Let's Talk BBQ

Outdoor Cooking Equipment => Charbroil Infrared & SRG style Cookers => Grills & Smokers => Big Easy (BEESR) and SRG Type cookers => Topic started by: junep on August 30, 2016, 04:04:33 PM

Title: Question about injecting meat
Post by: junep on August 30, 2016, 04:04:33 PM
My new Charbroil just finished the 45 minute seasoning, and I have my shopping list ready to head to the store with me; but I bought one of those injectors I've seen people using on you tube and BBQ shows, but what do you inject with and how much do you know how to use????

Normally I just roast a chicken seasoned with salt and pepper in and out, and  stuffed with some garlic, orange, apple and onion wedges, and sit it on top of more of those with some celery, carrots, etc. and pour over more orange juice and pale dry sherry. So all those flavor permeate the meat and make a lovely, natural sauce; but since I read that you don't stuff a chicken when cooking in the big easy, I figure the only way to get flavor must be to inject it and use some kind of a rub; but I have no idea what to use or how much to use. I could probably find some recipes on line for what to inject, but have no idea how much to use for a 3 lb chicken! Thanks for any help.
Title: Re: Question about injecting meat
Post by: Pam Gould on August 30, 2016, 04:15:41 PM
I usually brine my birds, but yours is small..go for a stick of butter, I add gahhlick and whatever else flavor I like.    .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.
Title: Question about injecting meat
Post by: Pappymn on August 30, 2016, 04:57:32 PM
Brining works great. But as Pam said, butter with some herbs is really good too. One stick should be enough for a small chicken
Title: Re: Question about injecting meat
Post by: Tailgating is my game on August 30, 2016, 09:17:22 PM
I like  chicken with S & p some garlic powder & just that.  The big easy cooks it so good as is. I think some people put butter under the skin......
Title: Re: Question about injecting meat
Post by: junep on August 30, 2016, 09:25:23 PM
I usually brine my birds, but yours is small..go for a stick of butter, I add gahhlick and whatever else flavor I like.    .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.

Thanks. I couldn't find a 3 lb chicken on sale. I had to settle for a 5 lb; but I'll just roast that one in the oven if friends want to come for dinner Friday or Saturday. I had to go to a second store where I found a 4 lb one. So I'll probably cook that one for myself and eat a lot of leftovers. 
Title: Re: Question about injecting meat
Post by: junep on August 30, 2016, 09:27:10 PM
Brining works great. But as Pam said, butter with some herbs is really good too. One stick should be enough for a small chicken
I think I'll do just that. Thanks for your suggestion.
Title: Re: Question about injecting meat
Post by: junep on August 30, 2016, 09:31:14 PM
I like  chicken with S & p some garlic powder & just that.  The big easy cooks it so good as is. I think some people put butter under the skin......
Thanks, I'll salt and pepper in an out, and rub it with some butter that I've melted with some crushed garlic, since I try to use fresh garlic whenever possible (I grow my own, and have just harvested several bulbs). I too, like a bit of garlic flavor in my roast chicken and usually put a couple of cloves in the cavity when roasting.
Title: Re: Question about injecting meat
Post by: TMB on August 30, 2016, 09:45:25 PM
BUTTER!!!  I love to add spices to butter and inject then coat the skin with the leftover injection
Title: Re: Question about injecting meat
Post by: teesquare on August 30, 2016, 09:57:46 PM
And...as much as I hate to offer this advise as a healthy alternative... :D ;D ;D ;D I have used chicken broth with seasoning that have been steeped or simmered in it.

And - if you can - allow some time to let the seasoning method of choice some time to permeate the meat and spread itself around a in the muscle tissues. Bear in mind - it is best to chill any injection material to 40F or lower  - and keep the chicken cold as you can too. Food safety announcement over now.... :D :D :D
Title: Re: Question about injecting meat
Post by: junep on August 31, 2016, 01:13:18 AM
Butter should be it's own food group. I'll have to try that - just better and spices? I'm thinking I could melt the butter with some sliced fresh garlic and and a few fresh sage leave, salt and maybe a touch of cayenne, and use that. I have a recipe for rock cornish hens that calls for putting a few fresh sage leaves under the skin and it's a delicious recipe, so maybe seasoning the butter with the sage, garlic, butter and maybe a touch of lemon might be a nice marinade to inject and use on the outside as well. I'll just use a quarter of a lb of butter as one member suggested, and take a chance. Thanks!

BUTTER!!!  I love to add spices to butter and inject then coat the skin with the leftover injection
Title: Re: Question about injecting meat
Post by: junep on August 31, 2016, 01:17:13 AM
Good advice. I think I could probably use a herb, spice, garlic, lemon juice infused butter on the exterior, then use chicken broth with the butter mix as the injection marinade. I do like food experimenting. Now I just have to figure when I'll be able to try this!

And...as much as I hate to offer this advise as a healthy alternative... :D ;D ;D ;D I have used chicken broth with seasoning that have been steeped or simmered in it.

And - if you can - allow some time to let the seasoning method of choice some time to permeate the meat and spread itself around a in the muscle tissues. Bear in mind - it is best to chill any injection material to 40F or lower  - and keep the chicken cold as you can too. Food safety announcement over now.... :D :D :D
Title: Re: Question about injecting meat
Post by: Pam Gould on August 31, 2016, 01:41:07 AM
Butter should be it's own food group. I'll have to try that - just better and spices? I'm thinking I could melt the butter with some sliced fresh garlic and and a few fresh sage leave, salt and maybe a touch of cayenne, and use that. I have a recipe for rock cornish hens that calls for putting a few fresh sage leaves under the skin and it's a delicious recipe, so maybe seasoning the butter with the sage, garlic, butter and maybe a touch of lemon might be a nice marinade to inject and use on the outside as well. I'll just use a quarter of a lb of butter as one member suggested, and take a chance. Thanks!

BUTTER!!!  I love to add spices to butter and inject then coat the skin with the leftover injection
a small suggestion..watch if you put herbs on the outside of the chicken..they will burn in the big easy...put under the skin or in your marinade.   .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.
Title: Re: Question about injecting meat
Post by: Hub on August 31, 2016, 08:13:15 AM
My favorite injection for chicken is EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) infused with garlic.  Mash and mince five or six garlic cloves until they are very fine textured and mix in the olive oil without making any blockage for the injection needle.  Use about 2/3 of your injection (half a cup for a 4-5 lb. bird) in the breasts -- injecting both deep and shallow, lots of small injections to distribute evenly.  The remaining 1/3 goes in the meaty portions of the legs, same method.  Thighs don't really need the injection as much due to their excellent natural fat/lean balance but you can add a little if you want.

Injections in meats that tend to be dry (e.g. chicken breast meat and brisket) can make a huge difference in juiciness and contribute a little extra flavor to bland meats, too.  As several suggest, you can use butter for extra richness.  I like the EVOO because it doesn't overpower the chicken meat flavor quite as much.

Here's a "Basics" article on marinades, injections, and brines:  http://www.letstalkbbq.com/index.php?topic=17977.0

Hub
Title: Re: Question about injecting meat
Post by: Tailgating is my game on August 31, 2016, 08:23:37 AM
Butter should be it's own food group. I'll have to try that - just better and spices? I'm thinking I could melt the butter with some sliced fresh garlic and and a few fresh sage leave, salt and maybe a touch of cayenne, and use that. I have a recipe for rock cornish hens that calls for putting a few fresh sage leaves under the skin and it's a delicious recipe, so maybe seasoning the butter with the sage, garlic, butter and maybe a touch of lemon might be a nice marinade to inject and use on the outside as well. I'll just use a quarter of a lb of butter as one member suggested, and take a chance. Thanks!

BUTTER!!!  I love to add spices to butter and inject then coat the skin with the leftover injection
a small suggestion..watch if you put herbs on the outside of the chicken..they will burn in the big easy...put under the skin or in your marinade.   .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.


What did the chicken say to Pam????






You are getting under my skin ;) ;) ;) ;) :D :D :D :D


I have never done that but it sounds great......I got to try that without pulling the skin apart
Title: Re: Question about injecting meat
Post by: Pam Gould on August 31, 2016, 09:21:55 AM
TG..just put 1 finger under the skin and start going across chicken skin sideways..it will separate easily for ya to do what ya gotta do..good luck..it's easier than you think.. .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.
Title: Re: Question about injecting meat
Post by: tlg4942 on August 31, 2016, 11:35:03 AM
  June, Don't be afraid to experiment ,
 Rarely will you mess up a chicken no matter what you do.  Keep in mind if you think it will taste good injected it probably will.
I have and many on this forum have injected beer, wine , apple juice,  butter , Cajun seasoning, broth , both vegetable and meat broths.   
  With that said brineing is a excellent practice for poultry no matter how its cooked.   
Don't be afraid of the size of the chicken either. 2lbs, 5 lbs or 12 lbs...  Cook by temp and it will work. Even Cornish game hens are fine.

Its going to be dark in color (the skin) when its done most likely. More so if you put oil on the skin.   Use your thermometer more than anything else.   And remember the temp will continue to rise when you remove it so pull it a couple degrees lower than the target temp. 
Title: Re: Question about injecting meat
Post by: teesquare on August 31, 2016, 12:11:47 PM
Good advice. I think I could probably use a herb, spice, garlic, lemon juice infused butter on the exterior, then use chicken broth with the butter mix as the injection marinade. I do like food experimenting. Now I just have to figure when I'll be able to try this!

And...as much as I hate to offer this advise as a healthy alternative... :D ;D ;D ;D I have used chicken broth with seasoning that have been steeped or simmered in it.

And - if you can - allow some time to let the seasoning method of choice some time to permeate the meat and spread itself around a in the muscle tissues. Bear in mind - it is best to chill any injection material to 40F or lower  - and keep the chicken cold as you can too. Food safety announcement over now.... :D :D :D

Just one gentle caution here....acids break down muscle tissue pretty efficiently...So - use a small amount and - do not let the chicken sit long before cooking it in order to minimize the risk of "mush meat" ;D
Title: Re: Question about injecting meat
Post by: Tailgating is my game on August 31, 2016, 02:45:36 PM
TG..just put 1 finger under the skin and start going across chicken skin sideways..it will separate easily for ya to do what ya gotta do..good luck..it's easier than you think.. .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.

As always....Thanks Pam I will try it next time...sounds great
Title: Re: Question about injecting meat
Post by: junep on August 31, 2016, 03:33:08 PM
  June, Don't be afraid to experiment ,
 Rarely will you mess up a chicken no matter what you do.  Keep in mind if you think it will taste good injected it probably will.
I have and many on this forum have injected beer, wine , apple juice,  butter , Cajun seasoning, broth , both vegetable and meat broths.   
  With that said brineing is a excellent practice for poultry no matter how its cooked.   
Don't be afraid of the size of the chicken either. 2lbs, 5 lbs or 12 lbs...  Cook by temp and it will work. Even Cornish game hens are fine.

Its going to be dark in color (the skin) when its done most likely. More so if you put oil on the skin.   Use your thermometer more than anything else.   And remember the temp will continue to rise when you remove it so pull it a couple degrees lower than the target temp.

Thanks for the reassurance! Normally, since I'm only cooking for myself now (been a widow since last November), I'll be cooking 3 lb fryers if I can find them. My shopping trip yesterday turned up one 4 lb and one 5 lb. So I'll see if friends want to come for dinner this weekend and be my guinea pigs for the first time using this Big Easy SRG. If not, that big one will go in the freezer and I'll do the smaller one for myself. If I have room in one of fridges (they're pretty maxed out now, since one is pretty well filled with my soap making oils), I'll try brining it as well.
Title: Re: Question about injecting meat
Post by: junep on August 31, 2016, 03:36:35 PM
Thanks Pam. I do that with a rock cornish hen recipe I have - lift the breast skin gently and insert about 4 fresh sage leaves. It's a great recipe and I've never tried it with chicken since I'm very happy with my regular roast chicken recipe, so it will be interesting to see how I like a chicken roasted in this Big Easy SRG with brining (if there's room in the fridge), and injecting some marinade. Thanks for all the help and suggestions!