Brined Chicken

[gsganzer]

I brined 4 Cornish game hens and cooked them last night. The family thinks it was the best chicken they've ever had. What a difference it makes to the tenderness, juiciness and flavor.

The brine recipe came from Steven Raichlens brined turkey recipe. I halved the below recipe to make one gallon of brine and brined the hens overnight. Then I just rubbed the hens with a basic BBQ rub and occasionally basted with butter as they cooked on the grill (egg direct heat with a lump or two of hickory) for about 1 hour at 250F until 180 degrees inside temp. I wish I took a photo because they looked good enough to be on a magazine cover.

I'm not sure I'll ever cook any type of chicken without brining it first.

Excerpt from Steve Raichlens recipe

For the brine:
4 bay leaves
1 medium onion, quartered
4 cloves
1 1/2 cups kosher salt or sea salt
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 quarts hot water plus 6 quarts cold water (2 gallons in all)
1 cup of your favorite whiskey
1 tablespoon black peppercorns

Make the brine: Pin the bay leaves to the onion quarters with cloves. Place the salt and maple syrup in a very large stockpot or other large food-safe container, like a Cambro. Add the hot water and whisk until the salt is dissolved. Whisk in the cold water, whiskey, and peppercorns. Let the brine cool completely. Add the turkey, leg end up, and the onion quarters. Jiggle the turkey as needed so the brine flows into the cavity and the whole bird is submerged. Cover with plastic wrap and brine the turkey in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Invert the turkey half way through so it brines evenly.

 

[jbrumberg]

I brine almost every meat that I roast on my Big Green Egg; even thawed fish.

I like your recipe. Thanks for sharing.

I make smaller batches using many of your post ingredients. For beef and pork I will do a 1 Qt of water with 3 Tablespoons of NaCl + flavoring ingredients for 24 hours. For Chicken: 2 cups of water + 2 Tablespoons of NaCl + flavoring ingredients and brined for ~1.5 hours. For fish 2 cups of water + 1 tablespoon of NaCl for 15 minutes (it can get salty really quickly).

 

[3Ts]

I've heard about brining chicken so I mixed up salt and water according to instructions I got and let it soak 24 hrs. It was way to salty. Your recipe is different enough and the soak much shorter so I'll try it next time I do a chicken.

 

[gsganzer]

I've heard about brining chicken so I mixed up salt and water according to instructions I got and let it soak 24 hrs. It was way to salty. Your recipe is different enough and the soak much shorter so I'll try it next time I do a chicken.

Watch what type of salt you use. I learned that not all salt is the same. I only use kosher or sea salt in all my cooking. Never plain old iodized on non-iodized salt.

 

[s219]

Brining really makes or breaks some meats, and helps most others. When I smoke salmon, I always brine it first and it really improves the results. When smoking pork chops, it's a requirement, otherwise they will come out tough and dry.

 

[jbrumberg]

I definitely agree with the previous posters.

Some meats really do not brine well in really acidic brines. They can actually "cook" fish.

 

[lostcreekranch]

I definitely agree with the previous posters.

Some meats really do not brine well in really acidic brines. They can actually "cook" fish.

Yep! It's called .. Ceviche Jay.

 

[jbrumberg]

Yep! It's called .. Ceviche Jay.

Rick- I love the stuff. I rarely found it around here in western MA. It's a common appetizer in Costa Rican restaurants. It goes really well with ice cold bone dry vodka martinis.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Rick- I love the stuff. I rarely found it around here in western MA. It's a common appetizer in Costa Rican restaurants. It goes really well with ice cold bone dry vodka martinis.

Matter of fact Jay .. some of the best I've eaten was a place in Jaco.

 

[lostcreekranch]

And .. to stay on topic .. yes .. we brine turkey, chicken, boneless pork loin, and thick cut boneless pork chops.