Injecting Ribs


 
Only having done 4 comps I won't claim to be an expert but I have not and would think it would end up making the ribs mushy.

There are plenty of ways to keep your ribs moist and tender.
 
I don't, I have not heard of any team injecting ribs. I know of teams that brine and or marinate ribs for comp.

Mark
 
Its not really a moisture issue i'm trying to tackle. More so getting more flavor deeper into the meat. I dont have any tenderness problems, just trying to amp up the flavor.
 
I would be concerned about the flavor overpowering the taste of the pork.

Like Mark said brines and marinades aren't uncommon. You may want to start there before reinventing the wheel.

That means a few test runs in the backyard before a comp...something that I am horrible at but need to do if I continue to take this comp thing seriously.
 
I injected ribs at home once and was pleased with the results. I was at a competition last weekend had a set of ribs that were borderline stinky and I injected them. Later, I decided to get new fresh ribs to cook, but didn't have any injection left. So, I will need to try again. I think if you don't go overboard they can turn out well, but like I said I've only tried it once.
 
Jason,

Since ribs are thin and will always have bark on the outside of each bite, your flavor profiles from rubs and marinades will always come thru. This won't be the case with internal parts of a butt for example, creating the need for deep tissue injections.

You may want to consider taking some of your rub and running it thru a spice grinder til absolutely powdered fine. Put in a shaker with very fine holes and lightly dust your finished ribs in your comp box. This gives that flavor pop you seem to be looking for.
 
Jason, Morrey has a great suggestion. In my experience tho, it is hard to find shakers with small enough holes so that the rub does not look like granuals on your glaze. Perhaps my coffee/spice grinder doesn't make the rub fine enough and I have to look for a better shaker.
Good luck!!!!.

Mark
 
I use the idea of running the rub through a spice grinder to break down the size. Two reasons, first it seems to give a better balance of spices in each bite. The other is that I can more tightly control how much rub is on the meat. Just be sure to not pile it on as it will get gloppy.

When I use up a spice and if the container has the right size shaker hole, then I'll wash it out and keep it for rub.

Russ
 
Guys,

If you can find one of those can type shakers with the screw off top, they usually have fine holes.
A good example is the shaker they use at movie theaters to shake real fine popcorn salt on to the popcorn. I found my shaker at a restaurant supply house. Kitchen shops have them too.
If a coffee/spice grinder is not to your liking, I have often ground my rubs powdery fine in a mortar with a pestal. Takes effort but the results are consistent.
As you all know in the competition world, consistency is the key to success.
 
MK,

Once you get the rub powdered as your finishing "pop", the granules are so fine they disappear as they melt into the glaze. Cant see a thing......got to be fine like powdered sugar tho.

Morrey
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Just be sure to not pile it on as it will get gloppy.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

This is exactly the problem I've been running into...sometimes the fix is so obvious you can't see it...

This is why these discussions are so great!
 
Tried a marinade this weekend on some test subjects. My testers, couldnt tell. So i'm going to leave that out of the process, now just need a never miss rib sauce/glaze
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