Oh those Cajun turkey people are SMART! There you are trying to figure out what size turkey to buy and there is a pretty display promising you the BEST Thanksgiving turkey you’ve ever tasted with a bottle of turkey injection juice. Well, they lie. You can make something even better at home!
Why You’ll Love It (Chef Notes)
- Quick- While dry or wet brining takes foresight and time, an injection should be done right before you cooking and taking only 5 minutes to whip together.
- Tested– We tested using three types of liquid (and all are fair game): beer vs broth vs cider.
- Volume– The right amount for your size turkey.
- Rub– Pair this injection with a perfectly complementing turkey rub recipe.
- No Butter Base– Butter sounds like it should be delicious, but it actually just gets stuck in the injector and butter (a fat) will not absorb into the turkey meat. Butter is best kept on under and over the skin for flavor and browning.
Ingredients for Turkey Injection
Making your own also means you get to customize the flavors and make something special. Add more or less hot sauce, use a broth instead of beer, maybe even take out the honey all together. You can easily find all of these at your local grocery store.
- Liquid- You have some choices with beer, broth or cider. All three are excellent, but I prefer the beer or cider for full bodied flavor.
- Worcestershire sauce– adds savory depth and sophistication.
- Honey– balances the sauce and also helps to stabilize it. You can also use agave nectar.
- Garlic Powder & Onion Powder– Use just a small amount and make sure it is powder and not granulated that will run the risk of clogging.
- Hot sauce– A thin cayenne sauce like Texas Pete or Frank’s works best. Anything too thick or with chile and garlic pieces will clog up the syringe. This diulates quite a bit so don’t worry about your bird being too spicy. Add more for a spicy bird.
- Coarse Kosher Salt- Use Kosher salt and makes sure it is fully dissolved. Iodized can leave a metallic taste and regular sea salt has much finer grain- you can use it, but reduce to 1/2 teaspoon.
Whisk the ingredients in a bowl until the salt has dissolved. If you notice larger bits that are not dissolving, run it through a fine mesh sieve to prevent the injector from clogging. Avoid using ingredients that might clog the injector- any spices that are large grains or dried herbs.
How Much To Inject?
- Roast: 0.5 oz per lb (6-7 oz for a 13‑lb bird)
- Smoke: 0.75–1.0 oz per lb (10-13 oz for a 13‑lb bird)
- Fry: 0.75–1.0 oz per lb (10-13 oz for a 13‑lb bird)
How to Inject a Turkey
The only special equipment you will need is the injector, but you can buy this bad boy once and use it over and over again with many different recipes. I do prefer the heavy duty ones compared to plastic, these often don’t have much power to inject into dense meat and then they break. These also have larger holes that are port-side (holes are on the side) and less likely to get stuck with better distribution of liquid.
- Make injection. Plan to inject the turkey right before cooking. Don’t too it too early and do it AFTER rubbing with seasoning or butter (if you are doing either of these). The pressure from the massage will push out the marinade. I even place it in the roasting pan before injecting so I don’t jostle it out in transit.
- Inject both breasts– Inject in 3-5 different holes, depending on how big the bird is. For best distribution, press down on the plunger gently as you pull the needle out. Aim for 1 teaspoon per hole. Too much and the liquid will just bubbling out of the injection hole.
- Inject both thighs– Inject in the meatiness parts 2-3 times, following the same technique of injecting and pulling out at the same time, aiming for approximately 1 teaspoon per hole.
- Inject other areas. Depending on the size and meatiness of your bird, inject any other areas that are thick with meat, like the meaty part of the drumstick.
- Avoid bones. No need to inject thinner areas, the marinade won’t stay put. Avoid injecting right up next to bones.
Beer vs Broth vs Cider
Pick your base! All three are interchangable at the same volume AND can be used in the recipe below so it really just depends on what flavor profile you are aiming for.
| Base (12 ounces) | Flavor Notes | Juiceness | Best For … |
| Beer (light lager) | Malty-savory, slight sweetness; boosts browning aromas | High | Roast or Smoke |
| Low Sodium Chicken or Turkey Both | Clean savory backbone; lets spices lead | Very high | Fry or Smoke |
| Apple Cider (NOT vinegar) | Subtle apple/caramel; balanced sweetness | High | Roast |
How to Cook a Turkey With Injection
The short answer is: however you’d like! Rub it down with a turkey butter, other compound butter, our turkey seasoning and butter or use the cheesecloth method, which suspends on the skin and that helps to crisp and flavor. Butter works best for Champagne Turkey. It will burn on a fried turkey and smoking takes so long, it will start to melt off.
Commonly Asked Questions
Right before cooking. I do not recommend injecting before because it increases the risk that the liquid will seep out. If you are rubbing with spices or butter, do this before injecting.
Chances are the ingredients weren’t fully dissolved. If there are any larger bits, pour it through a fine mesh sieve. Using a food grade injector with a large port (hole) is also necessary.
If the injection is too thick, add more liquid until it easily runs through.
No. If you brine the turkey will be fully saturated and not need to be injected. If you’d rather brine, chicken out my recipe (and tips) for the best turkey brine recipe.
Sure! The flavors from the drippings will just help to enhance the gravy. But here is a recipe for a standard turkey gravy and also our favorite red wine gravy.
Serving Suggestions
If you are still looking for some ideas for your Thanksgiving dinner table, here are a few of our favorite savory side dishes. We also have some ideas for alternative Thanksgiving entrees if you are serving a mixed lifestyle table.
And after you get done eating your turkey, check out our leftover turkey recipes or make Turkey Stock or Turkey Noodle Soup!
Homemade Turkey Injection (Beer, Broth or Cider)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces light beer, low-sodium broth or apple cider
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 5-6 drops hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Whisk together the 12 ounces light beer, low-sodium broth or apple cider , 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons honey, 5-6 drops hot sauce1 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder in a small bowl until combined and salt has dissolved. If there look to be large bits, pour it through a fine sieve to remove them.
- If you are using a rub or compound butter, apply it before you start to injection.
- Pull the marinade into the large injection needle. Right before cooking, inject it into the meatiest parts -breasts, thighs, and (optionally) drumsticks – not the cavity, right under the skin, or into bone or joints. Each breasts should need 3-5 injection sites, depending on size. The thighs can take 2-3 in the meatiest part. Avoid the wings. Do not overfill or the liquid will just come bubbling out of the hole.
- Cook the turkey according to the instructions listed in your recipe.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or ratings!
Video
Notes
- Plan about 0.5–1.0 oz of liquid per pound of turkey.
- Roast closer to 0.5 oz/lb; smoke or fry can handle up to 1.0 oz/lb.
- At each site, think 1–2 teaspoons so you don’t create big pockets.
Nutrition
Everyone raved about the turkey. This recipe is a keeper!
Juiciest air fried turkey I have ever had. Highly recommended the recipe
Glad you loved it!
I used this recipe as a practice run for this year’s Thanksgiving. It is super flavorful, but I did add butter to my injection, contrary to what Jessica recommends. I have been deep frying turkeys for 20 years and the injection always includes butter. The holes absolutely seal once the bird is baptized. Although as Donald mentioned below, the garlic adds a nice touch that I will try this year.
When I inject any meat but especially poultry, I always “plug” the injection site with slivers of garlic. While it may not keep all the injection liquids in the meat, it always helps with flavor and if it keeps some in it’s worth the effort.
Love that idea! Who complains about extra garlic? NO ONE!
Vampires complain….. alot!
Never thought of plugging after the injection. I tried it this year and it worked great! I think that was genius. This marinade tasted great. I used butter instead of beer, plugged the injections with onions. Probably my best turkey in 20 yrs of frying. Thanks.
So glad to hear that! I’ll add this info to the post.
How much butter? Salted or unsalted butter?
HI, what liquid can i use other than beer? Cider, broth, olive oil? I’m looking for a gluten free/dairyfree injection for my sister and nephew.
All of the above! I would think water or cider would be best. Olive oil might be a little too thick and not be able to sink into the turkey as well.
Anything you want really. The flavors in the injection along with the brine don’t dominate an overarching flavor profile so much as they just keep the bird moist. It’s tough to go wrong when it comes to injecting solutions.
Great recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Awesome! Thank you for letting us know!
This adds the BEST flavor and keeps the turkey so moist! Yum!
Can you use this brine to inject to smoke a turkey
You sure can!
We love injecting poultry for flavor and your mix sounds delicious!
I love adding a seasoning under the skin as it helps keep the turkey so much moister. And you are totally right with the price of prepared injection liquid when you can just make your own. I love to do this with other meats too but would love to try it on a deep-fried turkey. Haven’t succumbed to buying that kit yet. 🙂