Review of Walton's Yellow Brine Injector

[Dave in AZ]

This is a great injector for making hams, because it has the hose for nonstop volume injecting of brine. I liked it so much I bought 3 of them, for gifts! I looked at all the BBQ injectors, they are NOT what you want for making bacon or hams, they are just intended to inject small quantities of marinade, not large amounts of brine.
Construction is good quality. However, there is one small design flaw with one of the supplied needles. You can work around this by using one of the other supplied needles, but I am going to describe the issue so other users know the risk of letting pathogens grow in there if not careful. Knowing the issue will allow folks to be sure it is sterilized somehow before use.

The main multihole injection needle: the injection needle tip can’t be removed for cleaning.
The 4" hollow tube gets meat and fat inside it through the port holes, and you can’t really clean it out because the needle tube is only open at one end. The hollow goes past the last side holes, so pumping cleaner through tube at end just shoves the gunk down to that tip pocket.

If the sharp tip, last half inch or so, could be unscrewed and removed, you could then clean the gunk out by shoving something thru the hollow needle. As is, the fat buildup in there you can’t clean out is a serious infection bacteria hazard, and makes that needle only usable one time. Heating in oven to dry and sterilize results in crud stuck in needle blocking port holes, took over an hour to get holes unblocked with a pin.
This is still a great injector I have used to make 10 hams or bacon, you can use the other two hollow needle type tips, which can be cleaned, and pulling the needle out as you pump. It works, but isn’t as nice as the multihole injection tip for getting curing brine throughout a thick cut.

I have purchased 3 of these, and really do love it. If I could figure a way to clean that one needle, maybe a strong acid, it would be perfect. I’m hoping someone replies who knows a chemical that will dissolve the fat and meat but won’t destroy the stainless needle.
Highly recommend!

P.S. Jonathon has an excellent video of how to take this apart and clean internal springs etc, a must watch… and do NOT attempt unscrewing anything without holding it in a box or such, several small springs and wee rubber seals under pressure will pop out and be lost for hours…ask me how I know… Jon’s video is the answer. Can’t find it again right now…

[bocephus]

Dave in AZ did you try pumping hot soapy water through when you are done injecting.

[Dave in AZ]

bocephus Yes. The hollow portion goes past the side holes, leaving a half inch pocket of crud that gets shoved down into that tip everytime. Pumping hot water etc thru it just shoves whatever is in needle to end pocket. I’ve used it 10 times or so and tried soap, heat, oven, starsan, it is just a wee unreachable pocket that causes problems. If it dries, you can be fishing crumbles out of that tiny area for an hour. Simple to fix design flaw.
An unscrewable tip would solve that. Or maybe a plug so tube only goes to last hole? Maybe squirt some cyanoacrylite superglue into that pocket?

I have left it in a vinegar or salt solution between uses so bacteria don’t grow on the stuff in there, not sure of long term metal damage.
Thx for your reply and idea though!

Anyways, my main message thrust is that this is a great product and quality injector! Everything we use has cleaning issues, I just gave details of this one so folks know to sterilize it

[Tex_77]

Dave in AZ those springs and plungers are a pain to keep track of, buy a parts kit to go with it!

[Tex_77]

Also I use a pipe cleaner and push everything I can out horizontally through the port hole before I even think about going vertical with the pipe brush.

[Dave in AZ]

Tex_77 thx Tex, I will get a parts kit-- didn’t know there was one! Will also try your pipe cleaner method.
First few times I didn’t even realize or think stuff would get in there, so I just rinsed out with soapy water and starsan… next time when holes were all blocked low was when I discovered the issue.

[processhead]

They are really a very good injector for the money. I like mine a lot and have pretty much put away all my other syringes.

[Mcjagger]

Dave in AZ if you’re giving away sausage/meat making equipment, put me on your Christmas list !!!

[cdavis]

Dave in AZ thanks for the review. I am going to be curing some hams and hocks in 2 weeks. I’ll be using that injecter for the first time. I would have probably never even thought of that happening. I might try drilling holes near the end . At least now I’ll have a couple of weeks to think it over. Thanks again great write up.

[Dave in AZ]

cdavis
Just an update on the injector cleaning.
I used it last night to make some pork butt bacon. When I was done the bottom 4 holes were blocked by fat, it’s always the bottom holes because they see less pressure when injecting.

I got boiling water, added Dawn detergent. A pipe cleaner wouldn’t fit the holes, so I poked them out with a cake tester wire. Then I pumped the boiling soap water thru as hard and fast as I could, using 2 hands. That seems do have done the trick, the boiling water and soap appears to melt the fat and allow it to be washed out. All holes cleared with strong water streams, looked clean from what I could see.

I then rinsed in StarSan solution and left to dry. So I think this cleaning works, and I was very happy with the injector last night!

[Tex_77]

Dave in AZ you might need bottle brushes

[mrobisr]

I use a four-needle injector system from another vendor, but this might work for this injector too. I have found that if I apply liquid pressure while inserting and removing the needles it seems to almost always alleviate the meat getting stuck in the needles, just a thought.

[Dave in AZ]

mrobisr thx, I saw I was letting the suction happen with needle still in meat last night, and stopped doing that. Kept plunger down until needle withdrawn.

[cdavis]

Dave in AZ good lesson thanks. I’ll use it.