A meat injector will always come in handy when you want to increase the flavor and moisture of your meat. It basically resembles a giant hypodermic syringe, and it is used to inject brine, marinade or sauces into meet before putting it in a BBQ grill.
Often with marinating, you simply sit the meat in the marinade and let it soak in, but it only soaks a few centimeters in. Things tend to be different with injecting considering the flavor and moisture gets deep inside the meat where it can permeate the whole meat chunk. That ensures the finished cooked product falls apart and is full of flavor.
To ensure your meat prep expedition goes as planned; it always pays off to invest in the ideal meat injector. And that’s precisely what this blog post will help you uncover today. Here are a few things to look for in a meat injector.
Capacity
If you’ve done a bit of research here and there, then you probably already know that sizes typically start about 30ml/1oz and move upwards. 30ml units are perfect for things like a few steaks, but for most individuals the sweet spot is about 60ml/2oz.
You can find a few 120ml/4oz syringes on the market, not forgetting larger multi-needle units connected via a hose to a bottle. However, these are generally more cumbersome to handle and really only make sense for large-volume commercial use.
Consider the Material
It is also worth looking into the material when planning to buy a meat injector. There’s no denying that plastic meat injectors are very affordable with prices normal ranging from only about $7. They are ideal for occasional use on small cuts of meat, but sometimes you might have to contend with the plastic thread breaking where the needle screws on.
Some meat injectors use a stainless-steel skin around a plastic barrel. These boast a higher-class appearance than straight plastic units, but underneath the skin they’re still just a plastic meat injector with all the faults of a plastic injector. In short, you only pay extra money for a nicer looking cover.
Needles
We can never conclude without mentioning the sheer fact that plastic injectors often only come with a single narrow needle since they’re not really designed for injecting whole birds. As for most metals, they tend to come with two needless, a multi-hole needle for liquids and an open-ended needle for thicker marinades.
While shopping around, you’ll mostly come across two styles of needless. It is highly recommended that you get ones with the sharp point tips as they are easier to pierce through the meat.
For those who prefer small needles, then try as much as possible to avoid it if one of the holes is a long way from the tip. After all, you won’t be able to inject marinade all the way to the surface on both sides of the needles, since the marinade will spurt out the top hole once it’s clear of the meat.
