Chicken brine?
- Thread starter Kade
- Start date
dadsr4
somebody shut me the fark up.
If it's enhanced, it's already brined, to me.
THoey1963
somebody shut me the fark up.
The biggest difference to me is that a wet brine makes the skin soggy. You can do it a couple days before, but then you still should let the skin dry for another day.
Here's what I do for whole chickens and turkeys:
1. Spatchcock the bird the day before. (https://amazingribs.com/more-techni...-science/how-spatchcock-and-butterfly-poultry) and remove wishbone.
2. Dry brine. (https://amazingribs.com/tested-reci...-brining-easier-and-less-wasteful-wet-brining)
3. Place the bird on a rack over a tray and put in the fridge overnight.
4. Mix herbs and spices with a stick of room temperature butter.
5. Rub butter mixture under and over the skin.
6. Smoke indirect at high heat (350* or higher) to 165* in the thickest part of the breast.
7. Slice and eat right away. Resting just lets it get cold and the skin soggy.
Note: Birds absorb smoke like a sponge. Have a clean stick fire or use only a small amount of wood if using charcoal and chunks. For the turkey below, I used one chunk of cherry wood, about the size of a D battery and it had plenty of smoke flavor.
The following 15 LB turkey took less than two hours at around 375*:
Here's what I do for whole chickens and turkeys:
1. Spatchcock the bird the day before. (https://amazingribs.com/more-techni...-science/how-spatchcock-and-butterfly-poultry) and remove wishbone.
2. Dry brine. (https://amazingribs.com/tested-reci...-brining-easier-and-less-wasteful-wet-brining)
3. Place the bird on a rack over a tray and put in the fridge overnight.
4. Mix herbs and spices with a stick of room temperature butter.
5. Rub butter mixture under and over the skin.
6. Smoke indirect at high heat (350* or higher) to 165* in the thickest part of the breast.
7. Slice and eat right away. Resting just lets it get cold and the skin soggy.
Note: Birds absorb smoke like a sponge. Have a clean stick fire or use only a small amount of wood if using charcoal and chunks. For the turkey below, I used one chunk of cherry wood, about the size of a D battery and it had plenty of smoke flavor.
The following 15 LB turkey took less than two hours at around 375*:
Attachments
airedale
is one Smokin' Farker
Home Farm BBQ
Full Fledged Farker
Another vote for dry brine and spatchcock. Good luck.
sudsandswine
Quintessential Chatty Farker
I like a dry brine with kosher salt and maybe some pepper 75% of the time. The other 25% of the time I'll "wet brine" with Oakridge BBQ Game Changer.
IamMadMan
somebody shut me the fark up.
I prefer to use Cornell Chicken Sauce as my brine,which leaves the skin paper-thin and crispy.
seakuv
Full Fledged Farker
So... I think that I need a little education. Are you saying that some/most/all chicken is "enhanced" just like Butterball etc turkeys are? If so, I had no idea that this was being done. I usually buy "free range/antibiotic free" chicken (for whatever small bit of good that does me). If I am misinterpreting, my apologies. I've been learning a lot from hanging out here, and this may be another thing that I never knew. Thanks!
AWilliams
Full Fledged Farker
Done tons of chicken.....never brined anything. Just rub it and cook it
2stroke250
Knows what a fatty is.
Half cup sugar quarter cup
Kosher salt about hr half for chicken pieces
Whole chicken about 3 hours
I brine all poultry and pork about her per pound rinse then rub
It gets the blood out of chicken and makes friends say that's the best I've ever had
Kosher salt about hr half for chicken pieces
Whole chicken about 3 hours
I brine all poultry and pork about her per pound rinse then rub
It gets the blood out of chicken and makes friends say that's the best I've ever had
sudsandswine
Quintessential Chatty Farker
Itll usually say something about enhanced or a solution on the packaging. A lot of chicken is, especially whole birds and Turkey, but a lot isnt.
Hoss
Quintessential Chatty Farker
If you buy " grocery store chicken" it has already been brined.You can purchase "non enhanced" chicken at some stores and Farmers markets.Nothing wrong with throwing it( storebought) chicken in a ziplock overnight into the fridge with some herbs and seasonings for flavor.Most chicken is sold with an already enhanced solution added.They get the same money per pound for salt water as they do the chicken.When processing millions of pounds per day,it adds up. :wink:
I use thirdeye's light brine Makes chicken and pork chops very juicy Check out his Blog
For T Bay I am using Naturiffics Harvest Brine- already have it When I did a wet brine I used PatioDaddio Ultimate Turkey Brine or Smokin Okies Turkey 101 Brine
For T Bay I am using Naturiffics Harvest Brine- already have it When I did a wet brine I used PatioDaddio Ultimate Turkey Brine or Smokin Okies Turkey 101 Brine
EdF
is Blowin Smoke!
Nice method! I tend to use oil between the skin and the meat to avoid trapping moisture (but butter on the outside).
EdF
is Blowin Smoke!
If it's "enhanced" it will say so on the label, in the form of something like "up to x% something-or-other added".
Win nut
Knows what a fatty is.
Sure brining works great. I use Alton Brown's turkey brine recipe, deleting the candied ginger and
adding sage, thyme and rosemary to taste (usually a teaspoon of each). I leave the chickens in the
brine for 9-10 hrs. I use a dedicated brine bucket (The Briner from Cabelas). I remove the chickens
rinse, dump the Briner, refill with clean, cold water soak the rinsed chickens for 10 to 15 min. I will place them on the beer can and stand them to allow extra water to drain from the birds. I mix up some Martha Stewart's herbed butter and put it under the skin and then sew it up with cooking string.
I usually try to cook it at 325 until the i.t. at the breast is 185, rest for 20+ min.
adding sage, thyme and rosemary to taste (usually a teaspoon of each). I leave the chickens in the
brine for 9-10 hrs. I use a dedicated brine bucket (The Briner from Cabelas). I remove the chickens
rinse, dump the Briner, refill with clean, cold water soak the rinsed chickens for 10 to 15 min. I will place them on the beer can and stand them to allow extra water to drain from the birds. I mix up some Martha Stewart's herbed butter and put it under the skin and then sew it up with cooking string.
I usually try to cook it at 325 until the i.t. at the breast is 185, rest for 20+ min.
