Easy Butter-Based Injection Sauce for Your Turkey (2024)

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American Food
BBQ Food
BBQ Marinades

Derrick Riches

Derrick Riches is a grilling and barbecue expert. He has written two cookbooks.

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Updated on 02/2/24

Tested by

Diana Rattray

Tested byDiana Rattray

Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

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Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 2 mins

Marinate: 3 hrs

Total: 3 hrs 12 mins

Servings: 12 servings

Yield: 3/4 cup

340 ratings

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Although it's most common for home cooks to brine the turkey before roasting it, there are certain advantages when you directly inject the meat with a delicious marinade. Drier meats like turkey greatly benefit from this technique, as the injection sauce keeps the bird juicy and adds flavor deep within the meat.Our recipe for an easy injection sauce keeps it simple with ingredients you're likely to have in your pantry. Use an injection sauce whether you plan to roast, smoke, or deep-fry your poultry.

You should plan on using this injection marinade several hours before you start cooking. If you have the time, inject the bird the night before roasting. While you can brine your turkey, that process mostly adds salt rather than additional flavors—plus it also takes more time.

You will need a meat injector for this recipe. This large syringe is available at most kitchen stores, well-stocked supermarkets, or online. It can be unwieldyat first, so you may want to practice manipulating it a bit with water before you use your butter injection sauce. Some injection experts recommend placing the bird in a brining bag while injecting the marinade, as the pressurized liquid can splatter out through any opening in the bird, causing a big mess.

Easy Butter-Based Injection Sauce for Your Turkey (3)

What You'll Need To Make This Injection Sauce Recipe

A Meat Injector

A Sturdy Roasting Pan

An Accurate Meat Thermometer

"This sauce was excellent. I injected and roasted a small chicken (about 4 pounds), and it came out tender and juicy. If you plan to baste the chicken as it cooks, you could easily make another batch. It only takes a few minutes to make the sauce." —Diana Rattray

Easy Butter-Based Injection Sauce for Your Turkey (7)

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Injection:

1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon finely ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Turkey:

1 (15- to 20-pound) turkey

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
Add the chicken broth, butter, lemon juice, garlic powder, black pepper, and white pepper in a small saucepan. Mix well until the butter is completely melted.
Add salt and taste test. Add more salt if needed, but keep in mind the mixture needs a good but not overpowering flavor. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool until just warm for 8 minutes.
Load the marinade into a meat injector and slowly and carefully inject it into various spots in the bird. The breast meat really benefits from this mixture—the best approach is to go for a dozen spots and add about 2 teaspoons per site, or less if you see the fluid oozing out.
Massage around all of the injection sites to distribute the mixture throughout the bird.
Cover the bird and let rest in the fridge for several hours (overnight if possible) before cooking. If you have any leftover mixture that came in contact with the syringe, discard it. If you would like to have some for basting the turkey as it roasts, make another clean batch of the marinade. If keeping the bird in the fridge overnight, keep the mix in a closed container and melt before using it to baste.
Roast the turkey in a 325 F oven for 15 to 20 minutes per pound of weight. Baste with the extra marinade, if using.
Check for doneness with a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat away from the bone until it reads a minimum of 165 F.
Allow the bird to rest for 30 minutes before carving.

Master the Injection Technique

Here are a few important tips to help you master this helpful technique:

The injection mix must be completely smooth and clear of any bits that could clog the meat injector. Fully melted butter and finely ground spices are key. Fresh herbs or lemon seeds from the juice can clog the needle. If you still want herby flavors, add herbs under the skin or use a poultry rub, and for a spicier version, use any spicy element in liquid form, like Tabasco or Sriracha.
If you brine yourturkey and still want to inject it, omit the salt from the injection sauce and use low-sodium chicken broth. Otherwise, your bird may end up too salty.
Remember to discard any unused mix. Dipping the needle into the sauce once it has been inside the bird will transmit bacteria such as salmonella to the rest of the injection, increasing the risk of foodborne illness.

How Do You Properly Clean the Injector?

Some injectors come with brushes for cleaning. If yours doesn't, clean the parts in soapy water:

Fill a bowl or pan with hot, soapy water.
Insert the tip of the injector into the soapy water and pull back the plunger to fill the injector cylinder.
Push the plunger down to force the soapy water through the needle. Do this several times until it is thoroughly clean, aiming away from you into the kitchen sink.
Rinse with clear hot water, aiming away from you.
Clean any splatter of liquid with disinfectant as it can contain raw poultry bits.

Helpful Links

How to Inject Marinades
The Best Marinade Injectors
How to Brine Poultry, Fish, and Meat

BBQ Marinades
Thanksgiving Mains

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
23	Calories
2g	Fat
0g	Carbs
1g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories	23
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g	3%
Saturated Fat 1g	6%
Cholesterol 8mg	3%
Sodium 68mg	3%
Total Carbohydrate 0g	0%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg	1%
Calcium 2mg	0%
Iron 0mg	0%
Potassium 12mg	0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

sauce
turkey injection
dinner
american

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FAQs

What do you use to inject flavor into a turkey? ›

What to Inject a Turkey With

Basic Brine. Liquid: Chicken stock. ...
Butter & Beer. Liquid: butter + beer. ...
Herby Turkey. Liquid: butter + chicken stock. ...
Italian. Liquid: chicken stock + olive oil + red wine vinegar. ...
Spicy & Smoky. Liquid: butter +white wine + chicken stock + orange juice. ...
Brown Sugar & Mustard.

Know More ›

Should I inject my turkey the night before? ›

Alternatively, you can wait a few hours to let the injected marinade seep deeper into the meat before cooking. If you choose to wait, store your injected turkey in the fridge for no more than 36 hours before cooking.

Discover More Details ›

How long to inject chicken before cooking? ›

Like a marinade or brine, a chicken injection can keep the meat moist and flavorful as it cooks. Brining or marinating can take hours, but you can use a chicken injection just five minutes before cooking.

What can you put in the cavity of a turkey for flavor? ›

Add halved onions, carrot chunks, celery and fresh herbs to the cavity of your turkey, inserting them loosely. These flavor builders are the base of stock and most soups. As your turkey cooks, they'll steam and infuse your bird with moisture and flavor.

Learn More ›

What do they inject in Butterball turkeys? ›

Injected and Baked Whole Turkey, Water, Salt, Dextrose, Sodium Phosphate, Carrageenan, and Natural Flavors.

Learn More ›

Do you inject a turkey in the meat or under skin? ›

With an injector—a large syringe with a thick needle—you inject small doses of the marinade deep into the meat. This method flavors meat from the inside, tenderizing it and making it moist while slowly spreading the flavors through the bird.

Keep Reading ›

Can you over brine a turkey? ›

Brining for too long can result in meat that tastes overly-salty and has a spongy texture. If you're not ready to roast the bird after 18 hours, remove it from the brine, rinse it, pat it dry, and refrigerate for up to two days.

Get More Info Here ›

Is brining a turkey worth it? ›

One key reason is the taste—whether you wet-brine or dry-brine, using all! that! salt! infuses the bird with flavor, giving it an extra boost before you add any spices or aromatics. It also helps the meat retain its moisture and can help you avoid over-cooking, our associate food editor Kelsey Youngman explains.

Do I need to brine if I inject? ›

With injecting you can see the results immediately. Injecting can be done with a flavorful liquid or even a brine mixture.

Get More Info ›

Does injecting a turkey make it juicier? ›

If you enjoy more flavor in your turkey, try injecting it with your favorite marinade. Rubs, brines and sauces deliver flavor to the surface of the turkey, but injecting flavor inside guarantees juiciness throughout the meat.

Keep Reading ›

How do you add Flavour to turkey? ›

Fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary and sage along with half a lemon and some garlic and onions can add heaps of flavour, and it doesn't take long at all. There is a range of things that you can stuff your turkey with that adds flavour and moisture for the tastiest Christmas turkey you've ever had.

Explore More ›

What tool is used to inject a turkey? ›

With an injector—a large syringe with a thick needle—you inject small doses of the marinade deep into the meat. This method flavors meat from the inside, tenderizing it and making it moist while slowly spreading the flavors through the bird.

Know More ›

When to inject turkey before frying? ›

I recommend injecting the turkey the night before you plan to fry, but it can be done as soon as one hour in advance. I've found that the flavor is more intense if you allow it to set overnight in the fridge.

Get More Info Here ›