I was reading through some posts about cooking boneless chicken breasts on wood pellet grills (RecTeq). It got me thinking about successes and failures I’ve had and thought I’d share some of that on this forum in hopes to get some feedback from others…which may help me in future cooks.
About 7 years ago, I brined an 18lb turkey in a solution of salt, sugar, and some herbs. I put the bird in the brine about 6-7pm with the plan of taking it out of the brine around 6-7am the next morning. And I did that. I had read before that poultry shouldn’t brine much longer than that because the meat will become “mushy”…especially the breast meat. This was a hefty bird, so I felt 12-hours was plenty.
I then rinsed the bird, patted it dry, and then seasoned it for the cook. Well…when the bird was done cooking we discovered that the meat was too salty/over-seasoned. And, the drippings that I made the gravy with was too salty as well. What was I thinking??? The brine seasoned the bird and I seasoned the outside before cooking. Lesson learned…the brine was pretty much the only seasoning I should have relied on.
I mention this as I’ve just read where a few cooks flatten their boneless chicken breast and brine them for 12-24 hours. I can’t help but believe the meat doesn’t turn to mush. Maybe not.
Since that first brine debacle, I’ve modified my brine mix and I pretty much just put some butter under the skin before putting the bird on my RT-700. I cook at 275 the whole time taking the bird to about 160 in the breasts and/or 170 in the thighs…for a whole bird. The last two years, I’ve spatchcocked the bird. Takes a lot less time to cook (overall) and the breasts and thighs get to temp about the same time.
I’ve also used this brine mix I got from Costco. It hits all the notes I like for thanksgiving. There are a couple of nuances about the flavor that some may not like. I’ve attached a picture of it.
So I’ve rambled on a bit here. What I’m really hoping for is feedback on your brining experiences. Do you season your poultry after brining? Doesn’t that make it too salty/over-seasoned? How long do you brine poultry? Does it get mushy? What flavor notes are you looking for in a brine? Salty? Sweet? Herbs? (I add a couple sprigs of rosemary and a bay leaf or two…when the brine is hot…before cooling and adding ice.). How do you capture the drippings for gravy when cooking on your RecTeq?
Side notes…I’m not a huge fan of “very smoked” poultry. I like the kiss of smoke on poultry…that’s why I cook it at 275.
I appreciate your time reading this an providing any feedback.
TheRicker
About 7 years ago, I brined an 18lb turkey in a solution of salt, sugar, and some herbs. I put the bird in the brine about 6-7pm with the plan of taking it out of the brine around 6-7am the next morning. And I did that. I had read before that poultry shouldn’t brine much longer than that because the meat will become “mushy”…especially the breast meat. This was a hefty bird, so I felt 12-hours was plenty.
I then rinsed the bird, patted it dry, and then seasoned it for the cook. Well…when the bird was done cooking we discovered that the meat was too salty/over-seasoned. And, the drippings that I made the gravy with was too salty as well. What was I thinking??? The brine seasoned the bird and I seasoned the outside before cooking. Lesson learned…the brine was pretty much the only seasoning I should have relied on.
I mention this as I’ve just read where a few cooks flatten their boneless chicken breast and brine them for 12-24 hours. I can’t help but believe the meat doesn’t turn to mush. Maybe not.
Since that first brine debacle, I’ve modified my brine mix and I pretty much just put some butter under the skin before putting the bird on my RT-700. I cook at 275 the whole time taking the bird to about 160 in the breasts and/or 170 in the thighs…for a whole bird. The last two years, I’ve spatchcocked the bird. Takes a lot less time to cook (overall) and the breasts and thighs get to temp about the same time.
I’ve also used this brine mix I got from Costco. It hits all the notes I like for thanksgiving. There are a couple of nuances about the flavor that some may not like. I’ve attached a picture of it.
So I’ve rambled on a bit here. What I’m really hoping for is feedback on your brining experiences. Do you season your poultry after brining? Doesn’t that make it too salty/over-seasoned? How long do you brine poultry? Does it get mushy? What flavor notes are you looking for in a brine? Salty? Sweet? Herbs? (I add a couple sprigs of rosemary and a bay leaf or two…when the brine is hot…before cooling and adding ice.). How do you capture the drippings for gravy when cooking on your RecTeq?
Side notes…I’m not a huge fan of “very smoked” poultry. I like the kiss of smoke on poultry…that’s why I cook it at 275.
I appreciate your time reading this an providing any feedback.
TheRicker
