Deep Fried Turkey Marinades - Recipe Idea

A huge part of getting a wonderful deep fried turkey for the holiday is the fried turkey injection recipe you end up choosing. While you'll get crunchy skin and a nice amount of moisture no matter what you do, the deep fried turkey marinade you use to inject your bird is really what will determine its flavor. 

Just learning how to fry a turkey for the first time? If you're new to deep fried turkey you may not realize how important injecting marinade into your turkey really is.

Types of Marinades for Deep Fried Turkey

Wet and Dry Turkey Marinades. A marinade for deep fried turkey generally takes two forms, either wet and dry. Traditionally a wet marinade is injected into the turkey meat, while the dry marinade (also called a rub) gets massaged into the meat. On this page, I'm going to focus on mostly on wet marinades and injections for deep fried turkey. But you can find lots of recipes for spice rubs for fried turkey (and a few more recipes for fried turkey injections) on the following pages:


Remember... you can use any combination of deep fried turkey injection recipes, and fried turkey spice rub recipes. Use one, use the other, or use them both! 

Why Use a Fried Turkey Injection Recipe?

The purpose of injection marinade into turkey is three-fold. 1. Flavoring. First, it will insert and bring out various flavors in the turkey-- whatever you decide to use in your fried turkey marinade.
2. Tenderizing A turkey injection will also keep your meat tender and delicious. The best marinades mix spice, oil, and acid, which all to help break down meat tissue and tenderize it. Wet marinade accomplishes this with acids (like citrus and vinegar) while dry marinate uses salt as the tenderizing agent.
3. Moistness. Last but not at all least, using a fried turkey injection recipe makes for very moist meat, as you insert extra fat and moisture into the bird itself. 

How to Inject a Deep Fried Turkey with Marinade

Injecting a turkey with a marinade is actually really easy. All you need is a deep fried turkey injector, the fried turkey injection recipe of your choice (check below for some great recipes), and a steady hand. Fried Turkey Seasoning Injectors. What, exactly, is a meat injector, and how is it used? It's actually just a syringe with a wide opening that will allow you to insert small amounts of marinade into the meat of your turkey. Or into any meat, for that matter-- you can use your injector for beef, pork, you name it. It really comes in handy for flavoring all kinds of meats.

Bayou Classics 2oz. Seasoning Injector

Using a Meat Injector

How Much Marinade to Inject: Injecting a marinade for deep fried turkey into your meat is easy. You'll want to inject about 1-2 ounces of marinade into each breast and each thigh, as well as about .75 to 1 ounce of marinade into each drumstick. 

Injecting the Bird: To inject your marinade into your turkey, start with the breast. With your meat injector filled with marinade, insert the needle into the breast and squeeze out a bit of marinade. Pull the needle out only part-way, then reinsert into the meat (try it at a new angle) and add more marinade. The purpose? To get as many small pockets of marinade well-distributed throughout the meat with only a few puncture holes. Repeat the same process with the thighs, drumsticks, and the rest of the turkey.
Let rest at least 30 minutes (or even overnight) before frying your turkey.

My Favorite Fried Turkey Injection Recipes

Marinating or Injecting: Which to Choose. A wet marinade for turkey can either be used for soaking the turkey or for an injection. But while it's perfectly safe to soak a turkey in a marinade if you plan to make a roast turkey, you'll want to inject the following recipes if you're making a deep fried turkey. Why? Because the injection method is much safer. A soaked turkey (unless it's allowed to thoroughly drain and dry, which is difficult to do) will make your turkey fryer cooking oil spatter-- a lot. Additionally, the injection method gets the flavor into the turkey meat much more effectively. You want to inject your turkey at least 30 minutes before deep frying (just put it in the refrigerator and let it rest).

 
Choosing Ingredients for a Deep Fried Turkey Marinade. You can use any of the fried turkey injections on this page, or you can create you own. Just remember to choose a recipe with no clumps or bits that can clog the injector needle. Look for recipes containing smooth ingredients like seasoned oils or vinegars, finely ground herbs and spices, honey or molasses, wine or beer.

Honey Beer Turkey Injection Recipe

This marinade for deep fried turkey is so delicious! The flavors play off of beer-can chicken (a classic!) and the injection results in a really moist bird. If you don't like the flavor of beer you can use whiskey, a fruity brandy, or white wine instead. (Though I love the beer!) 

Ingredients: 1/4 C. apple juice or apple cider
1/2 C. good quality honey
1 C. medium bodied ale
1-2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
2 tsp. garlic juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions: 1. In a small blender, combine the apple juice, garlic juice, and Cajun seasoning. Blend until fine and well mixed.
2. In a small saucepan, warm the apple juice mixture with the honey until the two are well integrated. Add the beer, salt, and pepper.
3. Inject this into the turkey while it's still warm or it will become too thick!

Asian Fusion Fried Turkey Injection Recipe

A recipe for a turkey marinade injection with Asian instead of the traditional Cajun flavors. Also good with Hoisin sauce instead of the honey. Yum! 

Ingredients:
1/2 C. plum wine or Sake
1/4 C. honey
1/4 C. rice vinegar
1/4 C. soy sauce
1 tsp. ginger powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
Instructions: 1. Heat the wine or Sake with all the other ingredients until completely blended.
2. Inject throughout the bird while still warm.

Ultra Flavorful Cajun Marinade for Deep Fried Turkey

I love, love, love this marinade. The acid in the Italian dressing helps to tenderize the meat, and this is a fried turkey injection recipe that's just packed with flavor. Go a little easy on this one, or you may overwhelm the flavor of the turkey.  
Ingredients:
8 oz. Italian salad dressing
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. paprika
2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. crushed cayenne pepper
1 tsp. hot sauce (like Tabasco)
1/3 C. medium ale
Instructions: 1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until very smooth.
2. Stir in beer.
3. Inject into turkey.

Italian Herbed Deep Fried Turkey Injection Recipe

Another marinade for deep fried turkey that will make a nice change rom the classic. This one is herb-y instead of spicy, and full of flavor. You can also use garlic juice in place of the garlic powder. 

Ingredients:
1 C. extra virgin olive oil
1 C red wine
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. Mixed Italian seasonings
1 tsp. cracked black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar


Instructions: 1. Put the Italian seasoning and the pepper through an herb or coffee grinder so that it's very fine (this must be able to get through the meat injector). 

2. In a small saucepan, warm the olive oil and wine over low heat. Add the Italian seasoning/pepper mixture, the Worcestershire and the balsamic to the olive oil and simmer for a few minutes to integrate the flavors. 

3. Pour into the injector and insert deeply into the meat (each leg, and all around the breast).