Easy Honey, Butter, and Beer Injection Marinade Recipe

Not to sound dramatic, but this honey, beer, and butter turkey injection recipe is life changing and will up your turkey game. Use this for your holiday turkey and you'll never go back to brined or regular bland turkey again.

The combination of fat from the butter and carbonation from the beer is magical, yielding a moist and juicy bird that'll have everyone begging for seconds. The secret: adding flavor to the inside of the meat first ensures great results every single time.

This injection marinade is also a great way to flavor more than just turkey meat. Use it to add flavor and moisture to chicken breasts, to pork loin, or to your favorite beef roasts. It's such an easy way to add pizzazz to your favorite meat dishes.

I use this injection for my Thanksgiving spatchcock turkey, aka the best Thanksgiving turkey I've ever made (seriously). With that recipe, there's no chance you'll end up with dry turkey because between this marinade and the compound butter (softened butter flavored with fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, sage, and parsley) that's rubbed underneath the skin, it's flavor packed from the inside-out. Yum!

 If you're looking for other marinated meat recipes, be sure to check out my garlic and rosemary marinated pork chops. (The marinade used in that recipe would also be delicious for turkey.)

My fresh basil and balsamic vinaigrette can also double as a marinade. Finally, if you want to try this injection on a roasted chicken, serve it with my Alabama white barbecue sauce on the side. Everyone will love it!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Tasty Tip
• Frequently asked questions
• Related
• Pairing
• 🍽Get the recipe
• RECIPE GUIDELINES AND TEST KITCHEN TIPS
• FOOD SAFETY

Ingredients

Before we get started, let's gather the ingredients we need for this flavorful marinade recipe:

• salted butter
• amber ale
• Worcestershire sauce
• hot sauce
• honey
• low-sodium soy sauce
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• kosher salt
• paprika

(See recipe card for quantities.)

Instructions

Now that we've got our ingredients, it's time to get cooking!

Hint: If the mixture solidifies before you use it, just zap the mixture in the microwave for about 30 seconds it's in liquid form again.

Substitutions

Need some ingredient substitution ideas? I've got you covered!

• Beer - Instead of amber ale, use a brown ale or lager beer. Apple ale is another great option. Avoid strong beer like IPA or dark beer because it'll make the marinade too bitter.
• Butter - If you only have unsalted butter, increase the amount of salt in the marinade. Personally, I love the buttery flavor of this marinade but you can also use olive oil if you prefer. 
• Honey - Maple syrup and agave are great alternatives to honey. You can also use brown sugar instead.
• Soy Sauce - Substitute regular soy sauce for the low-sodium soy sauce but be sure to omit the salt if you do.

Variations

Here are some additional ways to change up this homemade turkey injection recipe:

• Spicy - Add a small amount of cayenne pepper to the marinade to give it a kick.
• Cajun Turkey Injection Recipe - Give this Louisiana flair: substitute Creole seasoning or Cajun seasoning for all of the dried spices and salt. Be aware that not all seasoning blends are created equal so you may need to adjust the salt and it could be spicy.
• Cider Injection Marinade - Instead of beer, use a dry cider (carbonated alcoholic beverage). You can also use apple cider for a non-alcoholic option. Note that I don't recommend using apple cider vinegar or lemon juice--those can cause the meat to become mealy from the acid concentration.
• Citrusy - Stir in some lemon zest or orange zest to give this marinade a citrusy flavor.
• Herby - Add your favorite finely minced fresh herbs to the marinade.

Equipment

Here's the equipment you'll need for this beer and butter poultry injection recipe:

• liquid measuring cup
• measuring spoons
• small saucepan
• marinade syringe

Storage

If you have any leftover mixture or are making it ahead of time, store the marinade in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. 

Freeze the marinade in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.

Tasty Tip

If you're using this injection marinade for a whole turkey and also rubbing the whole bird with a turkey rub or butter mixture, be sure to rub the turkey first before injecting. Otherwise, you'll just rub the injection marinade out of the meat.

Frequently asked questions

Related

Looking for other recipes like this best turkey injection recipe? Try these:

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with this marinade:

🍽Get the recipe

RECIPE GUIDELINES AND TEST KITCHEN TIPS

When developing and testing recipes, here are some key things that I do for more success in the kitchen:

• Be sure to use dry measuring cups for things like flour, sugar, and mayonnaise and a liquid measuring cup for things like water, milk, and broth.
• When measuring dry ingredients like flour and powdered sugar that can pack down, spoon the ingredient into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife as opposed to scooping the measuring cup into the ingredient.
• I test and develop recipes using a standard electric oven and standard gas stovetop. Be aware that if you use an electric stovetop or convection oven, your bake times will be different.
• When recipes call for kosher salt, I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

FOOD SAFETY

Don't forget to keep these food safety tips in mind when making this recipe:

• Cover and refrigerate any leftovers--don't let them hang out at room temperature for too long
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.