Brisket injection for moisture/flavor


 
Andy Kaminski

Andy Kaminski

TVWBB All-Star
Do any of you guys n gals do this?
I’ve done this twice on brisket for moisture and have had very good results.

Prior to that I’ve tried injecting a pork shoulder a few times and wasn’t really impressed.
I’m thinking that the pork shoulder has enough moisture to not require any more.
I also prefer a simple rub on a pork shoulder and then adding what spicing I want after the cook so I can use the meat multiple ways.

With brisket I’ve chopped up the trimmed fat into small pieces and rendered it on the stove top with a bit of water to help accelerate the process.
I did this to mimic the guys that added tallow to their wrap but I had a bunch extra so I injected it prior to the cook and got a really nice jelly type brisket as the result.
I also rested the brisket on the small chunks of tallow fat during the wrap and I received a lot of compliments on the cooks.

Today I’m doing a brisket for a party tomorrow and I’m making the tallow different yet.
I’ve added aromatics like garlic, basil, sesame, rosemary and thyme to the rendering fat as an experiment.
I’m not sure how this will work out but the house smells really good anyways.
I don’t think this will hurt but I haven’t seen anyone else doing it like this.
I have however seen videos of people injecting their briskets and then pitch their $30 per jar of their magic injection juice.

Do any of you have any experience or recommendations with doing this?
Thoughts?
Thanks.
Andy.
 
If I cook a packer brisket I will chose the best marbled select I can find and inject it. I rub it with SPOG, then smoke, misting frequently with beef broth. Once at the stall, I wrap in pink butcher paper. I have to carefully monitor it to catch it at "probe tender". Often the lower fat marbling does not allow it to reach 200-205°F.

I've tried several homemade injections but have had the best results with a commercial injection.

Edit: sentence structure 🙄
 
Following along. Have never done a brisket injection but I have only cooked maybe 10.

Last 3 I smoked I did the foil boat technique when they stalled at 165-170F. Mind blowing how much juice was captured in the boat. Then I did an extended rest of 8-10 hours still in the boat with all the juices in the warming oven at 150F. Almost all of the juices were reabsorbed. Best I have ever done and is my new technique going forward.
 
I inject a mix of beef broth (Better than Bullion) and Worcestershire sauce.

I don't think I've smoked a brisket without injection for comparison testing, so I don't know if if it makes a lot of difference. But it is quick and easy to do, and the injected briskets always come out great.
 
Wilmer Cogburn said:
Following along. Have never done a brisket injection but I have only cooked maybe 10.

Last 3 I smoked I did the foil boat technique when they stalled at 165-170F. Mind blowing how much juice was captured in the boat. Then I did an extended rest of 8-10 hours still in the boat with all the juices in the warming oven at 150F. Almost all of the juices were reabsorbed. Best I have ever done and is my new technique going forward.
Click to expand...
Tell me about this boat method... please
 
I thought brisket "moisture" was 90% rendered fat anyways. I presume a pure water injection would do nothing for moisture. But yeah, that's just a hypothesis, gotta do my first brisket
Tony Coloma said:
Tell me about this boat method... please
Click to expand...

Have a look at T Roy cooks A Choice brisket. I don't know if he does a boat there, but he talks about the brisket re-absorbing liquid.

And its a chill channel to boot.
 
Wilmer Cogburn said:
Following along. Have never done a brisket injection but I have only cooked maybe 10.

Last 3 I smoked I did the foil boat technique when they stalled at 165-170F. Mind blowing how much juice was captured in the boat. Then I did an extended rest of 8-10 hours still in the boat with all the juices in the warming oven at 150F. Almost all of the juices were reabsorbed. Best I have ever done and is my new technique going forward.
Click to expand...
Tony Coloma said:
Tell me about this boat method... please
Click to expand...
I think this video explains it best. Lots of nice bark on the top. Very moist.
IMG_7912 (1).JPGIMG_7915.JPG
 
I have not injected a brisket, chickens turkeys yes, reckon I been lucky they all turned out great, moist has never been a problem, maybe I leave more fat on than other folks? injecting or covering with fat from a commercial product doesn't set well with me. I think I would render the fat from my brisket that I know how it was handled and flavored. reckon that takes more work, 1 time I put the fat I trimmed off on the rack above my brisket and let it baste as it smoked, it was good but can't say it changed much.
 
15 or more years ago, someone gifted me an injector kit. I injected a turkey, a couple of chickens and a pork butt. The syringe has been collecting dust ever since. Any trimming I do on a brisket is minimal and they come out plenty moist. I have brined a couple for corned beef/pastrami, and they were extra moist, so I can't argue with adding moisture. Whatever works best for you is the right way.
 
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