Talk to me about Injections

[ice_mf_mike]

Ok so i am a new smoker. But i want to start playing around with injections.

I have read that many only inject meats for competition and i have also read that some always inject.

Are there any cons to injecting? Does it make a huge difference?

Any injections that folks recommend for a beginner?

Thanks!

[RubLover]

Well this could be a loaded question...

As a competitor I inject to add more moisture since my meat will be exposed in the cut state for 15-20 minutes. Thus adding phosphates helps. Since competition is one-bite, I want a big pop of flavor when the judge (I am a CBJ) tastes it.

When I cook for friends/parties, I do inject my pork butts with a simple injection (based on Chris Lilly's) and folks really like it. So I am basically enhancing the flavor of the meat. I also notice with injection that people don't feel the need to slather it in sauce and cover up the flavor - that is a great compliment to me as a cook as it means that my rub, cooking and injection are producing great flavors.

There are many great injections on the market that many members of the brethren produce and they are really good.

My suggestion is to try a simple one first in pork/beef and see if you like it then go out and try many of the great commercial ones and you determine what you like. As I tell friends - "I am testing injections this weekend - dang got to eat pork/brisket again"...

[WareZdaBeef]

Brisket, i only use beef stock. Pork butt i generally just brine overnight unless its spare of the moment i will inject with a 4% salt water solution and omit salt from my rub. Chicken i brine aswell with 4% and again omit salt from rub. Ribs i dont even inject, just rub because i think brining effects the texture too much with ribs. Salmon always gets dry brined.

[Burnt at Both Endz]

Since you are home cooking, try Ray's pork injection.

http://www.fieryfoodscentral.com/recipe/big-pig-pork-injection/

Here is his beef injection....

http://www.chowhound.com/recipes/big-cow-beef-injection-10634


Now if you decide to do comps, yes we chase thousands of a point and want some phosphates in the injections, but I'll guarantee you that the folks around your house can't tell.....

[Jsanta48]

I did a 8lb pork butt this past weekend and decided to try injecting it, never have before. Not sure if I just cooked it better or if it was the injection, but it was the best butt I have ever made. It was so moist and flavorful, ate about a pound of it by its self.

[kathicooks]

For brisket I use Worcestershire and orange juice. And I don't inject it very heavily. Pork butt gets apple juice. I know everyone has their own formulas but I keep it pretty simple.

[IamMadMan]

There has always been a discussion about whether or not to Brine/Inject pork butts or shoulders.

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.

So this discussion 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. Lastly, yes added tenderness and moisture will be present, that is not why I inject my pork, but it is an added benefit.

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 injecting which made the task easier and less of a task for clean up. Injecting also uses much less product and takes much less time. 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.

I had used Chris Lilly's Injection (See Below) but 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

I also used to add 1 Tablespoon of rub, but before you do, look at your injector and make sure the holes in your needle will allow the granules of spice to pass through. If not you will be fighting a losing battle to inject with a continuously clogging needle. Some have used a coffee filter to strain out the particle, but I believe you also lose some flavors by doing this.

Combine all ingredients and stir until sugar and salt are dissolved and inject.



Last year 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.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f17/rwbarney/Food/DSCN1125_zpsc2gsw1rb.jpg


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.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f17/rwbarney/Food/DSCN1126_zpsnvkurthu.jpg


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.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f17/rwbarney/Food/butt2_zpsoolr9clt.jpg


When cooking injected pork butts I find the bone begins to wiggle at about 187° (internal temperature has no bearing on being done).

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f17/rwbarney/Food/DSC_1147_zpsu8xyc057.jpg


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.

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. 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.

http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f17/rwbarney/Food/DSCN1130_zpskyk7bwd6.jpg


In the end you should choose the method that works best for you, not what works for someone else. After all you are cooking it, and only you, your family, and your friends will enjoy the results of the cook.


.

[DoradoDave]

excellent response. Have you or anyone used these deep flavor/moisture on a pork loin?

Dave

[Right on Q]

I've injected pork loin before. There was some moisture retention but mostly it was for flavor. I enjoyed it and try to inject when I can.

I think butts and brisket always benefit from injecting. If you inject with simple AJ it won't benefit as much as adding salt and sugar to the injection. And that won't benefit as much as a commercial injection.

For home, I stick with AJ + sugar + salt. I use Myron's injection but Chris Lilly's works great too.

For competition, I use commercial injections for the phosphates

[J.W.Land]

I'm old school and grew up in the deep South where pork rules and NO ONE ever injected pork or anything else. I want the taste of pork not some foreign substance. None of the great bbq joints where I grew up, and there were many, injected or even rubbed the pork butts.

I believe injections are a product of competition bbq'ing and the one bite where the opportunity to get the judges attention is limited. I've tasted competition bbq and really don't think I want a whole meal of it.

[akoda]

I'm old school and grew up in the South and i inject my pork butts with Apple Juice :) I love the moisture and flavor now. I use about a cup per butt and will never go back to not injecting. I have injected briskets but it didn't do anything for me, I used some commecial brands used on the comp side.

[toymaster]

Chris Lilly's Six-Time World Championship Pork Shoulder Injection

Chris Lilly has won the pork shoulder category at MIM 8 times and has won Memphis In May 4 times. When his book came out, it was just 6 times. Just sayin'

[QQQ]

I am also a noob and have injected all of the pork butts I've done 1/2C apple juice 1/2C apple cider vinegar 2T Worcestershire and some rub. They've all been super moist and flavorful so I didn't see a reason to try without the injection. It really doesn't take that long to do the night before so give it a try.

[IamMadMan]

excellent response. Have you or anyone used these deep flavor/moisture on a pork loin?

Dave

The pork is so flavorful that hardly anyone uses sauce because they love the flavor of the pork itself.

I have both brined and injected pork loins, I prefer the injected for flavor, but I use a smaller diameter needle and no rub in the injection for pork loins.

I too was old school, I didn't believe in brining or injecting, but when you taste the benefit of the injection, the jury was in for me. I am not talking about competition injections, just simple injections with salt, sugar, fruit juice, and other dissolved spices. It's not a one bite deal, but rather full flavored pork for an everyday meal. I have found Oakridge Game Changer Brine to be the best of any of the mixtures I have used for injections. 1 Tbs of the product to a cup of juice is half the strength of the actual brine itself.

And the best part is, no one has to inject..... It is not a requirement.