Was watching a competition on foodtv and saw a few pros who injected their butts. Any thoughts on this? What do folks inject...figured apple juice would be good, but thought maybe some other good ideas.
thanks,
sean
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AddDay...
You've been watching the same shows as me...lol. I just put my 2nd butt on the smoker at 10:30 pm eastern. I rubbed it last night, and injected with apple juice before i put it on. I'll give you some feedback tomorrow afternoon when I'm eating...
You've been watching the same shows as me...lol. I just put my 2nd butt on the smoker at 10:30 pm eastern. I rubbed it last night, and injected with apple juice before i put it on. I'll give you some feedback tomorrow afternoon when I'm eating...
For me, AJ doesn't cut it. If you think about it, it's mostly water anyway.
Now maybe what you saw was something that looked like AJ, in an AJ bottle, but I'm sure it had more in there.
Think about the flavor of whatever you're putting in there and the fact the water will most surely evaporate over a long cook...
...once the water is gone, how much flavor is left?
If you're going to do AJ, here's my suggestion.
Take some frozen concentrate. Let it thaw, then inject. Do NOT add water. You'll get a better Apple flavor.
And yes, I inject for my competitions and I did get 7th out of 33 last weekend (KCBS) and 5th out of 33 in IBCA.
For me, pork needs more flavor.
2nd suggestion. Don't forget to season it AFTER you pull it.
Smokin'
Now maybe what you saw was something that looked like AJ, in an AJ bottle, but I'm sure it had more in there.
Think about the flavor of whatever you're putting in there and the fact the water will most surely evaporate over a long cook...
...once the water is gone, how much flavor is left?
If you're going to do AJ, here's my suggestion.
Take some frozen concentrate. Let it thaw, then inject. Do NOT add water. You'll get a better Apple flavor.
And yes, I inject for my competitions and I did get 7th out of 33 last weekend (KCBS) and 5th out of 33 in IBCA.
For me, pork needs more flavor.
2nd suggestion. Don't forget to season it AFTER you pull it.
Smokin'
Ooooo... That sounds good, Smokin'. The local Meijer store had picnics at $1.39/lb so I bought one for next weekend. I will try the concentrate idea.quote:Originally posted by SmokinOkie:
[qb]If you're going to do AJ, here's my suggestion.
Take some frozen concentrate. Let it thaw, then inject. Do NOT add water. You'll get a better Apple flavor.
And yes, I inject for my competitions and I did get 7th out of 33 last weekend (KCBS) and 5th out of 33 in IBCA.
For me, pork needs more flavor.
2nd suggestion. Don't forget to season it AFTER you pull it.
Smokin' [/qb]
I've been sprayig butts and ribs with a mix of apple cider and Jack Daniels (about 3:1 cider to Jack) and that comes out pretty good.
ok, now I the "juices" are flowing...Guess I'll try a variety of things over the next few months...Wine? Beer? AJ Concentrate? Dr Pepper? Who knows...love to read more reports on this subject.
sean (alldaybbq)
sean (alldaybbq)
Two questions:
SmokinOkie : What do you mean by "Don't forget to season it AFTER you pull it"? What do you season it with?
I have seen the the pork butts at Meijer and noticed the pork butts has a 10% injection in it. Do you think this will go well with an injection?
SmokinOkie : What do you mean by "Don't forget to season it AFTER you pull it"? What do you season it with?
I have seen the the pork butts at Meijer and noticed the pork butts has a 10% injection in it. Do you think this will go well with an injection?
Hairbear,
I season mine with more of the rub after I pull the pork. I also throw in a little of my sauce and Smokin's basting/finishing sauce. Did just this over the weekend and the sandwiches were great.
Matt
I season mine with more of the rub after I pull the pork. I also throw in a little of my sauce and Smokin's basting/finishing sauce. Did just this over the weekend and the sandwiches were great.
Matt
Hey Smokin, Give it up!! I was thinking the same thing. I am ready inject. I like the Jack D. idea. How about mixing a rub with the AJ concentrate. will that work?
David A
David A
Not to be a naysayer,but here are a couple of thoughts about cooking pork at home.
I'm not speaking to anyone's particular comment,just giving a viewpoint.
Butts have a great deal of moisture,naturally.
If not overcooked,they will be very moist and taste like pork.
This isn't a bad thing.
I was taught to learn to cook my butts well,so I'd know what they should taste like,and how to replicate them.
It is always fun to experiment,and I do too much.
About the cooking shows.
If it is MIM,the judge must see and be able to taste the meat- on the cooker.
The cook doesn't have the chance to season the inside,before tasting.
Thus ,they must inject for flavor and moistness.
I'm not speaking to anyone's particular comment,just giving a viewpoint.
Butts have a great deal of moisture,naturally.
If not overcooked,they will be very moist and taste like pork.
This isn't a bad thing.
I was taught to learn to cook my butts well,so I'd know what they should taste like,and how to replicate them.
It is always fun to experiment,and I do too much.
About the cooking shows.
If it is MIM,the judge must see and be able to taste the meat- on the cooker.
The cook doesn't have the chance to season the inside,before tasting.
Thus ,they must inject for flavor and moistness.
Oh, go ahead and SAY it Tom, you disagree with me 
That's okay, I was just giving them some suggestions on injecting.
I season the pork after I pull it with the same rub that I used to rub the pork. You don't want to compete with those flavors.
But the key is to taste it first. How does it taste straight off the cooker? Then, if you need to, add seasoning. Be it salt, or rub or sauce or whatever. But taste it first.
And FWIW, Tom is a certified MIM Judge and knows about tasting Injected Pork.
Smokin'
That's okay, I was just giving them some suggestions on injecting.
I season the pork after I pull it with the same rub that I used to rub the pork. You don't want to compete with those flavors.
But the key is to taste it first. How does it taste straight off the cooker? Then, if you need to, add seasoning. Be it salt, or rub or sauce or whatever. But taste it first.
And FWIW, Tom is a certified MIM Judge and knows about tasting Injected Pork.
Smokin'
Never disagree,just try to stimulate our thoughts.
Some of the KCBS cooks may present slices and larger than thumb sized muscle pieces.
These are also harder to season and moisten,deeply.
Some Texas organizations allow you to sauce the meat while cooking,but not in the box.
Today's comp cooks have become so good,have access to the same meats,perfected their presentations,that 1 hundredth of a point[out of 800]may separate entries.
The comp cook may double their effort ,in hopes of picking up that additional whisper.
Does our team inject butts at cookoffs-sometimes.
Do we at home for family,friends,other cooks-no.
I guess I'm saying have fun with experimenting,but don't lose the focus on the simple and delicious technique that will produce 95% of the same product.
Now I'll go ,before I'm accused of makin' a Smokin' Okie post .
Some of the KCBS cooks may present slices and larger than thumb sized muscle pieces.
These are also harder to season and moisten,deeply.
Some Texas organizations allow you to sauce the meat while cooking,but not in the box.
Today's comp cooks have become so good,have access to the same meats,perfected their presentations,that 1 hundredth of a point[out of 800]may separate entries.
The comp cook may double their effort ,in hopes of picking up that additional whisper.
Does our team inject butts at cookoffs-sometimes.
Do we at home for family,friends,other cooks-no.
I guess I'm saying have fun with experimenting,but don't lose the focus on the simple and delicious technique that will produce 95% of the same product.
Now I'll go ,before I'm accused of makin' a Smokin' Okie post .
You're so accused...
Well, the 2nd butt (7.5 lb.) turned out just excellent. I did inject with apple juice, I believe it kept it a little moister than my first butt. Ended up going about 18 hours at 225. We really couldn't pick up any hint of the apple juice...so, I'd have to say it doesn't affect the flavor.
So, once again the Cookshack did the job....i'm truly delighted with my purchase!
So, once again the Cookshack did the job....i'm truly delighted with my purchase!
I use Jack Daniels also. However I put it on the rocks!