Boston Butt and 4 little Game Hens.

King-O-Coals

Yes, I cooked it all. The butt is now pulled pork and frozen in prepiration for next Saturdays breakfast with with the guys, featuring homemade southern biscuits, before the big Island Golf Tourney. I brined the baby chicks for 12 hours,, (only after not brining the last try with game hens),,, and they are perfect this time. I cooked them at 300 direct until the thighs were 200,, and they are the most tender moist, succulent,,, well you briners know what I'm talking about. You just can't over cook a brined bird. A WORD OF WARNING TO NEWBIES! Never put a whole chicken on the grill without a 12 hour bath in the brine. Thanks again Cat..

Smokin' Todd

King-O-Coals,
looks like this Jersey boy is headed for the Gulf Islands next week. I may be geographically out of place...but my appitite can keep up with anyone's. Make room for one more!
ST

sprinter

King-O-Coals,[p]I agree with you 100% on that brining thing. I've gotten hooked on that myself. I keep telling the wife that I want to try a couple of hens but she's not too hip on the idea, saying that they taste somewhat gamey. I may just go pick them up and surprise her with them for a dinner. Gotta tell ya though KOC, the thing that sounds best to me out of that whole menu are those biscuits. Homemade, flakey, with a big ole pat o butter on them. I'm hungry now.[p]Troy

BluesnBBQ

King-O-Coals says: A WORD OF WARNING TO NEWBIES! Never put a whole chicken on the grill without a 12 hour bath in the brine. [p]I wouldn't say "never" do this. I did a 3.5 chicken without brining yesterday, and it turned out great. I cooked it at high heat (400-500) for about an hour. I had it on a sitter in a drip pan, with the drip pan on a pizza stone. I simply rinsed the chicken, rubbed it with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder (under and on top of the skin). I used a couple of of pecan chunks, but it wasn't very smokey. I didn't use a top, and it was kind of fun to watch the bird roasting through the top opening.[p]Some of you probably remember my "quick roast chicken" query from last week. This was my first experiment. The skin was a bit charred in a couple of places, but besides that it was great. Next time I'll probably lower the heat a little and cook it less. Because of the high temps involved, I didn't use a polder. I had to guess when it was ready. Next time I'll use a stick and stay thermometer. I'll probably try brining it too.

King-O-Coals

BluesnBBQ, man I used to think nothing could improve my whole Egged chicken until I tried brining. It's unbelievable. But being the hard-head that I am,, I tried the game hens a couple of weeks back and they were o.k. So this time I decided to treat them like the big birds that have left my guests in awe of my grilling abilities,,, and they were finer than fine.. And the best part is,, you can just keep cooking them after the thighs are at 200 and they don't dry out. They just keep getting more flavorful and tender... You just gotta do a brined bird, at least just once. The basic recipe for brine is 1 cup kosher (non-iodized) salt per gallon of water. You can get imaginative with the seasonings and flavors in the brine,, like cajun seasoning, poultry seasoning, bay leaves,, and crushed juniper berries like I used this time.. Put the birds in the brine when it is chilled and give them 12 to 15 hours. Rinse them well, dry them, then do like you did yours with the olive oil and seasonings. Let them sit several hours uncovered in the fridge like that,, then put them on a rack with direct heat at 300 for several hours. Don't raise the dome for at least 3 hours and keep the heat at 300. Stick a thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, and don't get panicky after it reaches 200. The skin will get like potatoe chips and the meat will be tender and moist.. Do it once and then let me know if you ever go back to conventional.. I'm hooked for life.. Pork loin is another meat that brine works magic on.

King-O-Coals

sprinter, close your eyes,, and see, southern style cat-head biscuits the size of,, well, cat heads. Hot off the Egg, sliced open, a man-size pat of real butter trying to melt and run out just before,, you lay a large chunk of hot pulled-pork in it to pin the butter down,, then a thin swipe of Bone-Sucking-Sauce,, and close it up quick and take a giant bite.. UUMMmmmmmmmmm! AAHHHhhhhhhhh![p]Or,, you could be seeing yourself at work on the computer trading stocks on AmeriTrade.

King-O-Coals

Smokin' Todd, do I need to arrainge 3 warm bodies to make up your team,, or are you just flying in for breakfast?

BluesnBBQ

King-O-Coals,[p]Don't get me wrong - I've been brining for several years (even before I got my Egg), but I think you can do an excellent bird without brining. The next time I roast a chicken (at a high temp), I'm going to use a brined bird. I'm sure it will be even better than the one I did this weekend.