Pork butt-inject or not?

jerseyshore · September 2010

Making 5 pork butts for a block party this weekend. Have had great success in the past with just a good rub and vinegar based sauce for the finish. I have never injected. Is it worth the extra step to inject them as well? All opinions appreciated.

JerseyEgger · September 2010

Js, I haven't injected either. I am interested in trying it myself however I am not sure I would do it for a party. I guess in situations where I am cooking for people other than my family I stick with what I know. I would definitely set aside a cook just to test that out though. Good luck with the cook and post pics!!!

highpress · September 2010

I've injected the last 3 or 4 i've done. To me, it's easy to do, I always get rave reviews on the pork, so why not. Google search Chris Lilly rub & marinade. I've also seen some video on youtube that he has but i didn't watch the whole thing. Looks like a 3 part video, probably has alot of good info.

Try it once and you be the judge. good luck

Gator Bait · September 2010

Hi jerseyshore,

I have tried a number of cooks with injections and have yet to come to any conclusions. If you are looking to add flavor make sure your injection has a lot of flavor, they need to be pretty strong before you can really taste them, at least that has been my experience. As for adding moisture or tenderness, the jury is still out from what I can tell. It's almost impossible to tell what the results are without doing a side by side test where you have a test subject and a control to compare it to. Some people think brining is just as effective and less work. I have only brined a couple turkeys in the past and they were fantastic, whether that was because they were good birds to begin with or it was the effect of the brine it is hard to tell. For a party I would probably second the advise to go with what you know, it's harder to fail. If you want to experiment this may be a good chance to do it. You could inject one butt, brine another and then do a regular cook on the remaining butts. Then you would have your tests and the controls to compare them to. In the end when they are all pulled and mixed together they will be great pulled pork no matter how they were cooked and you will have gained from the experience. Your results and conclusions would also make a great post here on the forum.

hornhonk · September 2010

I recently cooked some injected butts. I used the Fab P injection. Could I tell the difference between them and other butts I have cooked? Absolutely! The difference was amazing. Out of this world gooood! :P Would I do it for a pot-luck neighborhood event? No. Why not, you say? The cost. The injection cost more than the meat. I definately will do it for family and holiday events, however.

Chappy · September 2010

I haven't done fab P, but I inject everyone that do. You can't go wrong with a simple injection. Try this..¾ C Apple Juice, ½ C Water, ½ C Sugar, ¼ C Salt, and 2 TBSP Worcestershire. This recipe is enough to inject 1 butt so double or triple it if needed.

The last two times I decided to do something different. I didn't have any apple juice, but I did have Arizona Arnold Palmer lite tea. I used that instead and I really liked it.

Go for it, you will like it.

ddmax · September 2010

I have injected from the beginning. I've been meaning to do a side by side comparison (with and without injecting) to see what kind of difference it makes.

I put together some non traditional injections that I think add something extra special to the pork. The last one involved apple juice, apple cider, water and Knob Creek.

Pork butt-inject or not?

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