Easter Chiken Brine

Ironbaugh

Have had the Egg 2 years and have never cooked chicken thighs and legs on it. Plan on brining and cooking with Dizzy Dusts. Any ideas on great brine recipes? Thx Rick

eggor

Ironbaugh,[p]man oh man, where has your head been. Thighs and legs is about all we ever cook as far as chicken goes, we do a lot of wings too. But i don't think brining them would help. most chicken that is processed has already been brined.[p]Scott

katman

Ironbaugh,
Two years is a long time not to have done chicken legs and thighs. I wouldn't brine them. My favorite way is tandori style, but a little slap of olive oil and dusting of Dizzy ought to be pretty good, too.

BBQfan1

eggor,
While I would agree that much of the chicken processed today has been subjected to a form of brining, I would say that they've been more than likely 'tumbled' with a solution of saltwater and perhaps some food phosphates for color and moisture retention. Brining for flavor is a whole 'nother ballgame, and I would strongly recommend it!
Firstly, I would look for fresh, air-chilled chicken and then make a relatively 'basic' brine of 1 cup coarse salt, 1 cup brown sugar and 1 gallon water. From there, add any flavoring or aromatics you want: onion, herbs, peppercorns, roots like ginger and garlic etc. Maybe try substituting some of the 1 gallon water with things like 1-2 cups of papaya juice, maple syrup, apple cider etc. If you boil your brine for 15 minutes or so to infuse the water and then cool to about 38°F before submerging the meat, you will find that the meat/poultry takes on plenty of flavor in the osmossis transfer.
Don't 'settle' for the simple saltwater solution the processors tumble into poultry; buy fresh chicken and get your own favourite flavors in there! Heck, you can even dissolve something like, say, a Dizzy Pig rub in your brine and pick up some awesome flavors that way! Possibilities are endless.... but I definitely wouldn't settle for the simple saltwater solution processors use....
Qfan

eggor

BBQfan1,[p]i guess i wasn't thinkin. i've brined several turkeys and used the kosher salt and several different herbs and such. i guess if you get fresh and air chilled then the brine would be the way to go. if you get the typical processed chicken skip the salt and call it a marinade?[p]Scott

WooDoggies

Ironbaugh,[p]The thing I like best about legs and thighs, they are all dark meat, full of flavor and hard to dry out.... so I don't think they need brining. [p]An easy method is to cook them on a raised grid direct, around 250-270 dome for about 1.5 to 2 hours, flipping every half hour or so.
You can dust with rub before putting on the grill and sauce in the end.... you can raise the temp up to 350 the last half hour to crisp the skin or just keep the temp steady around 250 all of the way through.... it's really hard to go wrong with the leg quarter.[p]A little kid I know, Jebediah, calls the legs, "chicken bones" (helps to say it with a slight country drawl) and he always asks me to cook chicken bones every time he sees me.... the kid has good taste... heee!
Keep it simple and good luck.[p]John

GrillMeister

WooDoggies,[p]Hmmm. Sounds tasty! I'm gonna have to try that. Perhaps a little Tsnunami Spin and some home made Q sauce this weeked out by the lake.[p]Cheers & Beers to ya!

WooDoggies

GrillMeister,[p]Tsunami + Chicken = Good![p]Shiner Bocks back to you, Ed..... almost that time.[p]