Brining versus injecting the turkey

[Dr._Pat]

i have always injected my whole turkeys before smoking them. I have never brined them. Any thoughts on brining versus injecting when it comes to the end product? Happy holidays!

[Troutman]

Do both, I do routinely. I typically butterball inject (butter with some oil and seasonings) and brine using salt/sugar and some seasonings. Makes for a super juicy bird !!!

I did want to add that most of my turkeys are fresh and untreated. Be careful not to brine a bird with more than say 5% pre-brined solution.

[Dr._Pat]

Brine then inject?

[Troutman]

Yup, then season

[JimLinebarger]

I've also done both. Injection is not with a lot of salt, though.

[Frozen Smoke]

I've only brined. I've never injected a piece of meat in my life. It's weird but I have almost a phobia about poking holes in meat before cooking. That little voice in my head keeps telling me "you poke a hole in the meat to put something in the hole is still there for it to get out" I've had injected turkey prepared by someone else with some sort of Cajun injection and it was good but it was a lot of Cajun flavor and not much turkey flavor.

[EdF]

I've never done it either, though I've had an injector sitting in one of the kitchen drawers for years. I'm less concerned about holes, and more about changing the flavor of the meat, as you said!

That's one of the reasons I don't marinate or wet brine anymore either.