Wedding cook

[cazzy]

Originally Posted by tb80

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

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_]

that looks good , you have some lucky people coming to the reception , I only did butts for my wedding

[Richard_]

whats in the brine ?

[Crazy Harry]

nice feed

[cazzy]

Originally Posted by Richard_

whats in the brine ?

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!

[oifmarine2003]

That looks like a great day ahead for you (and a busy one!).

[IamMadMan]

Looks like a feast is about to start soon.


I see the different sauces in the picture, which is the best one to buy. I am going to San Antonio on the June 20th, and would like to buy something different to take home with me. Just looking for your suggestions.

I'm a Yankee so I like spicy, NOT Hellfire HOT, (LOL)

[cazzy]

Originally Posted by IamMadMan

Looks like a feast is about to start soon.


I see the different sauces in the picture, which is the best one to buy. I am going to San Antonio on the June 20th, and would like to buy something different to take home with me. Just looking for your suggestions.

I'm a Yankee so I like spicy, NOT Hellfire HOT, (LOL)

I would go with Franklin's BBQ Sauce if they don't have it in your area. They are different and have a unique flavor profile. Salt Lick is very different too so I'd definitely pick up a bottle too if it's not available in your neck of the woods.

Austin's Own tastes great, but there's nothing special about it compared to other offerings. I like it cause its a neutral bbq sauce that everyone will like.

[IamMadMan]

Originally Posted by cazzy

I would go with Franklin's BBQ Sauce if they don't have it in your area. They are different and have a unique flavor profile. Salt Lick is very different too so I'd definitely pick up a bottle too if it's not available in your neck of the woods.

Austin's Own tastes great, but there's nothing special about it compared to other offerings. I like it cause its a neutral bbq sauce that everyone will like.

I'm going to be on the North Side of San Antonio, what grocery chain will have the best offerings for me??

[cazzy]

Originally Posted by IamMadMan

I'm going to be on the North Side of San Antonio, what grocery chain will have the best offerings for me??

Any HEB...they're everywhere. Also, try to stop by The Smoke Shack. It's a trailer but it's pretty gooood.

[cazzy]

My day

The scenery looked pretty cool at 6am, so I took my camera to the dock and snapped a few pics.



I didn't have time to get close up pron shots because I was too busy. That's because I decided it was easier to carve everything myself instead of trying to teach someone the way I wanted it done. lol I tried to get my uncle to pull the pork, then just did it myself. Which was good, because I didn't pull the money muscle as it wasn't pull worthy.

The Boston Butt and Brisket




Here is the spread.















In the middle of my controlled CHAOS, I felt bad that nobody was really taking photos of the ceremony. So, I ran down to the pergola and snapped some pics for them. Here a couple of pics of me wearing my "i'm pretending to be a photographer hat".





After everything was done and I pulled the last bird off the egg, my adrenaline left and my feet started feeling like death. Lol

Overall, everything went over well. I expected more from the brisket, but it wasn't bad, just not up to my standards. The chicken was awesome and the pulled pork was the bomb. The biggest challenge was using a unfamiliar grill for the chicken. I set it up like this:



I have to say, I did a pretty kick butt job on the chicken with a unproven rifle. The chicken was pouring juice and proves that the Thermapen is a powerful tool. Fun day! My feet finally feel normal again and the eggs are loaded back in the Explorer. Driving back to my in-laws house in Beeville tonight and tomorrow I'm going to cook 15 New York Strips for Mother's Day lunch!

[IamMadMan]

Originally Posted by cazzy

Any HEB...they're everywhere.
Also, try to stop by The Smoke Shack.
It's a trailer but it's pretty gooood.

I added the Smoke Shack to one of my places to stop for Lunch or Dinner. Probably have lunch there after we visit The Alamo.

I'll Visit the HEB on Valley Hi Dr near the base. I guess while I am there I can check the base commissary as well, sometimes things are much cheaper, and of course there is no sales tax there.

Thanks for the recommendations... and thanks for sharing the pics...

Looks like you had a great successful cook..

[cazzy]

Originally Posted by IamMadMan

I added the Smoke Shack to one of my places to stop for Lunch or Dinner. Probably have lunch there after we visit The Alamo.

I'll Visit the HEB on Valley Hi Dr near the base. I guess while I am there I can check the base commissary as well, sometimes things are much cheaper, and of course there is no sales tax there.

Thanks for the recommendations... and thanks for sharing the pics...

Looks like you had a great successful cook..

Awesome! Please let me know what you think of it! I've only been once, and I really liked it. It's always a good sign when you see brisket cut properly and it certainly didn't disappoint. I also recommend their ribs as many have raved about them. I had their mac and cheese with my meal it was very good too!