Wedding cook

I haven't posted over here in a while, but thought I'd stop by and hang out with y'all for a while. I hope everyone has been doing great! :smile:

I'm cooking all the protein for my brother-in-law's wedding and i'm pretty stinking stoked about it! Loaded up my eggs and drove up to Lake Corpus Christi last night. :mrgreen:

The Menu
15.5 lb CAB Brisket (Wet Aged for 28 Days)
9.25 lb Boston Butt
Six 5.5 lb Whole Chickens
4.5 lb Turkey Breast
5 lb Southside Market Jalapeño Cheddar Sausage
5 lb Kiolbassa Polska Sausage

Made my brine last night and tossed all the poultry into the brine at 10am. The brisket went on at 6pm and the butt went on at 10pm.

The goods




Poultry in the brine



The sauce


My work area for the next 15 hours


Brisket before she went on


Butt on and ready to go


More to come :-D

Poultry removed from the brine, rinsed thoroughly, and patted dry.

These bad boys are ready to get their pellicle on!!

AussieTitch said:

nice looking work area mate

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Thanks! I wish it was my property...it belongs to my in-laws. I do get to enjoy it often though. :smile:

pbj said:

Nice decks out by the water.:wink:

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Yeah, it pretty much sucks. Two years ago, water came all the way up to the bulkhead. Now, we have to walk 50 yards to get to the water. Some of the other houses have it much worse though.

Johnny_Crunch said:

We call that a drought. :razz: nice pr0n, looks like a nice place to do some cooking!

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Yep...combined with eco nuts who've decided they need to let water out because we have enough.

None the less, yes, I've thoroughly enjoyed myself. Very tranquil and I've had a great breeze the entire time. :smile:

tb80 said:

How do you like the Austin Own and Franklins Bbq sauce?

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I love Austin's Own! It has a good flavor and is great for chop, topping a sammie, or whatever.

Haven't tried Franklins yet...I saw them at HEB and figured I owed to myself to try them all!

Richard_ said:

whats in the brine ?

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It's from a book called:

The Herbed Poultry Brine from: Charcuterie, The craft of Salting Smoking and Curing


Herb Brined Turkey or Chicken

1 Gallon (4 liters) Water
1 Cup (225 Grams) Kosher Salt
1/2 Cup (125 grams) Sugar
(this is all you need but I add the following on their advice in the book):

1 bunch of fresh Tarragon
1 bunch of Fresh Parsley
2 bay leaves
1 head of Garlic- Halved Horizontally
1 Onion- sliced
3tbsp/30 grams black pepper- lightly crushed
2 lemons- Halved (give a good squeeze as you toss then in)

Should be noted that any aromatic can be thrown in - Celery, Carrot, garlic, any herbs (stems are fine) are all good and the more the merrier.

combine all brine ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve all salts and sugars. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temp. then put in fridge until chilled.

Add bird to the brine and weight it down with a plate or something that will keep the whole thing completely submerged for the appropriate brine time (see below).

Remove from brine, pat dry and let rest uncovered in the fridge for 2-24 hours. This is important as it forms the "pellicle" (tacky surface) that binds to the smoke flavor)

Brine Times:

Boneless Chicken Breast (8oz/225 grams): 2 hrs
2lb chicken (1 Kilo) 4-6 hours
3-4lb chicken (1.5-2 kilos) 8-12 hours
Boneless Turkey Breast (4 inches/10cm thick) 12-18 hours
10-15lb Turkey (4-7 Kilo) 24 hours
Turkey over 15lb/7 kilos: 24-36 hours

I love this book and highly recommend this recipe. Used it for thanksgiving and the bird was out of this world. Carrots, celery, and rosemary were additions on my part. Enjoy! :smile: