Don't confuse a brine with a marinade; they are two different things.
Brines contain salt, sugar, spices, and water sometimes with fruit juices. Because the solution is water with salt, the molecules are small and can penetrate the cell structure of the meat by the principals of equalization and absorbtion.
Marinades usually have a number of ingredients such as salt, oil, flavorings, and acids. The molecules of each are different sizes and some are attracted to the chemicals in meats while some are repelled by them. Some can flow easily into the microscopic voids between muscle fibers, but most are too large.
Marinades, unless they are heavy with salt, in which case they are properly called brines, do not penetrate meats very far, rarely more than 1/8", even after many hours of soaking. Marinades do most of their work on the surface, within 1/16" of the surface, or in cuts in the surface, whereas brines can penetrate deep into the cell structure.
Marinades are meant for flavoring and will only absorb into the outer layer of the meat. Smaller and thinner pieces marinate faster, so consider cutting some meats into serving sizes. If injected, they will not be absorbed, but merely slowly leak out of the injection hole.
This means that marinades are best on thin cuts of meat. Gashing the surface with a knife or stabbing it with a fork will help the marinade to get in a little deeper, but it also pushes bacteria down in. If you cook to safe temp with the aid of a quality digital thermometer, this is not a problem. The marinade will only flavor the cells they touch so even if jaccarding, minimal contact and absorption is achieved.
.
Pretty accurate rundown, thanks Mad Man.....
Terry, I
THINK I understand what you're aiming for.....to get the marinade flavoring all thru the piece & "cooked in", correct?
I've experimented with injecting butts different ways, different mixes, flavors, combinations.......
Some were OK, most of what happened was the marinade 'migrated' to the outside, down the fat lines & maybe most importantly, into the bone area.
See in the center of this pic where it looks brown & grainy?
That's the rubs / powders carried in by the fruit juice or other liquids I used...........it does flavor some, but it's uneven, spotty & still needs mixing in at the end......
A possible remedy, if I'm reading your aim correctly, might be to rub & cook per your normal method to finish, rest, pull a little sooner than serving time,gently fold in the marinading / saucing juice mix & heat thru in the serving pans to get the flavoring "baked in"....................
Personally, i think with some attention to timing (which you're already attending to anyways, for a wedding thing, right?) the meat could be served nicely flavored, but not overly drowning in sauce & be just peachy..........
All that said, there may be some of the comp people who will know much more about this.....if they are doing anything like this to sort of 'burn' the flavor stamp into the meat as it cooks.......I do remember seeing a short clip of Myron finishing injecting & then told the cameraman " I need to get this on the smoker" & as he turns around, the pork shoulder, which he's holding up by his shoulder, is just pouring liquids all the way over to the box.....there's something to it, just not sure you'd be able to get it figgered without several practice runs.....
Another thing, I know I can inject something like tri-tip thoroughly enough & in a patten that will hold the injection in the piece fairly well.....the finished product comes out flavored all thru & baked in enough to be pretty much continuously even in the piece......not only is that a different texture & grain of meat, but I've had 25 years to practice......the best bet, I would think is to heat the finish saucing in after pull..........
