Overnight Pork Shoulder Picnic Cook

[jermoQ]

Wow :shocked::faint2: At that price, I would overill my freezer with pork. Nice cooking!

 

[longwayfromhome]

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This is one of the very few times I did not inject the pork with Oakridge Game Changer Brine, due to time constraints of the day.
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IAMM, how long do you normally brine for?

 

[Our2Girls]

Looks amazing if you ask me.

 

[Happy Hapgood]

Just BAM Brother IAMM! :thumb:

 

[IamMadMan]

IAMM, how long do you normally brine for?

Before I started injecting I would brine the pork butts overnight. The problem is; with brining a large piece of meat, you also need a large container like bus tubs, meat lugs, or food grade buckets. In essence they will require a lot of real estate in the refrigerator.

For about 8 years now I have been injecting. I started injecting which made the task easier and less clean up. I used Chris Lilly's Injection but found it to be salty to my tastes, I cut back to almost half the amount of salt and it is still good. last year I switched to OakRidge Game Changer Brine as my Injection and have nothing less than great results with it.

The main reason for me brining a pork butt wasn't to add moisture, simply because the pork butt has enough fat and connective tissue. The main reason I brined was for added flavors deep into the meat, added tenderness and added moisture are a byproduct of brining, as well as an improved texture.

I now, always use OakRidge Game Changer Brine as an injection. I Use fruit juice (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 inject right through the cyro-packaging to save with cleanup, using different angles through the same hole to prevent leaking. I inject about 3 -4 hours before getting the smoker ready.


Before I started injecting I used to rub and let the pork sit overnight, but now I'll rub a few hours before smoking depending upon my time constraints.

When cooking injected pork butts I find the bone begins to wiggle at about 187°, I pull and then rest the pork in a cambro/cooler for 3 to 4 hours, and pull the pork just before serving. I find the OakRidge Game Changer Brine keeps the pork exceptionally tender, moist, flavorful, and it pulls in very long strands which is great for sandwiches.


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[longwayfromhome]

Before I started injecting I would brine the pork butts overnight. The problem is; with brining a large piece of meat, you also need a large container like bus tubs, meat lugs, or food grade buckets. In essence they will require a lot of real estate in the refrigerator.

For about 8 years now I have been injecting. I started injecting which made the task easier and less clean up. I used Chris Lilly's Injection but found it to be salty to my tastes, I cut back to almost half the amount of salt and it is still good. last year I switched to OakRidge Game Changer Brine as my Injection and have nothing less than great results with it.

The main reason for me brining a pork butt wasn't to add moisture, simply because the pork butt has enough fat and connective tissue. The main reason I brined was for added flavors deep into the meat, added tenderness and added moisture are a byproduct of brining, as well as an improved texture.

I now, always use OakRidge Game Changer Brine as an injection. I Use fruit juice (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 inject right through the cyro-packaging to save with cleanup, using different angles through the same hole to prevent leaking. I inject about 3 -4 hours before getting the smoker ready.

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IAMM, with the Oakridge GC brine, in your estimation, is it ‘safe’ to inject say 12 hours before? By ‘safe’ I means it doesn’t come out ‘hammy’. If I cook starting 6am, I’d like to inject the night before.

TIA.

 

[mchar69]

Do you remove the skin and then just leave that small layer of protective fat you mentioned? Thanks.

 

[IamMadMan]

IAMM, with the Oakridge GC brine, in your estimation, is it ‘safe’ to inject say 12 hours before? By ‘safe’ I means it doesn’t come out ‘hammy’. If I cook starting 6am, I’d like to inject the night before.

TIA.

I've never injected more than 8 hours before cooking, but the meat has never turned out with a "hammy" flavor using one ounce of injection per pound of meat.


So I am not sure about the 12 hour time frame. Sorry I can't give you a proper answer to your question, because I have never injected that far in advance.


I use a hand needle and even with a dozen pork butts it literally takes no time to inject, especially if you inject right through the cyro-pack using the same hole with different angles to prevent leakage. If you are up at 11:00 PM or midnight, I'd say you are good to go.



I would also suggest that you make sure the pork is not "enhanced" with a salt solution if you plan on injecting.

 

[IamMadMan]

Do you remove the skin and then just leave that small layer of protective fat you mentioned? Thanks.

That is correct, I removed the skin except for a 3-4" band around the shank to protect that section from drying out during the cook.


I removed that section of skin to facilitate forming as much bark as possible.