Plowboy said:
:shock: Of all the great tips I've seen you give time after time, I'm shocked that you'd put something in italian dressing more than a couple of hours. Acid "cooks" protein. Acid cooked protein placed in a pit overcooks protein. Result, inside is done, outside is overdone. Legs and thighs are more forgiving, but certainly don't try this with breast meat.
You still da man, Poobah!!
Something i guess you still need to learn about The BBQ Brethren. We are avid believers that
There is NO ONE WAY. Your techique works well for you. Great.. But dont shoot down someone elses. If you feel the need to discuss this further, take it PM.
The overnight italian dressing marinade has been used by many sucessfully for years. If the question was a competition question I would answer it differently with brining/marinading, etc, but....
1 - This is Qtalk, NOT Competition. The answer was quick for
backyard cooking. Also, he uses a reverse flow cooker, so I figure hes coasting at 225.
2 - He specifically said
Legs
3 - Hes cooking for his kid, not judges.
The question was regarding LEGS and thats what the answered addressed.
Legs will
easily hold up overnight in italian dressing. Even thighs will to a lesser extent.. but he asked about
LEGS. No one said anything about breasts(except you).
Additionally, I use Wishbone for overnight soaks, which is more oil, less acid. Even Newmans(for a marinade) is a little high in vinegar for my tastes. White meat gets a few hours in a
different marinade.
Anyway, since i have time now...heres some details.
Put the legs in a bag and add just enuf dressing to coat heavily, but not submerge them.. add a touch of your rub to the marinade,(or some rosemary if u like that stuff)... soak them for about 8-10 hours. Remove them and let drain.. I like to dab them with a paper towel to soak off the excess oil before letting them drain and dry a bit.. then I sprinkle them with the rub.
Cook at 225-250 till 165-170 inside, then raise the heat to 300 to help things get crispy.. or since its for the family, hit the grill for a few minutes. My kids like a crispy char on the outside.
If you want to experiment with high heat techniques, start at 300-350 and treat them like your roasting in the oven. They cook much faster and come out crispier.