Getting Seasoning into Chicken

Buxwheat

I have trouble getting my seasoning to penetrate chicken meat. It seems like the rub will always flavor the skin, but not well into the meat. I've had varying results w/ marinade, too. Injection seems to get the best results, but my favorite marinade, Mojo, has so much solid matter in it that it clogs up my needle. It will also get a little too strong sometimes. How can I get that "deep into the meat" flavor of my seasoning (along with the elusive crispy skin)?

FlaPoolman

Slide your fingers between the skin and meat then season the meat direct. Another method is to pierce the skin with a fork.

thirdeye

Try going under the skin with your dry rubs or sneak herbs under there. Whole basil leaves are a favorite of mine.

bubba tim

Have you ever tried brining your chicken?

Egglicious

You could try lifting the skin a bit and put your favorite rub under the skin.

Mike in Abita

Vacuum marinade.

Buckethead

Mike you are correct. The only way is vacume tumble marination. Most folks don't have one of these. We have them in the plants that will do large quantities at a time, and we have them in the test kitchen that will do appx 3 lbs, but not really a home kitchen product.
Doug

Cecil

I rub the skin and when chicken is done and cooled, I pull with my fingers and make sure to "infect" as much chicken meat with rub from the skin. Seems to work well for me.

Walt

Mike in Abita

This one looks good for the price. Not sure about the durability.

http://www.gosale.com/4353177/eastman-outdoors-38229-reveo?gclid=CMGEgKjyypUCFQgfswodEEUKiw

Buxwheat

Thanks for the tips. Don't think I'll go the vacuum-tumble route, just a bit to pricy, but maybe a cheap vacuum sealer and continue marinading. Also, I'll work on getting that skin up to get the rub underneath.

Grandpas Grub

That seems like a great deal. I think I paid the $240 price.

I have had mine for some time now and it works great.

There were some posts and chat a long time ago, I think the BGE store has a different brand which seemed interesting. I didn't look into it as I had just got my Revo. I also recall the price was more.

GG

Grandpas Grub

The advantage of the tumble is that you use less marinade. With that said one can buy a lot of marinade for a hundred and some odd bucks.

The vacuum/tumble also tenderizes whatever is in there. The claim is the vacuum/tumble for 15 to 20 minutes is like marinading for 24 hours.

There is a noticeable difference in flavor and texture.

GG

Charleston Dave

I've also gotten good results in my gasser and indoor roasting efforts using the Reveo MariVac vacuum system. It will marinate up to four pounds at a time, with three major advantages:

(1) marination speed is greatly improved (rarely over 20 minutes); this helps keep your food from getting mushy from overmarination and will save your butt (in both senses of the word) if you neglected to start marinating the night before.

(2) less marinade is needed; a smaller amount than used in immersion marination sloshes over the food constantly as the tumbler rotates.

(3) excellent penetration of flavor.

You can read many reviews of it on Amazon; mine is 4/5 stars mainly due to my feeling a bit ripped off from their overpriced spice blends (just use BBQ rub and a homemade vinaigrette and you'll be fine) and cheesy owner's manual and marketing. The machine itself does work quite well, though. Oh, and it's bulky, so if storage is a problem for you that might be an issue.

My tumbler did fail to hold vacuum after a couple of years of regular use. I was able to purchase a replacement from Reveo without difficulty.

If you use one of these and a good meat thermometer, then IMHO you would have to try pretty hard to produce a dried-out or flavorless roast!

Charleston Dave

Oh, on your second question, of crispy skin---

The key to crispy poultry skin is to realize that crispiness and moistness are opposing goals.

If you put a lot of moisture into the meat, then you have to get the skin dry or it will be too mushy to be crispy.

One technique you might consider is to let your bird air-dry in the refrigerator, uncovered, for a while.

Cooks who do a lot of Peking Duck even use specialized drying cabinets that dehydrate the skin on a hanging bird before they start to cook the bird in the oven.