Mix all of the ingredients for the marinade. I like the flavor and moisture level without enhancement. The benefits of injecting are most significant when smoking large, bland, or naturally dry cuts of meat. I like Chris Lilly's version as well (much like the apple juice, worchestershire, and rub above, but I add flake salt and garlic). This Blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Wood chunks or chips (apple and hickory are good choices), 1 cup apple juice or apple cider vinegar, 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted, One easy way to help your meat stay moist while it's smoking is. Additionally, every hour or so, spray the meat down with a 50:50 mixture of apple juice or cider and water to help keep the meat moist and the outside from burning. Prepare a batch of pork shoulder rub. By completely gelatinizing any of the tough connective tissue within the meat, though, the meat is extremely tender, moist, and flavorful. If you’re a fan of carnitas, meaty ragùs, pork stews like chili verde, and pulled pork, then pork shoulder is a cut that’s already on your radar.It’s one of the best bets when you need to feed a crowd or make a meal with leftovers to spare. When your meat has finished cooking, remove it from the smoker. A simple injection that I use is... 16oz Apple Juice; 1/2 cup Kosher Salt; 1/2 cup Brown Sugar; 1 TBS Worcestshire Sauce; 1 TBS Soy Sauce; Heat over medium heat until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved. If you plan to pull it and/or chop it prior to serving, you can simply "baste" the pulled/chopped meat with the solution prior to serving. I like apple juice, beer, and hot sauce. Injected pork shouldn’t take any longer to cook than pork that uses exterior marinades. The best way to know when the pork is finished cooking is by using a digital meat thermometer. When resting, meat has a chance to relax and become more tender, as well as fully finish cooking as residual heat travels throughout the meat. One easy way to help your meat stay moist while it's smoking is to inject it with a special seasoning liquid. When that's done, start on your injection solution, warning it all together in a small saucepan until the butter melts, letting it cool briefly before injecting it into the meat and inject pork butt using an injection needle. Pork shoulder is – you guessed it – the cut taken from the shoulder of a pig. Additionally, every hour or so, spray the meat down with a 50:50 mixture of apple juice or cider and water to help keep the meat moist and the outside from burning. An explaination would be helpful as to why you felt that way. Strange statement. Cherry wood is a nice option. Remove the bone from inside the meat (it should be tender enough to where you could just poke into it with a fork and pull it out), then get to shredding. The other cut is the Picnic Shoulder, which is less commonly found in grocery stores. Location: Granite City, Illinois (Near St. Louis "GO CARDS"), I get it. ", Location: God's Country Ossipee-Osceola NC, Lately I've taken to injecting Pork Picnics with. One easy way to help your meat stay moist while it's smoking is to inject it with a special seasoning liquid. Preparing Your Pork Shoulder for the Slow Cooker. All in all, you just can't go wrong with something this good. When your thermometer reaches the internal temperature of 175 degrees Fahrenheit, place the pork into an aluminum baking pan. As it does a lot of work walking the pig around all day, it is quite a tough, muscular joint and so must be cooked low and slow to avoid any toughness. I use the entire … When the thermometer reaches 195 degrees F, the pork is fully cooked and should be shreddable. Add less than half an inch of your spray mixture to the bottom of the pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil, then return everything to the smoker. Boston butt is a great cut of meat that can be made even greater with the use of injected liquid. I made 40 lbs of shoulder last night with the injection above and they were consistently moist and flavorful. Only problem with injecting pork butt is that once you penetrate the muscle you need to bring the internal temperature up to 135 degrees within 4 hours to be safe. Have any tips on injecting meat or a good recipe for it? You only did it once and it was the best and the worst you have made so far? This helps the spice rub adhere better, as well as provide extra caramelization. Overnight marinades just flavor the outside of the food, but the injector plumps up the food and seasons it from the inside out. Pork shoulder, pork butt and Boston butt are the same cut of meat. Using two forks, simply pull the meat apart in the pan, mixing it around to coat it in any collected juices that pooled during the resting time. By completely gelatinizing any of the tough connective tissue within the meat, though, the meat is extremely tender, moist, and flavorful. Did you like this guide? Curing can be done either dry or wet, but the traditional type of curing is dry salt curing, in which a salt-based cure is rubbed directly on the meat. For easier organization, we'll break down what you'll need for injecting the pork, the seasoning for it, and cooking the pork itself. This ensures that, from the moment you put your meat inside, it will be smoking in an optimal environment. Wrap the pan in a clean towel and transfer everything into a cooler without ice. Using a meat injection syringe, inject the mixture into several different spots in the pork roast. When you've collected all the ingredients necessary for the recipe, you can finally move on to the part where you actually cook your pork. Pulled pork is at its best when served on a bun smothered in barbecue or hot sauce or bbq sauce. Either cut (or the whole pork shoulder) can be used interchangeably when making smoked pork. Unlike with other cuts of meat, this is the ideal state for pork butt, as it is naturally very tough and hard to eat. You do not need to inject to get moist and tender pulled pork.