Over Brined Chicken - Yuck O

Smoked Signals · July 2007

I brined my chicken thighs as a warm up for Madison Ribberfest and it was the worst chicken I cooked in years. Normally I brine for 2 hours and I lost track of time ... chicken was in brine for about 4 hours. They were huge and bloated thighs when they came out of the brine. I also bought hormone free organic chicken ... it was tasteless, overly moist and had a weird texture.
Do you think it was the brine time or the hormone free chicken?[p]On the other hand I did make a very good brisket flat last night. Practice practice practice...

Unknown · July 2007

Smoked Signals,[p]I've brined whole chickens for 12 hours before. They turned out great. Did you keep the brine under 40 degrees?

gdenby · July 2007

Smoked Signals,[p]That's too bad, 'cause it probably cost a good bit more than factory chicken.[p]I get organic chicken frequently. It is generally less greasey and somewhat firmer than bulk produced chicken. I don't brine it, and it is usually quite moist. Cooks a bit faster, too. Perhaps the brining pumped it too full of water, and while cooking, the flavor steamed out.[p]gdenby[p]

thirdeye · July 2007

Smoked Signals,[p]"Bloated" sounds funny to me. Did the label mention any added moisture? Did you have two different kinds of chicken or was it all organic?[p]What was the strength of your brine (salt to water ratio)? What other ingredients did you add? What was the brine cold and did you keep it refrigerated?[p]
~thirdeye~

Smoked Signals · July 2007

thirdeye,
Brine was 4 qts liquid (top secret) and 1/2 cup sea salt. 1 tbs peppercorns. All cold. Brined cold in fridge for 4 hours.
Chicken all organic.
I've never seen chicken this puffy and bloated. Took chicken off cooker at 175.
Doug

Smoked Signals · July 2007

Brandon,
brine was in the fridge in a 2 gallon ziplock for 4 hours.

thirdeye · July 2007

Smoked Signals,[p]Okay, herbs or spices in your brine would not be the cause. Your ratio seems just a tad low, unless the salt was a fine grind but I don't think that is the cause. In fact, a lower concentration brine will have less absorption. (1 gal to 1 cup is a standard, I use 1 gal to 3/4 cup + some Tenderquick) Provided that your brine is still primarily water based you should be fine. However if the "top secret" liquids are taking the place of water, you may in fact be concocting a marinade instead of a brine. They are two different things. Are you at least 75% water and 25% other liquids??[p]Let's say some of your "top secret" ingredients are pineapple juice, wines, vinegars, soy sauces or beer. Too much of something like these can tenderize the product too much and possibly infuse it with too much flavor (or result in an off flavor). Sometimes combining ordinary things have weird flavor results.[p]So, now we are down to the chicken. I think the bird may be the cause. Have you used your brine on chicken before without the bloating and texture issues you noticed this time?[p]~thirdeye~[p][p]

Over Brined Chicken - Yuck O

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