Holiday Potluck at Work

wdan · December 2003

T'is the season. For the everybody-brings-a-dish to-work day, I thought I'd do something that actually is unique...nobody else around here has an egg (yet). But, what to do?[p]ABT's: Too many people to make that many chillies for.
Pulled pork: I like most of these people but I don't want to stay up all night for them.[p]Maybe "cold" or re-heated wings?[p]Did my second brined turkey a la Alton Brown for Thanksgiving this year...came out great again like last year. So I got to thinkin'...[p]BlueSmokes post this last August for Orange Wings inspired me to do the following albeit with a twist of Alton's brine thing:[p]2 cans Peach Necter (Jumex)
2 Tbl Soy Sauce
3 Tbl Candied Ginger
3 tsp Hot Sauce
1 tsp minced garlic (ashamed to say I used stuff out of a jar)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Kosher salt
6 whole Allspice berries
Ground black pepper[p]Brought all to simmer for a few and made sure everything dissolved.
Removed from heat and added:
2 tsp sesame oil[p]Let all get cold on back porch.
Then added 1 gallon of water and let chill again.
Got the wings and some legs "brining" away in it now. Everything I've read about brining suggests these p[ieces should only go for a couple of hours. No can do here. They're going to have to go overnight. I'll rinse them in the morning and let them sit naked in zip-locks during the day.[p]Tomorrow night, they get egged with peach wood at about 300F until done. Don't have a raised grid set-up, so I'll do them indirect.[p]Will advise results. In the meantime, anybody out there see any catastrophe I might be stumbling into? So far, I'm a tad leary of the sesame oil..I've always had a weakness for it due to many trips to Korea. But this time, it seems to be a bit overbearing for the peach necter.

Nature Boy · December 2003

WDAN,
A gallon of water, and 1/4 cup of salt (plus a little from the soy) is a very light brine. Is it even a brine? A cup of salt to a gallon of water is a common ratio. I doubt you will have any probs going overnight. And I doubt you will even be able to detect the sesame oil taste. Same with the peach. I mean, this is just a brine...right? Sounds like a lot sweeter than salty. The flavor from a brine is usually pretty light throughout. [p]Any other treatments planned after the "brine"? [p]Have fun at the potluck!
Chris

wdan · December 2003

Nature Boy,
Good (and astute) question re: is it even a brine. I originally started with the intent of making a marinade. The Alton thing hit me in the middle of it all so I added more salt. Takimg into account your comments along with what I've read elsewhere, I think I'll go put in another 3/4 cup of salt. As for flavor transfer, I was surprised how much of it permeated my turkeys. This is what really prompted me to change to brine rather than just marinate. My chicken marinating experiences in the past have usually been pretty lack-luster.[p]I believe you're out on the right coast...are you up late tonight?

Nature Boy · December 2003

WDAN,
Yeah, I am up late...too late. Enjoying a nice break from this mega-workload I have had, and slurping a few beers and babbling on the forums. A nice break.[p]If you are going overnight with the wings, I would think a cup salt/gallon would be a bit much. I really am an unscientific feller, so I am not sure how much salt you really need to create the osmosis that makes a brine a brine. Maybe a half cup total???[p]Okay, I am crashing! Good luck with the experiment! If nothing else, it will be a learning experience!
Cheers
Chris

wdan · December 2003

Nature Boy,
That's exactly what it is, my friend...an experiment!
I've already done the dastardly and have a total od 1 cup salt in there (it is kosher, so at least it won't be as potent as good ol' Morton's).[p]My followup plans are to cook indirect with some peach wood.[p]I'm also going to try a couple of slathering-type sauces before pulling off the egg. One will be a KC Masterpiece or BabyRay thing, but the other will be a guava-based sauce stolen from Raichlen's BBQ America book (I loved this on alder-smoked salmon the other night). [p]So, I'll be looking for brine flavor transfer, brine residual saltiness, hot vs. cold flavor appeal.[p]Will advise. Thanks for the help so far. Go crash for awhile...I'll take over on the beer patrol. It's an hour earlier here!

Unknown · December 2003

WDAN,
Not bad, but not great.
My family liked them a lot.
To me, I basically tasted the sesame oil, smoke and salt. Bottom line, it was alot of much work for only 3 basic flavors to dominate. Curiously, I had no red pepper bite at all, even though I used liberal quantities in the brine and slathering sauce.[p]On the other hand: I loved the peach wood smoke![p]I still have another week to come up with something before the potluck. I think I'll stick with wings and try a few more twists. In the meantime, gotta get ready to do some ABT's for the Packer-Bear game. Have some ABT virgins coming over Sunday!

Unknown · December 2003

WDAN:[p]The best taste results I have had for brine has been to start with seven cups hot water, and add in 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 sugar (or sugar based - like maple syrup) along with the spices. Sesame is a strong flavor, but shouldn't have been a problem, as it wouldn't have been easily absorbed, but probably floated on the surface. If you didn't rinse the bird off, it lay on the skin of the bird.[p] Simpler the better for spices - cracked peppercorns, rubbed sage or rosemary for poultry or pork. Overnight brining should have been fine, but with big birds, 24 hours - or longer is even better. Pork tends to absorb brine better and needs less time, IMO. [p]Also, smoke tends to sometime overwhelm and inhibit subtle flavors, especially in poultry. Great for meat with rubs or dusts, though. When I brine anything, I want the brine flavors to come through to the palate. My opinions, of course.[p]Go Packers![p]MM[p]

Holiday Potluck at Work

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