One of the most amazing ways of preparing a turkey marinade is rubbing it with mixed spices and brining it. However, you can add more flavor to the turkey by injecting the marinade directly into the meat.
Rubbing marinades and sauces on the turkey’s outer layer is great but injecting it allows the flavors to permeate deep into the meat fibers thus enriching the taste of turkey.
Meat injectors are affordable and are always accompanied by add-ons to guide you on how to use them on different types of marinades. You can check out the Premiala Awesome Meat Injector for a start.
Using a Meat Injector
If you’re unfamiliar with meat injectors, the holes lining the edges of the needle will be the first thing you notice. The needle’s tip doesn’t often have a hole in it. Despite the fact that some injectors have perforations at the needle tip. This differs from standard injectors and syringes, which have just one hole.
You must thoroughly bury the needle in the turkey while using this feature in order for the marinade to be injected without leaking. A deep dish could be needed for this. Utilize a larger glass tumbler or champagne flute so the needle can pull in as much liquid to efficiently draw the marinade into the injector.
Always Go For Stainless Steel Needles
When purchasing an injector, you must consider factors such as durability and resistance to rust and corrosion. This is because most of the time your meat injector will be exposed while in use. You don’t want to use an injector with rust that will contaminate your meat. Stainless steel needles are also easy to clean and maintain.
Injectors with a Variety of Needles
It’s much better to invest in an injector with different sets of needles. More sets mean you can inject more varieties of meats and various types of marinades.
Needles come in different sizes and also have varying hole placement locations. This is due to marinades that vary in thickness with some marinades containing herbs mixed in them. The Smokehaus-Premium Meat Injector Kit Syringe may prove useful as it has three marinade injector needles.
Inject at Different Locations for Even Distribution
To enhance a uniform distribution of flavor in your turkey, inject the marinade at different points throughout the flesh. You can inject it as much as you’d like but ensure the fleshy parts are well marinated. You can map out a grid throughout your turkey so it can guide you on where to inject the marinades. Find out more about injecting various types of meat in this guide.
Best Smoked Turkey Injection Recipes
Below are three amazing injection recipes you can try on your turkey before smoking it. The mix of external and internal flavors will explode your taste buds.
Beer n’ Butter Poultry Injection
Ingredients:
- Butter (½ lb)
- Beer (500ml)
- Salt (2 tablespoons)
- Nando’s PERi-PERi Sauce Tabasco (2 tablespoons)
- Soy sauce (1 tablespoon)
- Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce (2 tablespoons)
- Onion powder (2 teaspoons)
- Garlic powder (2 teaspoons)
Instructions
Add butter to a saucepan and melt it. Add the rest of the ingredients and thoroughly mix under low heat until it produces a runny paste that is liquid enough to be drawn by the meat injector. Draw the liquid when still warm and inject the marinade into your turkey.
For best results to prepare a perfect rub for smoked turkey, use a mix of brown sugar, smoked paprika, kosher salt, garlic and onion powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. You can also lace it with herbs such as thyme, sage, rosemary, and celery salt.
Store the turkey in plastic wrap for about an hour to allow for absorption of the marinades throughout its flesh. Put your turkey on the smoker’s grates, close the smoker’s lid then let it cook until it reaches an optimum temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Insert a meat thermometer into the turkey to monitor its temperature and ensure it doesn’t touch any bone. Once it reaches the optimum temperature, remove the turkey from the smoker and allow it to cool for about 15 minutes.
Cut the turkey for serving. Garnish with smoked turkey gravy and a salad of your choice.
Italian Herb Injection
Ingredients:
- Italian seasonings (1 tablespoon)
- Oregano (2 tablespoons)
- Basil (2 tablespoons)
- Rosemary (2 tablespoons)
- Sage (2 tablespoons)
- Thyme (2 tablespoons)
- Marjoram (2 tablespoons)
- Red wine (¾ cup)
- Olive oil (¾ cup)
- Savory (2 tablespoons)
- Balsamic vinegar (1 tablespoon)
- Black pepper (1 teaspoon)
Instructions
Ensure all herbs listed in the ingredients are ground. If they are still whole, grind them using a blender or spice grinder so you can have a powdered mixture of spices. Separate the mixture into two portions, one for mixing with the liquid ingredients and the other for creating a turkey rub recipe.
Mix the first portion of the powdered mixture with all other ingredients until they form a uniform liquid ready for injection in your turkey. Use the remaining portion to rub uniformly on the turkey. This will enhance its external flavor when smoked.
Use a smoker or a grill and smoker and grill combo to smoke your turkey. Let it cook up to an optimum temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (use a meat thermometer to monitor this). Remove the turkey from the smoker then serve with your favorite smoked turkey gravy and choice salad.
Savory Turkey Injection Marinade
Ingredients:
- Garlic powder (2 teaspoons)
- Onion powder (2 teaspoons)
- Salt (1 tablespoon)
- Thyme (1 teaspoon, ground)
- Sage (1 teaspoon, ground)
- Bay leaf (1 teaspoon, ground)
- Black pepper (1 teaspoon)
- Vegetable oil (¼ cup)
- Water (¼ cup)
- Worcestershire sauce (3 tablespoons)
Instructions
Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan under low steady heat. Keep stirring the mixture until it forms a uniform spice and herb liquid. Let it simmer for a few minutes then draw the marinade into your injector. Use brown sugar, salt, black pepper, paprika, and other spices of your choice to create a uniform rub throughout the surface of your turkey.
Place it in the smoker and grill combo for it to smoke to your desired taste and texture. Be sure to monitor the temperature of the turkey using a meat probe thermometer in the smoker for the best results.
Conclusion
Injecting marinade into turkey is one of the fastest ways of adding flavor to the interior parts of turkey meat. It also increases the succulence of cooked fats such as melted butter and olive oil which gives an extra tinge of taste when you eat it. With the deep penetration of the marinades into the turkey, you can enjoy the rich flavors embedded in its chunks of meat.