injecting flavor inside guarantees juiciness throughout the meat.

Stick with salt and pepper, put herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage to work, or take spicy Cajun seasoning for a spin for some kick. Whatever blend you choose, spread it all over the turkey—on top, underneath, between the body and wings and legs, under the skin, and even in the cavity of the bird.

I recommend injecting the turkey the night before you plan to fry, but it can be done as soon as one hour in advance. I've found that the flavor is more intense if you allow it to set overnight in the fridge.

I do this year-round at home when I'm roasting, grilling, or braising. Every piece of poultry and pork, plus thicker cuts of beef and lamb, and even meatier fillets of fish like swordfish and grouper get seasoned at least one day ahead, and sometimes more, with kosher salt.

Butterball Fresh Whole Turkey is all natural*, never frozen, gluten free, and raised without hormones on American farms. Every fresh turkey is pre-brined before packaging for meat that's always tender and juicy. *All natural means minimally processed and no artificial ingredients.

"Probably the number one fear people have with turkeys on Thanksgiving is dry meat, aside from undercooking it," she says. "And a brine is a really great way, even if you go a few degrees over your desired cooking temperature, if you forget the turkey in the oven for some reason [to help avoid over-cooking].

Can you over brine a turkey? ›

Brining for too long can result in meat that tastes overly-salty and has a spongy texture. If you're not ready to roast the bird after 18 hours, remove it from the brine, rinse it, pat it dry, and refrigerate for up to two days.

If properly stored, raw turkey can last in the fridge for 1–2 days, while cold cuts last up to 5 days. How long does cooked turkey last in the fridge? If you have leftovers that include cooked turkey, you can expect those to last in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.

Fresh and Frozen Butterball turkeys are deep basted for juiciness and flavor. All natural means minimally processed and no artificial ingredients. All turkeys are raised hormone- and steroid-free in accordance with USDA requirements.

"Most turkeys are already brined. Butterball turkeys have a solution in them that really helps to keep them moist and juicy and tender. If you're going to brine it, we do suggest that you cut down on the salt.”

A simple mixture of broth, butter, lemon, garlic, pepper, and salt delivers moisture and flavor to the white meat and enhances the texture and taste of the dark meat. If you're choosing to brine this bird and then inject it, do not add salt to the injection mixture because the turkey will end up being too salty.

They often are injected with a basting solution of water, salt and spices—more of it than with fresh turkeys—to amp up the flavor and make the meat extra juicy. Honeysuckle White turkeys are treated to a brine of turkey broth, salt, sugar, celery and rosemary extract.

Never pass up the opportunity to add flavor to turkey by stuffing the cavity with a simple aromatics mix. Fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, and sage along with a half lemon go a long way to add flavor, and stuffing it into the bird takes almost no time at all.

I recommend injecting the turkey the night before you plan to fry, but it can be done as soon as one hour in advance. I've found that the flavor is more intense if you allow it to set overnight in the fridge.