BBQ Shoulder Injection

Mostly for competition purposes it is customary to inject shoulders prior to placing them on the smoker, and in some cases a second injection prior to coming off the smoker. There are numerous reasons for doing so (at least on paper).

Two main common ingredients in most shoulder injections are a juice or cider (usually apple) and a vinegar, either white or apple is usually used. Both the acidic value of the juice or cider and the vinegar have properties to help break down the collagen in the shoulder which is what makes a pork shoulder sweet and juicy.


Chris Lily Shoulder Injection - Posted on The BBQ Forum and found in Peace Love and barbecue. Recommended for pork shoulder (butt) Chris and Don McLemore own Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q.

3/4 cup apple juice
1/2
cup
water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup salt
2 tbsp
Worcestershire sauce

Inject shoulder with injection solution using 1/2 oz. (1 tablespoon) per pound. I also add some powder-ized dry rub ( I use a coffee grinder). This allows the spices to dissolve in the mixture (we also heat ours up to blend all the sugars and flavorings. Here are a few more ideas to add, just don't add them all in one injections - experiment with different ingredients to accomplish different flavorings.

Maple syrup, corn syrup, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, powder-ized dry rub, honey, kosher salt, seasoned salt, liquid smoke (never admit to that), soy sauce, a few tablespoons of your home made sauce, use a different type of juice or add a different type to the apple juice, lime juice, lemon juice, dry mustard, Spanish smoked paprika and the list goes on. Remember, too much of a good thing is usually not good.

Keep your amounts proportional to each other.Have fun with it. P.S. - for shoulders I use a brine pump similar to the one above.