We had the following customer enquiry this week:
Hi
I’ve just used my flavor injector for the first time. When I injected with the larger garlic needle the butter squirted back out. Can you advise what I may have done wrong?
Regards,
Jacki.Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Jacki’s not alone with this and it’s a common problem when you’re learning how to inject. Here are our suggestions:
Thanks for your enquiry Jacki,
Liquid marinades are more prone to squirting back than pureed marinades, especially with the larger needle which is best for pureed marinades; however you can minimize this happening with these steps:
- Try to inject from above the meat rather than the side or below, so gravity is working with you. This is difficult to do with steaks, so this tip may be of limited use in that particular situation.
- Inject less marinade – the meat can only absorb so much additional liquid. The ideal amount for each type of meat will come down to a bit of trial and error, however filleted meat where the ends of the fibers are exposed and which don’t have a skin to hold marinade in will be able to hold less marinade per pound than something like a full turkey.
- Make sure you stop pushing the plunger as the needle reaches the edge of the meat, so you’re not creating high pressure marinade and then immediately removing the ‘plug’ (the needle) which is holding it in.