When to inject?


 
B

Burt Alcantara

New member
I've got 2 small butts totaling about 10 lbs. I was going to apply the rub tonight and cook tomorrow but I forgot about the injection.

Should I inject and rub tonight or do the whole thing in the morning before cooking?

I'm using the Chris Lilly injection and Myron's basic rub. As I've never cooked anything this large I decided to give the day over to the butts. Serving will be the next day, Saturday so today is Thursday where I planned to apply the rub, cook all day Friday and serve Saturday.

Your collective wisdom is greatly respected and appreciated. So far, your answers have been 100% heavenly!

Thanks,
Burt
 
Inject just before puting it on the smoker. If you do it the night before almost all fluid will be lost anyway. And you will have a really big mess of rub/inject in the foil.
 
I base the inject/rub times on when the meat is going into the cooker.

If the butt is <4# and I'm going to put it in after say 10:00A then I'll inject/rub it that morning. If it's 9+ pounds then I'll inject it the night before and rub an hour or so before going in.

Wolgast is correct. If injected the night before, a good portion of the injection will run out but while it's in there and on it's way out it will impart flavor. That's why I wait to rub shortly before cooking.

There's really no need to try to keep all that liquid in the meat. It will get pushed out when the meat contracts anyway. I may be wrong but I don't believe it changes the moisture content in the finished meat.

Russ
 
I decided to do an overnight light rub, inject in the morning then do the final rub. When I unwrapped the meat this morning, there was a huge amount of water(?) in the wrapping. The shoulder was fresh Costco, bought yesterday.

Is that normal? I'm wondering if the meat is injected at the factory to add weight. I know this is down with chicken parts. If this is the case then it would seem to be fruitless to inject it.

BTW, after I injected the meat, when I poured off the spillage, there seemed to be almost the same amount as when I started.
 
I rub and inject, usually 7-8lb, butts the night before and wrap them in plastic wrap. The best advice is always to see what others do and then try different ways to find what works best for you.
Good luck,
Mike
 
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