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.
Injecting a turkey before roasting is a great way to boost moisture and infuse flavor deep into the meat. But when should you inject – the night before or right before cooking? There are good reasons for both timelines, so let’s look at the pros and cons to help decide when you should inject your turkey.
Why Injecting the Night Before Works Well
Doing your turkey injection the night before you cook has some advantages
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Longer marinating time – Injecting 8-12 hours before allows the flavors to fully permeate the meat overnight.
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Enhanced flavor – The extra time results in a turkey that is more infused with the flavors from the injection.
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Tenderizing effects – Salt and acidic injecting liquids have more time to help break down collagen for tender meat.
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Convenience – You can get the injection done ahead of time so it’s one less thing to worry about on cooking day
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Thorough coverage – If injecting a whole turkey, the flavors have time to distribute throughout overnight.
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Freed up oven space – For holiday turkeys, injecting the night before opens up oven space on the big cooking day.
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Food safety – A thoroughly injected turkey can be refrigerated safely overnight before roasting
Potential Drawbacks to Injecting the Night Before
Despite the upsides, there are a few reasons you may want to wait and inject right before putting the turkey in the oven:
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Dilution of flavors – Marinating too long can cause some flavors from the injection to dissipate.
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Uneven distribution – Gravity can cause injected liquids to pool more at the bottom overnight.
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Safety concerns – Raw turkey juices require meticulous cleanup to avoid contamination.
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Skin damage – Needle holes in the skin from injecting can leak juices if left overnight.
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Texture loss – Salt and acids in the injection can start breaking down turkey texture over time.
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Temperature control – An injected turkey needs refrigeration, not being left out overnight.
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Extra handling – Taking the turkey out to inject then re-refrigerating adds extra steps.
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Moisture loss – Some surface moisture loss can happen in the fridge over 8+ hours.
Tips for Injecting Your Turkey the Night Before
If you decide to inject the night before roasting, follow these best practices:
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Inject breast, thighs, drumsticks to cover all the turkey meat. Avoid over-injecting.
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Refrigerate immediately after injecting to keep temperature below 40°F.
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Use an acidic injection liquid like wine, citrus, or vinegar for tenderizing.
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Inject just 6-8 hours before roasting if worried about flavor dilution.
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Pat turkey dry before cooking to remove excess surface liquid.
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Flip turkey and massage injection around periodically, if possible.
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Apply rub right before roasting so flavors don’t wash off overnight.
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Adjust roasting time or temp if needed to account for extra moisture inside.
Recommendations for Injecting Right Before Roasting
If you decide injecting just before going into the oven is best, here are some tips:
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Make your injection marinade the day before so it’s ready to go.
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Inject turkey immediately before placing it in the preheated oven.
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Cover all areas of the turkey, focusing on thick meat sections.
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Plan enough time in your schedule for injecting before guests arrive.
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Keep injected raw turkey contained in the kitchen to prevent contamination.
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Be prepared to multitask between injecting and any other remaining prep.
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Let turkey rest briefly after injecting so liquid can penetrate before roasting.
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Expect slightly less pronounced flavors compared to overnight injecting.
Example Marinade Recipes for Turkey Injection
Whether you inject the night before or right before roasting, you’ll need a flavorful marinade. Here are some great recipes to try:
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Herb butter marinade – Melted butter, rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic, salt, pepper
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Citrus marinade – Orange juice, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, Cajun seasoning
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Savory marinade – Chicken broth, olive oil, garlic, onion powder, Worcestershire
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Apple marinade – Apple juice, brown sugar, apple pie spice, garlic powder
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Wine marinade – White wine, chicken broth, onion, parsley, bay leaf
Deciding whether to inject your turkey the night before or right before roasting depends on your schedule, goals, and preferences. Both timelines have their own benefits. For maximum flavor and tender meat, inject the night before. If you’re short on time or concerned about texture, inject just before cooking. Either way, an injected turkey will be much moister and more flavorful.
Best Turkey Injection Recipe
This Homemade Turkey Injection Seasoning is super easy, taking only 5 minutes for a flavorful and slightly sweet bird just like store bought. It’s basically an injectable marinade.
Let’s start with a little honesty. I wasn’t all that interested in making turkey, let alone the perfect homemade turkey until I realized how many of my foodie friends were struggling.
After posting How to Brine a Turkey on a whim one year and it BLEW UP! I was getting hundreds of emails and comments thanking me or asking emergency turkey-making questions.
I literally spent my entire Thanksgiving answering panicked home cooks across the states. The truth is that there are a million ways to make a really good turkey, but there is no one perfect way. It depends on how many people you are feeding, your preferred method of cooking and of course, taste preferences. Some folks just need a turkey breast recipe instead of the whole bird.
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.
- Beer – I like using a light beer, but if you really want to use a dark, go for it. Remember, the whole bird will be infused with these flavors, so choose wisely. Low sodium chicken broth can also be used.
- Worcestershire sauce– adds a savory depth and sophistication.
- Honey– balances the sauce and also helps to stabilize it. You can also use agave nectar.
- 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.
Make sure you whisk the ingredients in a bowl. I very stupidly made the mistake of putting them all in a jar and trying to shake it together… well carbonated beer + shaking = mess. Also avoid adding any spices or herbs that will clog in the injection needle- like black pepper or flaky herbs. If adding them, put them in a spice grinder to get them real fine first.
Lemon juice and Creole seasoning are also favorites.
Some also use butter or olive oil, but I find this to be a little silly. Butter (or olive oil) will not absorb into the turkey meat and the hole you created will not seal, so all of that butter is just going to bubble out of the hole. I do not believe in butter based injections. It is not water soluble.
You can, however, rub it down with a 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 roast turkey. It will burn on a fried turkey and smoking takes so long, it will start to melt off.
How long before cooking can you inject a turkey?
FAQ
Is it OK to prep the turkey the night before?
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Can I inject my turkey the day before I smoke it?
Can you prep a turkey the night before smoking?