This is the best turkey injection recipe when you want to use your grill or smoker to make a whole turkey. By injecting a poultry marinade into your holiday turkey (or any meal!), you will end up with a tender and moist turkey that is full of flavor! This recipe has a hint of sweetness from the honey while the lemon and butter provide great flavor that compliments the wood flavors from the smoker.
When you use injection marinades, you can say goodbye to dry turkeys! This process literally infuses flavor through the whole turkey breast and helps to tenderize. You can also use this technique with other turkey brines. When I make my smoked turkey recipe, I like to keep the seasoning mixture simple and this recipe is a breeze.
Smoking a turkey for your next backyard barbecue? While simply seasoning the skin delivers flavor, injecting it with a marinade brings the taste throughout the entire bird. Below, we’ll explore the pros and cons of injecting turkey before smoking.
Why Inject Turkey Before Smoking?
Injecting turkey before smoking offers several advantages:
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Deeper flavor penetration – Rubbing seasonings on the skin only flavors the exterior Injecting infuses seasonings into the meat for more flavor in every bite,
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Added moisture – Injecting introduces extra moisture into the turkey, keeping it juicier as it smokes. This prevents dryness.
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Speeds up smoking – Injecting partially seasons and marinates the turkey, reducing total smoking time.
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Flavors hard-to-reach areas – Injecting forces flavor into thick parts of the breast, thighs and other areas that smoke doesn’t penetrate as well.
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Introduces new flavors – Creative marinades inject exciting new flavors like citrus, spices, herbs and more into the meat.
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Tenderizes meat – The salt and acid in marinades helps tenderize turkey meat before smoking.
What to Inject in Smoked Turkey
Popular ingredients to inject in turkey before smoking include:
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Butter – Imparts moisture, richness and savory flavor. Melted butter is easy to inject.
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Broths – Chicken, turkey or vegetable broth provides an aromatic, savory base.
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Oils – Olive, avocado, sesame and other oils add smooth flavor and healthy fats.
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Juices – Lemon, lime, orange, apple, pineapple and other juices inject bright, fruity flavors.
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Alcohol – Wine, beer and liquor contribute complex, robust taste.
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Creams – Cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream, etc. make turkey extra moist and luscious.
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Hot sauces – A few dashes of hot sauce brings spicy kick.
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Fresh herbs – Finely mince herbs like rosemary, thyme and sage and add to marinade.
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Spices and seasonings – Garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin and more add personality.
How to Inject a Turkey for Smoking
Injecting a turkey is simple:
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Make marinade – Whisk together ingredients to create your flavorful turkey injection marinade.
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Prepare injector – Ensure the injector needle doesn’t have blockages and is working properly.
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Inject marinade – Insert needle into thickest parts of breast, thighs and legs. Inject 1-2 oz per injection site.
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Refrigerate turkey – Store injected turkey in the fridge for 6-24 hours before smoking to marinate.
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Pat turkey dry – Blot with paper towels before smoking to remove excess surface moisture.
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Smoke turkey – Smoke turkey as you normally would, though the cooking time may be slightly reduced.
Should You Inject Turkey Before Smoking?
While injecting turkey before smoking does offer benefits, it also has some drawbacks to consider:
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Time-consuming – Making a marinade and injecting the turkey takes extra time and effort.
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Uneven results – Some areas may get more marinade than others no matter how carefully you inject.
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Leaks marinade – Marinade can leak from the injection holes as you inject, creating a mess.
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Alters skin – Injecting leaves small holes in the skin which affects appearance.
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Not always necessary – Smoking alone usually makes turkey fairly moist and flavorful without injecting.
So should you inject your turkey before smoking? It’s up to personal preference. If you want deeply seasoned meat with exciting new flavors, injecting can certainly help achieve this. But for purists who want classic smoke flavor, seasoning the exterior may be sufficient. Either way, injected or not, smoked turkey cooked properly turns out incredibly delicious!
Why You’ll Love This Turkey Injection Marinade Recipe
- Makes the turkey tender, moist, juicy, and adds more flavor.
- Very simple to whip up. Even beginner cooks can do this!
- The ingredient list is short and sweet!
What is a Meat Injection Syringe?
A meat injector syringe can be purchased at most kitchen supply stores. I have seen them at Williams-Sonoma, Target, and even some grocery stores. I purchased mine, this stainless steel meat injector, through Amazon (affil). I am still learning to use it, but have had great success with several traditional turkey marinades and also some chicken injection recipes. I like that it has a variety of tips so that the injection mixture flows through easily if I’m trying to inject a recipe that has ground spices in it. It’s also easy to clean.
- You can use olive oil or avocado oil in place of the melted butter. An oil in your turkey marinade provides flavor and adds moisture.
- Try a cajun turkey injection recipe by adding cayenne pepper, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, onion powder, and or creole seasoning to your marinade. I would omit the honey in this case.
- Looking for a use for the neck and/or giblets? Make this turkey neck gravy recipe or doctor up your dressing with this Thanksgiving Stovetop stuffing recipe.
Smoked Turkey with Injection
FAQ
Is it better to inject a turkey the night before?
Should you brine a turkey that has been injected?
Do you have to dry turkey before smoking?
Do you have to inject a turkey breast?