Cherry juice for chicken brine?

[BlueHowler]

I'm going to smoke chicken today and found a brine recipe that calls for apple cider in the brine. I love cherry chipotle BBQ sauce so I got to thinking cherry juice should be good as a brine. Maybe 1/2 cherry and 1/2 apple juice.

What do the experts think?

 

[smokedinvt]

I am certainly no expert, but it sounds good to me!

 

[Smiter Q]

I have been wondering this as well. Thanks for asking, it is a very good question.
Especially with the fall season upon us. Hope we get someone who has tried this.

Also if I may inquire about other juices, such as blueberry and cranberry. Anyone?

 

[Phubar]

Not an expert here but I think if it has somekind of acid and/or sugar in it it will do fine as a brine.
I would hit it!

 

[igolf2]

Not an expert but last time I smoked a pork shoulder for pulled pork I spritzed and foiled with cherry juice because I was out of apple - best we ever had!

 

[Midnight Smoke]

Please let us know how it comes out and the process times you used. It sounds like it would be very good.

 

[landarc]

I have used cherry juice (fresh made from cherries I cooked and mashed, as well as fresh pressed) and found that it is quite intense when used alone. Cherry juice diluted with apple sounds like a great combination to me. I do not add juice to my brines much anymore as I felt the impact of the fruit was better when used at the very end of cooking, or in a table sauce, rather than the longer exposure to heat that they get when used in a brine or marinade. The obvious exception to this is citrus, which makes for a great marinade.

 

[BlueHowler]

OK Ladies and Gentlemen here is what I did. The local store had Knudsen 100% juice on sale for $2.49 a quart so I picked up 1 qt tart cherry and 1 qt black cherry.

I mixed them together and added 1/2 cup kosher salt, 1/4 cup brown sugar, a bunch of fresh lemon thyme from my garden, 4 cloves garlic, 1 ts white pepper, 1 ts of both rosemary and tarragon. Soaked the chicken in the brine for 3 hours.

Then I splachcocked the bird and rubbed with 1 tbsp koasher salt, 1 tbsp Hungarian paprika, 1-1/2 ts garlic powder, 1 ts black pepper, 3/4 ts of both rubbed sage and marjoram.

It is on the UDS at 300º to 325º right now with a few chunks of cherry and 1 chunk of hickory wood.

 

[Smiter Q]

OK Ladies and Gentlemen here is what I did. The local store had Knudsen 100% juice on sale for $2.49 a quart so I picked up 1 qt tart cherry and 1 qt black cherry.

I mixed them together and added 1/2 cup kosher salt, 1/4 cup brown sugar, a bunch of fresh lemon thyme from my garden, 4 cloves garlic, 1 ts white pepper, 1 ts of both rosemary and tarragon. Soaked the chicken in the brine for 3 hours.

Then I splachcocked the bird and rubbed with 1 tbsp koasher salt, 1 tbsp Hungarian paprika, 1-1/2 ts garlic powder, 1 ts black pepper, 3/4 ts of both rubbed sage and marjoram.

It is on the UDS at 300º to 325º right now with a few chunks of cherry and 1 chunk of hickory wood.

Ohhhh... You the MAN! :thumb::becky::thumb:
Waiting anxiously for the results!
Thanks for doing this! :hungry::hungry:

 

[BlueHowler]

Here are the photos from the feast.

 

[BlueHowler]

More pics.

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[BlkJeep]

More pics.

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Red X here? But so far it looks pretty good!! How did it taste? Cherry flavor?

 

[BlueHowler]

Not a good picture but the chicken needs to brine for a longer time.

Everyone showing their appreciation.

The chef and his #1 helper. The chicken did not have a distinguishable cherry taste but it was a different very good flavor. I'm going to it again when I have time for a longer brine.

 

[landarc]

What did everyone else eat? Nice chicken. Number one helper look ready to eat.

 

[Midnight Smoke]

How was the taste, was it as good as it looks. :thumb: