Am I alone on this???

[Bearcarver]

I have never injected, but I never did any comps.

As far as I'm concerned, the only thing I ever smoked that was even slightly dry was a couple of Breasts, and that can be easily taken care of with some of Rich's awesome "Poultry Brine". About 6 hours soaking in that stuff, and you're good to go!!!


Bear

[gmotoman]

Tried it once on a chicken and broke the needle, and gave myself a wicked puncture wound. Never have I injected again. Brining???Well hell yes I brine the hell out of poultry. But so far buying quality meat and applying the knowledge I gained from the site I have been very happy with my results w/o injecting.

[Snarlingiron]

Never done any competition cooking. I always inject me turkeys when frying. Adds interesting flavor profiles. I have injected things from time to time, but don't do it often. Just when I get a wild hair.

[crusty ol salt]

i have tried the injection thing. what a pain in my neck, maybe if i did it more i dont know. but the food i serve always gets good reviews. that said until i starting the comp thing, my home is a no injection zone

[erain]

no injection here either, only when curing. I have been led to follow the usda "intact muscle rule" and unless any injecting would take place after the outside of the muscle, actually the outer 1/2 inch has reached the upper threshold of the danger zone temp, any such injection would then void the intact muscle rule. we have a sticky in the food safety section that will back this up.

from one "our" stickies.
"Whole-muscle, intact beef" means whole muscle beef that is not injected,
mechanically tenderized, reconstructed, or scored and marinated."

[Wingman]

I do inject from time to time. I not only inject liquids, I inject solids like Rosemary, Garlic etc. Look, it's all about introducing moisture and additional flavors for a bit of a twist. I also don't use the same rub all the time as I prefer different flavor profiles. I suggest to everyone to try different techniques and find out what floats your boat. This will keep your BBQ from getting into a rut! Just MHO

[Fishawn]

Rob, got any pics of that Popeil injector thingy you have and the garlic chunks and or whatever else you "injected" into a beef roast I think it was? That was really cool! That was injection, kicked up 10 notches.

[Bearcarver]

no injection here either, only when curing. I have been led to follow the usda "intact muscle rule" and unless any injecting would take place after the outside of the muscle, actually the outer 1/2 inch has reached the upper threshold of the danger zone temp, any such injection would then void the intact muscle rule. we have a sticky in the food safety section that will back this up.

from one "our" stickies.
"Whole-muscle, intact beef" means whole muscle beef that is not injected,
mechanically tenderized, reconstructed, or scored and marinated."

Exactly!!!
If I don't inject, I can experiment with all kinds of smoking temps, and not have to worry about when it crosses the 135˚ or 140˚ line!!!
And I don't insert my "sterilized" meat probe until about 3 hours into the smoke. (same reason)

Bear

[HawgHeaven]

my home is a no injection zone

Unfortunately, so is mine...

[1Cavman]

Until I started hangin out at this forum I'd never used a brine or injection. Just rubs, marinades and sauces. As long as I pay attention to what I'm doing I get good results.

That being said..

I've done one injection on a Sirloin Tip Roast with a sample of Rich's Beef injection, liked the results, it did indeed and an additional beefiness to the roast.
For me the idea is to experiment, think about things in a different light and become a better cook. Will I inject again.. Sure..
Not a comp guy although I think I'd like to give it try sometime.

[chefrob]

the only time i have injected was to cure a ham.........that being said, i prefer to do as little to my food as possible.