need advice on injecting pork for ham

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Alan

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I'm planning on taking a pork loin, cure and smoke it for lunch meat. I'm looking at one of Len Poli's recipes which calls for injections, new ground for me. I'm also planning on using a regular 16g needle with a 20cc syringe, I know it's not a regular type of needle for this purpose, any problems using this type of needle? Can anyone give me any tips on injecting meat, how much, how far apart, any signs from the meat when it has enough, etc? Also if anyone has a recipe suggestion they wouldn't mind sharing that would be great! Thanks,

Alan
 
To inject the meat you typically take the brine and dilute it by about half then inject the meat with 10% of the weight of the piece of meat with this diluted brine. All you are doing is adding some insurance to be sure the cure penetrates the thickest sections of the meat. If it doesn't, no harm done you'll just have a coin sized piece of uncured meat in the middle of the loin. You just want to slowly inject it to the point where it is beginning to come out the hole and your goal is to get the cure into the thickest section. You really need a brining needle for this. They sell them in the garden section at Home Depot and places like that.

I don't know the recipe you are using so its hard to say much more but one thing you can do without injecting or with injecting is when you take it out the brine, rinse it good then put it in the fridge for a day or two longer. This will allow the cure more time to equalize and pass through all the meat. In other words, be patient and don't get in a hurry and things will work out better in the long run. Nothing can pizz you off more than seeing one of those corn shapes in the middle of the meat.
 
Jogeephus":w5sffc11 said:
To inject the meat you typically take the brine and dilute it by about half then inject the meat with 10% of the weight of the piece of meat with this diluted brine. All you are doing is adding some insurance to be sure the cure penetrates the thickest sections of the meat. If it doesn't, no harm done you'll just have a coin sized piece of uncured meat in the middle of the loin. You just want to slowly inject it to the point where it is beginning to come out the hole and your goal is to get the cure into the thickest section. You really need a brining needle for this. They sell them in the garden section at Home Depot and places like that.

I don't know the recipe you are using so its hard to say much more but one thing you can do without injecting or with injecting is when you take it out the brine, rinse it good then put it in the fridge for a day or two longer. This will allow the cure more time to equalize and pass through all the meat. In other words, be patient and don't get in a hurry and things will work out better in the long run. Nothing can pizz you off more than seeing one of those corn shapes in the middle of the meat.

Thank you Jo for another very clear and detailed answer. In my research I found, as you stated, a 10% injection to meat weight but that made me concerned about over salty ham. The diluted brine makes more sense and eases that concern. I will also give the cure meat longer rest time in the refrigerator as you suggested. My first try at "ham" well maybe more of a ham wannabe. Also thanks for the tip on the needle.

Thanks again,
Alan
 
I see the injectors all the time in the condiment sections of wally world and kroger.
The only difference in the needle that I ever saw was the hole is on the side instead of in the end, except some have perforations all down the needle.
I've seen some people use what looks like a cattle drench gun with a needle on it for really big chunks of meat.
I bet this one ain't cheap:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHdURHccGH8
 
That'll set you back $70. Allan, Christmas is coming and that would be a good gift you could give your friends. :mrgreen:
 

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