Thank you for the reply. We must have posted within seconds of each other. If you hadn’t seen my previous post about the actual brine, and exactly what I did, take a look and let me know if you think your previous assessment thatbis is ok this time still stands.
I agree with you about injecting the used brine. As I was in the middle of injecting it, I was thinking that it didn’t sound very smart.
I rarely post, but read quite a bit. Especially in the days leading up to a cook.
Yes, my previous comment still stands.
But on another note.....
There has always been a discussion about whether or not to Brine/Inject pork butts or shoulders for the backyard cook.
Many will tell you that pork has enough internal fat to keep the meat plenty moist when cooked. I do not disagree with this, but sometimes we brine/inject for flavors, not for moisture or tenderness.
The pork butt or shoulder is a large piece of meat, the most flavorful part of it is the bark, because that's where the bulk of the seasoning is. Others will sprinkle more rub into the pork after it's been pulled and this works fine as well. But flavors change during cooking as the aromatics meld together in the heat forming concentrated flavors.
Brining pork can be a long task and can take up a lot of space in the refrigerators. With large amounts of pork to brine, it could soon become a large cumbersome task. I used to brine pork and had really good results. Then I started just injecting, which made the task easier and less of a task for clean up.
Injecting also uses much less product, takes up less space, and takes much less time to get the same results. With injecting there is no need to let the large cuts of pork sit for long periods of time. I find from experience that just letting them sit for about an hour or two while you ready your smoker is often ample time. Then I apply the rub right before putting the pork into the smoker.
Again this isn't about brining/injecting for tenderness or moisture, but moreso about adding flavor into the meat. I also feel that injecting the meat also helps to improve texture, allowing it to pull in very long strands. In my experience, the long strands are more pleasing to the eye of the patron/guest as the meat looks more substantial. You'll notice that not only does the pork pull in long strands, but it also keeps it's warm color with plenty of pink from the smoke ring, and it never turns dull gray in color.
Lastly, yes added tenderness and moisture will be present, that is not why I inject my pork, but it is an added benefit.
My rule of thumb is to inject 1 fluid ounce of brine for each pound of meat.
Injection recipes vary widely, but the most commonly used is Chris Lilly's Injection (See Below) but I found it to be salty to my tastes, I cut back to almost half the amount of salt and it was much better. Note that the recipe I was given called for table salt, I prefer to use Kosher Salt or Large Crystal Sea Salt. But the choice is yours, if you decide to use table salt make sure it is not iodized.....
Chris Lilly's Six-Time World Championship Pork Shoulder Injection (enough for 2 shoulder butts)
2/3 cup apple juice
1/3 cup peach nectar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup white sugar
1/8 cup kosher salt
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
Combine all ingredients and stir until sugar and salt are dissolved and inject.
Several Years ago I switched to OakRidge Game Changer Brine as my Injection and have had nothing less than great results and flavor with it. I also add some rub with this injection as well for added flavors.
I now, always use OakRidge Game Changer Brine as an injection. I Use fruit juice/nectar (Peach, Pear, Apple, or White Grape) for added flavors. For every 8 ounces of juice add 1 Tablespoon of OakRidge Game Changer Brine and then inject into the pork. I usually inject right through the cyro-packaging to save with cleanup, using different angles through the same hole to prevent leaking.
I add 1 Tablespoon of Game Changer Brine per cup of fruit juice and inject roughly 1 ounce of mixture per pound of meat. So roughly one cup per eight pound pork butt.
I used to rub and let the pork sit overnight, but now I'll rub an hour or so before smoking, depending upon my time constraints.
When cooking injected pork butts I find the bone begins to wiggle at about 187° (internal temperature has no bearing on being done).
I always calculate a 3 to 4 hour hold time in an insulated cooler after the cook. This gives me a cooking buffer if the meat takes longer, and pork butt/pork shoulder is one of the meats that benefit from holding in a cooler because as it stays at temperature the connective tissues continue to breakdown into collagen making the meat moist and very tender. The rest period also allows you to get other things ready, or even a rest before your guests arrive.
See -
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=254690
.