If you want an award winning brisket, then a great tasting marinade is the way to go.
I have had the opportunity to attend many brisket competitions and to speak with many pitmasters. And, the ones that are winning all those prizes tend to be the ones who have adopted the injection method. Luckily for you, I have scored some recipes from them.
In this post, I will show you not just one brisket injection recipe but three! I will also guide you through the injection process. Let’s begin!
There are a few brisket injection marinade powders on the market. These can be pretty tempting as they are so easy to use. However, I would advise against them.
I have taken a look at these ingredients and few of them contain real ingredients. As a result, the marinade always tastes artificial or has an odd aftertaste. Not to mention, most of these marinades are way overpriced.
Do yourself a favor and save some money – make your marinades at home. It will make all the difference in the world!
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Here are some of the best brisket injection recipe choices available to you:
For 1 quart of marinade
Add all the ingredients to a bowl and stir vigorously until the salt and sugar has dissolved. Transfer the liquid to a tall and narrow container.
For 1 quart of marinade
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Let the liquid stand for up to 10 minutes and then mix again.
Transfer to a tall, narrow container.
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl with a whisk. Let the solution stand for about 10 minutes. Then mix again before pouring into a tall and narrow container.
Personally, I don’t think that I would label any injection brisket marinades that I have made as being the best.
I think it is all down to personal taste, the spice rub that you are using on your brisket, as well as the side dishes that you are serving along with your smoked brisket.
If you want to experiment with your own recipe, I think it’s a great idea! Before you do that, though, you may want to check out these guidelines:
My first piece of advice to you is to keep it simple with your beef brisket injection marinade.
I have seen plenty of injection recipes loaded up with herbs, spices, and more. While there is nothing wrong with these, all of these flavors tend to overpower the natural flavor profile of the brisket.
This means that instead of that gorgeous beefy flavor you are tasting whatever it is that you have pumped your brisket full off. That’s just a waste.
I would stick to just one or two herbs or spices. This way the brisket gets a nice flavor but you are able to avoid going overboard.
The base of your beef brisket marinade is the liquid. As you can see from the above injection recipes, I prefer beef broth as the main ingredient.
This is because it blends perfectly with the natural flavors of the brisket. As such, I don’t have to worry about upsetting the balance.
I make it a point to always use low sodium broth as the traditional one can be too salty. If you do use the regular version make sure not to add any more salt into the marinade.
If you aren’t fond of the taste of broth or find it a bit too strong, sub out half of the broth with plain water.
In case you are looking to brighten up the marinade, try something like apple juice. With tartness and sweetness, it offers up the best of both worlds.
Oils such as melted butter are a great way of injecting both flavor and moisture into the brisket.
The problem with oils, though, is that they have a tendency to separate from the rest of the marinade.
This is why you should melt the butter right before you add it to the rest of the components. This way, there isn’t enough time for it cool and solidify.
Also, make sure to stir the marinade right before you absorb it into the injector so that it doesn’t separate in the container.
In terms of flavorings, I always prefer dry or powdered versions such as garlic and onion powder. This is because these will dissolve readily, making them easier to inject into the brisket.
I know that some people like to use herbs and real garlic and similar ingredients. If you want to do this as well, make sure that these ingredients are crushed as finely as possible.
Otherwise, they will not pass through the injector. In fact, these components will simply end up clogging the injector, making the whole process far more difficult for you.
If you want, use crushed garlic and other fresh or dried herbs in the marinade. Let these infuse for a while. Then, strain them out before you injecting beef brisket.
This way, there will be no blockage but you will get that extra bump in flavor.
Make sure that the salt, sugar, and other powder that you have added is dissolved before you start injecting the meat.
This is why it is a good idea to always let the marinade sit for a while. This will give the ingredients time to dissolve.
It will also allow you to see which components have dissolved and which ones require a bit more mixing.
When creating your own injection liquid, make sure that there is a good balance between the ingredients. This way, one taste won’t stand out more than the others.
For instance, if you are using apple juice, skip out on the sugar in the marinade. In case you are using soy sauce, there is no need to add salt.
I always advise people to taste their marinades after all the ingredients have dissolved and combined properly.
Yes, this can feel a little odd but it is the best way to know that you have the right balance of ingredients.
Here is everything that you need to know to inject brisket:
First things first, you need a proper meat injector.
If you are someone who grills or smokes brisket, pork, poultry, or any meat at all, then a meat injector is going to be an important investment for you. This is why it is important to choose a good quality one.
There are plenty of types to choose from but I would advise you to choose a stainless steel food grade meat injector.
Not only are these the most hygienic option, but they are also strong enough to penetrate tougher muscles and tissues like with brisket. They also hold up well to frequent and regular use.
The other thing to pay attention to is the capacity of the meat injector. Keep in mind, that you may often be injecting brisket that is over 5lbs in weight.
As such, you will need to inject a greater amount of liquid each time. Due to this, look for a syringe with a minimum capacity of about 2ml. This will give you the freedom to inject cuts of all sizes and weights.
You should also consider the needle. Unless you look closely, you will not notice that injector needles can be quite different from one another.
Most have a single opening at the end of the needle.
Others, though, have small openings on either side of the length of the needle. This allows the liquid to be distributed in all directions.
Now, this can be a great feature for larger cuts of brisket or meat. However, it will not be good for smaller cuts as you will end up injecting too much liquid into the meat.
Finally, determine how easy it will be to clean a particular needle and syringe. Remember, all these ingredients can get caked up inside the injector.
The only way to keep things hygienic is to choose once that can be easily and thoroughly washed out.
There is no hard and fast rule for how much marinade you should inject brisket with. As you do it more often, you may get a feel for this process and come up with your own quantity.
To start off with, though, about 1 ounce per pound of brisket is a good enough estimate.
This means that if your brisket is 8lbs, you will require 8 ounces for the whole brisket.
Now you may be wondering just how much liquid to apply into each part of the brisket.
Well, you will be injecting the brisket in a grid-like manner. Thus, you will need to guess how many times you will need to inject the brisket.
Then, divide the amount of total liquid by the number of injection sites and you will get a rough estimate.
As you may have noticed with the injection marinade recipes, I have asked you to pour the liquid into a tall, narrow container after you have mixed the ingredients.
The reason that I did this is so that it is easier to siphon up the liquid into the syringe. I find that a tall water glass works well for this process.
Remember that when you are drawing the liquid up into the syringe that all openings along the needle must be completely submerged in the injection liquid.
This is the best way to ensure that you don’t draw up any air bubbles.
Fill the injector to your desired point or a little bit above it.
Now, here is your step by step guide to injecting brisket:
Place the brisket on a cooking tray.
Map out a grid on the brisket. Each injection site should be about an inch on either side as well as above an below each other.
Keep in mind, the brisket doesn’t have to be perfect or exact. Still, you should try to keep a similar distance from each injection site.
This ensures that each portion of the brisket gets enough of liquid without overdoing it in any one spot.
If you want t make it easier for you to visualize the grid system, place toothpicks in the spots that will need to inject.
This will make it easier for you to determine just where the needle should go.
Start at one end of the brisket.
Press the needle deep into the middle of the meat. If you keep the needle to close to the surface, there is a risk of the liquid simply squirting back outwards.
So, make sure that you have got the needle in nice and deep.
If you do notice any liquid spraying out, adjust the depth of the needle and try again.
Repeat this process until the entire brisket has been injected.
Another common question is how long before smoking brisket should you inject the meat.
One of the main perks about injecting meat is that you don’t have to do this hours before cooking unlike with a brine.
I would say that injecting the meat about 15 minutes before smoking is fine. This will give the juices enough time to penetrate throughout the meat.
If you have used vinegar, wine, or any other acid-based ingredient in your brisket injection marinade recipe, don’t inject the meat too early. This can break down the tissues in the meat a little too much.
Thus, instead of a nice, tender cut you will end up with mushy meat.
Have I come through for you or what – I haven’t just given you the best brisket injection recipe – I have given you the three top options!
So, go ahead and choose which one you like the best or experiment with all three. It doesn’t matter which one you choose, it is sure to transform your brisket into the best tasting cut you have ever tasted.
Go on and give it a try – once you have you are sure to never skip out on your marinade again!
