You’re probably sick of talking Turkey by now, but given that last week was Thanksgiving, I thought it would be a great time to discuss how your poultry production progressed. How did you prepare the bird? Did you brine it, or inject it? Perhaps you did both. Either way, let us explore the benefits and drawbacks to each and weigh in on the great debate about Brining Vs. Injecting and which is better.
When preparing a turkey for a holiday feast, many home cooks look to brining and injecting as ways to add flavor and moisture. But is it wise to use both techniques on the same bird? There are pros and cons to consider when combining brining and injecting.
Understanding Brining and Injecting
First, let’s quickly review what each technique does
Brining involves soaking the raw turkey in a saltwater solution for hours or days. The salt penetrates the meat seasons it and helps it retain moisture when cooked. Aromatics like herbs, spices, and sugar can be added to the brine as well.
Injecting uses a large syringe to insert a flavorful liquid deep into the turkey meat. Common injecting liquids include broth melted butter and marinades. The liquid permeates the meat to make it juicier and more flavorful.
Both techniques aim to make the turkey more moist, tender and flavorful. But using them together takes some care.
The Benefits of Brining and Injecting the Turkey
Combining brining and injecting can provide these potential benefits:
- Moist, well-seasoned meat throughout the turkey
- Flavor infusion from brine and injection liquid
- Aromatics reach deep into meat via injection
- Excellent insurance against dry turkey meat
The brine will penetrate and season the entire turkey, while the injection targets the interior meat that can often be bland and prone to drying out. The flavor and moisture effects complement each other nicely.
Potential Pitfalls of Over-Marinating
However, there are a few potential downsides to using both turkey preparation methods:
- Too much salt if brine and injection are both salty
- Odd flavors if brine and injection liquids clash
- Unbalanced flavors if one technique dominates
- Unpleasant wet texture if too much liquid is introduced
To avoid these issues, the brine and injection must be carefully formulated and balanced.
Tips for Brining and Injecting the Turkey
If you want to both brine and inject the turkey, here are some tips:
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Use a salt-free injection mix – since brine introduces salt, the injection should not. Opt for broth, butter, juice or a marinade without salt.
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Select complementary flavors – choose herbs, spices and other aromatics that work well together in both the brine and injection. Apple, sage, rosemary, and brown sugar make a nice pairing.
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Reduce brining time – cut back on brining time from the norm since the injection will also add moisture. An 8-12 hour brine may be sufficient rather than a full 24 hours.
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Inject judiciously – inject into a few key areas like the breast and thighs rather than over-injecting every inch. Limit the injection to about 1 cup total liquid.
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Rinse and pat dry – after brining, rinse the turkey, pat it dry and let air dry in the fridge for optimal skin crisping later.
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Cook properly – cook to a safe internal temperature to ensure any bacteria from injection needles is eliminated.
A Sample Brine and Injection Recipe
To give you an idea of how this can work in practice, here is a sample brine and injection recipe:
Apple-Sage Brine
- 1 gallon water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
- 5 sprigs fresh sage
- 1⁄2 apple, cored and chopped
- 4 bay leaves
Bring all ingredients to a boil, cool, then brine 12-18 hours. Discard brine after using.
Apple-Sage Butter Injection
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1⁄4 cup apple juice
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
Combine all ingredients, mix well, and inject into deep breast meat and thighs. Avoid over-injecting.
The flavors will perfectly complement each other for a delicious and moist turkey!
Should You Brine and Inject the Bird?
In the end, combining brining and injecting the turkey can produce excellent results – as long as you follow a few guidelines to prevent over-marinating. A salt-free injection paired with a shorter brine and reserved injecting can give you the benefits of both techniques without the pitfalls. For a fool-proof holiday turkey, brining and targeted injecting is hard to beat!
Why do we do it?
Brining and injecting both have the desired effect of adding moisture and flavor to whatever you are cooking. Turkey and chicken benefit greatly from this practice, but pork, beef, lamb and even fish can benefit from one of these two treatments.
Until recently people suffered through meals of dried and desiccated chicken, turkey, briskets, and pork roasts. It was the polite thing to do, that is until brining became mainstream in North America. It is nearly impossible to get both the breast and thigh/leg portion of a bird be cooked to the desired doneness at the same time unless you cook them separately. This is all due to the shape of the chicken or turkey, and the proportions of white to dark meat which are done at 165°F and 180°F respectively; and that’s just for the birds!
Brining is a great way to hydrate meat. It’s especially effective on poultry, pork, and when used sparingly on fish. Basically, you submerge meat in a salty solution for up to 24 hours and sometimes more. There are pros and cons to this technique. Brining visibly and physically plumps the meat in a process where dissolved salt will cause the muscle fibers to swell and absorb water, which then stays there during the grilling process.
First and foremost when making and using brine, you have to have a place to put both the brine and the meat to keep it at a safe, cold temperature for the duration. A few pork chops or fish fillets are easily brined, but it can be hard to find a container big enough to fit a whole turkey, especially when it gets up over 15 lbs. Then finding a place to keep the brining bird so that it won’t freeze, or get too warm. When space is at a premium during the holidays, this can be a challenge.
While you do receive more uniform seasoning results than you potentially would with injecting, there is the risk that the meat you are cooking won’t have crispy skin or a crust after brining. This can be remedied by thoroughly rinsing and drying the meat off before you cook, then applying a thin layer of fat to the outside, with some strategic seasonings.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Great for poultry, and pork | Potentially takes up to 24 hours |
| Hydrates meat | Takes up a lot of space |
| Uniform seasoning | Lots of salt, salty drippings |
| More tender meat – especially poultry, white stays tender while dark finishes cooking | Skin doesn’t crisp well during cooking |
| Easily customized with savory and sweet ingredients | Not great for mass-produced birds |
| Does not improve dark red meats like lamb and beef |
Injecting is another great way to ensure much-needed hydration in all meats and can be done right before the big cook. Though, for better results, allowing time for the injection to equilibrate for up to 24 hours is recommended. With injecting you can see the results immediately. Injecting can be done with a flavorful liquid or even a brine mixture. The one caveat being that the injection needs to be thin and liquidy, with little to no chunks (Napoleon’s Stainless Steel Marinade Injector does have a large bore needle that can handle very small chunks), Using a mixture of fat – like melted butter, liquid – like wine or broth, and soluble seasonings – like garlic powder, will take an otherwise boring piece of meat to the next level.
It’s been a long-held opinion that this process works better for thick, large, and solid meats like beef and pork. Brining is a slower process. In the amount of time required to get the deep inside meat like a brisket or pork shoulder, the meat would in fact cure, becoming pastrami or corned beef.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| It’s faster. Inject right before, or when pressed for time | Oil or water-soluble ingredients recommended, chunks tend to clog the needle |
| Fats and flavor are deposited deep into the meat | Penetration can be sporadic |
| Skin is crisp | Possible spray back |
| Easily customized with savory and sweet liquid ingredients |
One of the big CON’s of injecting is spray back. When you over-fill a section of meat and the injection liquid sprays back at you. Some combat this by wrapping the subject in plastic wrap prior to injection. A great way to prevent spray back is not going through the skin when injecting, instead, inserting the needle after you have lifted the skin a little. Also, moving the needle around while depressing the plunger slowly will help diffuse the liquid being injected.
Should You Inject Or Brine Your Thanksgiving Turkey
FAQ
Should I brine and inject my turkey before frying?
Can you dry brine an injected turkey?
Is it absolutely necessary to brine turkey?