EGGARY Posted September 3, 2015 Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 I am thinking of doing a Pork Butt this nice, long week end. I have seen videos of Chris Lilly injecting his Pork butts/shoulders and when they are done they fall apart really nicely. Are there any Pro's and Con's to injecting ? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poochie Posted September 3, 2015 Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 I don't think there's a right or wrong on this. It's basically what flavor profile you're looking for. I've found that pork butts are pretty forgiving and most are juicy because of fat content. If you're going to make pulled pork, I wouldn't bother with injecting. If I'm going to slice and serve, I put garlic inside a pork butt. You could also put green onions and snip off the excess with scissors. Make a slit with a small knife and insert. For an added bonus, you could wet the garlic and roll it in seasoning and then insert. Good luck on your cook and post some pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tucker Posted September 3, 2015 Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 I agree, there is no right or wrong way. I usually prep & inject using the recipe Chris has in his book "Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book". I do sometimes forget to use the injection i prepared (~20%) because of the cold beverages being consumed as we prepped the other goodies for the event. Result is great pulled pork either route, with the injected one being a little more flavor in the meat, not just out near the surface. try one each way... it can only lead to more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted September 3, 2015 Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 I've done butts both ways and each has it's merits. Inserted garlic cloves and the herbs of your choice are nice. Injected butter, apple juice, and rub makes a nice mixture. It's ultra hard to screw up a butt. I've tried my best and I can't do it. Give it a go; you've nothing to lose. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted September 3, 2015 Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 I often inject with Butcher's BBQ marinades. They add a nice flavor to larger cuts of meat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjs Posted September 3, 2015 Report Share Posted September 3, 2015 I would inject (but that's just me), but do it sparingly you do not want to over power the flavor of the pork. I also like simple flavors do not over complicate. I prefer a straight vinegar/apple juice, or a mixture of a juice of your choice, spices and broth. My preference is a Carolina style BBQ ... simple, but oh so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted September 4, 2015 Report Share Posted September 4, 2015 I'm a big fan of NC style vinegar based sauce for pulled pork, but I've never tried it as an injection or marinade, hmmm? Here's my go-to recipe for the NC sauce. 1 cup white vinegar 1 cup cider vinegar 1T sugar 1T cayenne 1T tabasco 1T kosher salt 1T cracked black pepper Whisk together and there it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted September 4, 2015 Report Share Posted September 4, 2015 I've done the NC injection a couple of times. First time it kept clogging the needle (and I had a fairly large injector). Second time I strained it first - worked much better. Didn't really notice any major flavor difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted September 4, 2015 Report Share Posted September 4, 2015 Cause you strained out all the "tasty bits!" It's the black and red chile peppers that give it the needed kick to balance out the vinegars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 Cause you strained out all the "tasty bits!" It's the black and red chile peppers that give it the needed kick to balance out the vinegars.You're probably right. I guess I just need a different injector. I bought one with the fattest needle I could find and it still wasn't good enough to pass the little bits through it. Individually the bits would pass but as you turned it to start injecting some would settle to the bottom and as a group would then clog it up. It was a pain in the rear. I'll revisit this idea sometime down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 Charles - you're right. The meat tissues admit the liquid injection just fine, but it's those same meat tissues that help act as a barrier and plug up the needles. I've found that is I pull the needle out as I inject this simple action helps leave behind a trail of savory bits. That method still isn't perfect. What I generally do now is use a paring knife to poke holes in the meat itself and then I use my fingers to push a paste of all the savory bits into the meat. That works better than anything I've found. It works really well with garlic cloves, green onions, rosemary, thyme, peppers, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 I use Ken's "stuffing method" when I'm doing leg of lamb, with big slivers of fresh garlic and sprigs of fresh rosemary off my plant. GREAT! ckreef, I've struggled with this issue for a long time, too. I try and grind up my spices as fine as I can first (think dust), then mix into the liquids. However, it can still sometimes clump and clog the injector, if it doesn't emulsify well. For larger cuts, I have a very large needle (about 3/16th" dia), which works great; but I can't use it for small cuts, especially chicken pieces. My smaller one (1/16" dia) is super easy to clog, so I generally stick to liquids (Butchers BBQ chicken marinade/injection works really well and is tasty. I think that they've change the name from Herb and Garlic to Rotisserie?) Or, with some pre-planning, you can soak your herbs and dry spices in liquid for a week to make a tincture that will inject easier. You have to really amp up the amount of herbs/spices if you try this, as you can't get a very good extraction easily and remember to shake it up several times a day, as most things will settle to the bottom of the jar. Plus, some things are water soluble, others in alcohol, still others in acids (wine, vinegar). So, finding the happy medium is a challenge. If you come up with something that works well, I'm all ears!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted September 6, 2015 Report Share Posted September 6, 2015 I'll have to work on my injecting. I sort of gave up on it because it was such a pain with the clogging issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted September 7, 2015 Report Share Posted September 7, 2015 Here's my bigger injector. Best one that I've found yet. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KDZ1VA?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EGGARY Posted September 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2015 Been up since 6am. Injected and rubbed a 7 1/2 lb. Pork Butt and it is cooking/smoking. I hope it comes out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EGGARY Posted September 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2015 Been up since 6am. Injected and rubbed a 7 1/2 lb. Pork Butt and it is cooking/smoking. I hope it comes out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted September 7, 2015 Report Share Posted September 7, 2015 No doubts! Gonna be killah! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted September 8, 2015 Report Share Posted September 8, 2015 Here's my bigger injector. Best one that I've found yet. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KDZ1VA?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage Tony, I have the very same injector. Works better than anything else I've found as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted September 8, 2015 Report Share Posted September 8, 2015 Eggary - I'm looking forward to the pics. This should be good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poochie Posted September 8, 2015 Report Share Posted September 8, 2015 OK, EGGARY, where's the photo's of the perfect pork butt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
