Premiala’s stainless steel meat injector is a robust and durable piece of cooking and grilling equipment. Here’s my review to let you know everything you need to know.
Disclaimer: This post was written in partnership with Premiala, who were kind enough to send me their meat injector for me to review. Beyond this, I have not received any form of compensation from Premiala, and my review is completely honest. I would never promote or endorse a product that I don’t fully recommend.
You can have the best grill, you can have the best cut of meat, but I believe there are a couple of other key tools you need for good BBQ that are (in my humble opinion) criminally underrated.
One is a durable, accurate and reliable grill thermometer. The other is a marinade injector.
Good barbecuing is as much about preparation as it is about grilling or smoking. This means that however well you might cook your meat, if you’ve not done a good job of brining or marinating it then this can ruin the entire process.
- MARINADE STRAW INCLUDED – Makes it quicker and easier to fill the meat injector syringe with...
- 100% STAINLESS STEEL FOR ALL FOOD-FACING PARTS - No cheap chrome-plated brass or soft aluminum...
- INCLUDES EVERYTHING YOU NEED! 4 different needles for every situation, 4 cleaning brushes and 8...
Now, I love a good marinade. So much good meat cooking is about letting your food retain its juices, and if you can get a good marinade going then you can pack your meat with moisture and flavor in abundance.
Some people marinate meat by chucking it into a ziploc or freezer bag, and letting the marinade do its work. This is absolutely fine by all means, but I much prefer to use a marinating needle or gun to infuse my food with flavor.
There are a few reasons for this: It’s not just because it looks cool (although, let’s face it… it does look cool), but it also helps you have far greater control over ensuring that your marinade is evenly and deeply applied across the flesh of your food. The needle helps you really get under the surface of your meat quickly, which isn’t something that leaving it to soak in a freezer bag can really do.
Frequent visitors to my blog (Hi, guys!) might remember that a while ago I put together a list of some of the best meat injectors out there at the moment.
On that list I put forward Premiala’s injector, and suggested that it’s one of the best – if not the best – injectors you can buy.
Well, Premiala got in touch and were kind enough to send me one to write a more in-depth review on.
I have put a disclaimer at the top of this post, but I really want to emphasize that this review is honest, and I would never endorse a product that I don’t really believe to be of good enough quality for my readers.
Also, I have left a couple of Amazon links in this post to the needle should you want to get your own. I do get a little commission from any purchases made through these links, but this comes at absolutely no extra cost to you. It just helps me keep the blog going!
Now I’ve covered all of that, let’s get into the review!
Out the Box
I think anyone unboxing the Premiala will have the same first impression: This needle is not messing around. It looks hefty, it looks mean, and it looks serious. Dare I say it even looks a little bit evil? It wouldn’t look out of place in an underground torture chamber. But if anything that just makes it a little bit more fun to use.
The entire thing is made from stainless steel, and there’s no hiding it. The whole thing has a beautiful sheen to it, and even when you simply hold it you can feel that this thing is built to last.
It features three needles, each with a different size and purpose. One is for thinner cuts of meat like steak, while the other two are for larger cuts. One however has a larger needle mouth to allow the use of thicker marinades, and the other has more needles to allow better even distribution of marinade through your chosen meat.
What Makes the Premiala So Good?
The majority of the injector is made with stainless steel, more so than a lot of other injectors. This doesn’t just ensure that the injector is more durable, but it also makes it far safer to use.
In other models parts like the plunger disc and the barrel nosing (where the needle screws in) are often made with cheaper materials, which means they are prone to decaying or housing bacteria. As time goes on and after ongoing use, the nosing can flake away after having the needle screwed in and out over time, as well as the threads being stripped away.
It has larger holes on its needles, which help keep clogging to a minimum. Trust me, I’ve used needles with smaller holes and it’s no fun with a thick liquid like marinade.
The positioning of the holes on its needles, particularly the smaller ones, mean that you get better coverage as you inject your meat. Holes are on both sides, and ensure that you can inject all the way to the surface of the meat. In other models, the positioning of the holes can mean that marinade is diverted only out of the top-most hole, not allowing you any coverage further down the needle. With this kind of meat prep, even coverage is crucial, so it’s great to see Premialia create a needle that takes this into consideration.
Spare parts are also available, so if you need any replacements should any of your needles or parts need replacing then they’re easily available.
How to Use a Premiala Meat Injector
Like you would with any new food appliance, you need to thoroughly clean and dry it prior to use.
Premiala told me that they apply a food-safe silicone oil during assembly for lubrication, which will naturally fade once the item is cleaned. So to replace this, you will need to apply a thin film of clean food oil (e.g. olive oil) around the inside of the barrel before each use. WIthout the layer of lubrication, the plunger will be really hard – bordering on impossible – to push. Premiala told me this is the most important thing to remember, and having dried a dry run it’s hard to disagree!
When injecting meat for smoking, gently depress the plunger as you slowly draw the needle out of the meat, and stop injecting just before the holes come out of the meat. Don’t overdo the marinade or it will come spurting out!
Check out our guide to the best turkey and chicken injection recipes
The Final Verdict
I think with this kind of product it would be easy for Premiala to cut corners and just make something easy and flimsy. They’ve managed to resist that temptation however and instead they’ve made something extremely easy to use that’s clearly built to last.
- MARINADE STRAW INCLUDED – Makes it quicker and easier to fill the meat injector syringe with...
- 100% STAINLESS STEEL FOR ALL FOOD-FACING PARTS - No cheap chrome-plated brass or soft aluminum...
- INCLUDES EVERYTHING YOU NEED! 4 different needles for every situation, 4 cleaning brushes and 8...
Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
