Select the best meat injector needles for your recipes to infuse the tastiest solutions and have a real feast at home. A meat injector is the ultimate kitchen tool for making your meat overflow with flavors. Who does not like tender and juicy meat? Injecting is the best way to tenderize your preferred meat.
The needles of the meat injector play a crucial role and you must decide which one to use depending on your recipe. Try the thinnest one with closed lid for your liquid only sauces. If the sauce is too thin, you don’t want a thick needle with an oversized opening; otherwise it would be too hard to control, and it will end up spilling all around. Conversely, you would want to use the needles with oversized openings to infuse solutions with chunky particles, such as minced basil or chopped garlic, so that you can push it into the meat flawlessly. We have an interesting post on meat injectors, where we review some of the best meat injectors that are on the market now.
Different types of needles for different recipes:
- Open slant tip needles are used for solutions with small spice or herb particles.
- Closed tip, side perforated needles are good for liquid only sauces (no particles).
- Needles with oversized openings are used for chunky marinades with large particles.
- Shorter-thinner gauge needles are perfect for smaller cut meats (mostly for bbq).
Check your injection solution’s thickness and ingredients, and then select the right size needle with appropriate perforation according to the information above.
Meat injector recipes – What should you inject?
Preparing your injection solution is the best part of meat injection. Be as creative as you can. Just be extra careful if you are planning to inject marinades; using citric (lemon) or enzymatic (papaya) ingredients can either make your meat too tough or too mushy. Better use with caution as injecting ingredients differs from marinating ingredients, however you can still use the, but in lower quantities.
Turkey Injection Sauce Recipe
- 1/2 cup of water or chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons of red wine
- 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of apple juice
- 2 ½ teaspoon of sea salt (or salt to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon finely ground chili
- 1/4 teaspoon saffron powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Directions: Mix and cook on stovetop for 5 minutes or until the butter melts. Keep warm.
Beef Injection Sauce Recipe
- 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cups of water or beef stock
- 1 cup of apple juice
- 1 tablespoon of white sugar
- 2 tablespoons of sea salt (or salt to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions: Mix and shake well.
Tip: Pour your solution in a bottle, put on your favorite song and start shaking; the solution will be mixed well!
How to Use A Meat Injector?
You might think it is a piece of cake but there are some important factors that you have to consider in order to inject the meat successfully.
Preparing the Meat Injector
Before you start, pour your sauce solution or marinade in a tall container for easy withdrawal.
Decide and select the correct needle size depending on the thickness and particles in your solution and attach it into the open end of the barrel. Depress the plunger rod completely so it rests at the front end of the barrel.
Injecting Your Solution into The Meat
Dip the tip of the barrel into your liquid sauce or marinade and slowly pull back the plunger until it is fully loaded. Insert the tip of the needle into the meat slowly and go as deep as you can. Push the handle forward with steady pressure in order to infuse the solution. Make injections 1 inch apart in matrix design.
Try to inject thick meats on different depths to spread the sauce into a larger area. Especially with briskets; keep the injections parallel to the grain. If there is a bone in your meat then inject around it at varying depths. Needles with holes on the side must be fully inserted into the meat before you push down the plunger.
In Conclusion
Injecting solutions into your meat is not only fun but it also enhances the flavor incredibly. Best of all, the meat becomes tender and juicy and you are immediately pulled into a feast. Meat injectors are the best buddies of the barbecue fans. You can either infuse only liquid solutions with thin needles or use needles with oversized openings to inject sauces with chopped particles such as finely minced garlic or parsley. Yumminess is guaranteed whichever type you prefer.
