# Brining a chicken



## mudbug (Sep 28, 2004)

I am going to try brining a chicken (3-pounder) for din-din tonight.  I have taken note of the tips under the Brining thread in Gen Chat.

Do I hafta start roasting immediately after the brining, or can I brine now and cook (much) later?


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## Alix (Sep 28, 2004)

Brine now cook later.


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## mudbug (Sep 28, 2004)

thanks, Alix.  I was hoping you'd show up early today to educate me. I will use the brown sugar too.  so -- brine for a couple of hours with 1/2 cup each kosher salt and sugar and cover the boid with water?


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## Alix (Sep 28, 2004)

I do mine overnight in the solution, but if you start now, I think you should be ready to go by later in the day. I do about 1/4 cup each of brown sugar and salt to about 6 liters of water...gallon and a half?


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## mudbug (Sep 28, 2004)

Okey doke.  Will report results later.


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## Alix (Sep 28, 2004)

Excellent. Keep us posted 

I am going to try doing a chicken on the BBQ tonight. We get our farm chickens today. 

Here is my issue, my BBQ is too small to close the lid on a chicken. What should I do? Put the chicken in a covered dish a leave the lid up? Close the lid as best I can? Suggestions would be appreciated.


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## mudbug (Sep 28, 2004)

One more thing -- after brine created, chicken submerged, in the fridge or out on the counter?


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## Alix (Sep 28, 2004)

Is the chicken frozen at all?


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## mudbug (Sep 28, 2004)

Alix said:
			
		

> Is the chicken frozen at all?



nope,  it's a whole chick, thawed, about 3 pounds.  I have a lid for my "briner" - it's one of those metal blue-speckled stockpots.

p.s. I just threw in a couple of bay leaves because...well, just because.


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## Alix (Sep 28, 2004)

I would go with the fridge then for most of the time, and then pull it out and leave it on the counter for about the last two hours. I know that is not supposed to be the safest way to do it, but it works for me. Never had any complaints or salmonella (that I know of!   ). The bay leaves sound yummy, someone told me that rosemary is nice too, or lavendar. Haven't tried that one yet though. Too much of a purist I guess.


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## mudbug (Sep 28, 2004)

I may throw some rosemary in too.  Got a boatload growing right outside my front door.  How those two little plants turned into such monsters I will never know.....no help from me.

OK, I'll throw it in the fridge for a few hours and take it out around 3:30-ish my time (EDST).  I'm not too worried about salmonella either, and I figure roasting at a high temp is gonna kill off any buggers anyway.


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## Alix (Sep 28, 2004)

My thoughts exactly.


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## GB (Sep 28, 2004)

I always brine in the fridge. Salmonella is not something I want to mess with and there is no benefit to leaving it on the counter (other than space issues in your fridge). For a whole bird I would go longer than a few hours, but I personally would not go overnight. I would probably try 4 or 5 hours. The rosemary addition sounds wonderful!


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## mudbug (Sep 28, 2004)

Thanks for the input, GB.  I knew you were a "briner" too and was hoping you'd chime in.  

What I will likely do is leave bird in fridge until 3:30-ish as noted, but maybe let it stand for only an hour instead of 2 before roasting.  How's that for a compromise?


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## GB (Sep 28, 2004)

I don't think that is a bad plan at all. Once you try this technique you will be hooked I am sure. You will then tweak it to make it your own. Some people like to brine longer and others like it less. Some like more salt and some like sugar as well. Everyone is different and as long as the brine has salt, there is no right or wrong, just personal preference. Please make sure to let us know how it turned out


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## mudbug (Sep 28, 2004)

Alix said:
			
		

> Excellent. Keep us posted
> 
> I am going to try doing a chicken on the BBQ tonight. We get our farm chickens today.
> 
> Here is my issue, my BBQ is too small to close the lid on a chicken. What should I do? Put the chicken in a covered dish a leave the lid up? Close the lid as best I can? Suggestions would be appreciated.



Alix, just saw this one after reviewing all of my instructions.  Does your bbq lid come all the way off?  If yes, you could try placing some bricks or something around the rim of the kettle for the lid to sit on.  It would then sit evenly and still -- mostly -- cover your bird.


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## Alix (Sep 28, 2004)

Oooooo mudbug...you are so smart! I happen to have a handy stash of bricks. I think that is just the ticket!


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## mudbug (Sep 28, 2004)

kewl.  report back!


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## Alix (Sep 28, 2004)

Will do!


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## mudbug (Sep 28, 2004)

Alix, Gb left the board before answering another Q for me:
should I be stirring this brine at all?  you know, to rev up the juices and herbs or something?


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## GB (Sep 28, 2004)

Once you dissolve everything then no there is no need to keep agitating it. Just put the meat in and stick it in the fridge and fugedaboudit


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## mudbug (Sep 28, 2004)

GB said:
			
		

> Once you dissolve everything then no there is no need to keep agitating it. Just put the meat in and stick it in the fridge and fugedaboudit



done!


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## jpmcgrew (Oct 6, 2004)

I tried to brine once it was OK but adding sugar is a new one to me I will try that, sounds delicious I bet the sugar helps brown the bird even better.


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## Lifter (Oct 10, 2004)

Just to throw a "dash" into it, maple syrup instead of brown sugar can make it just a bit more "Canadian"...

To answer the BBQ hood question thing, lets think outside the box a minute...

If we remove the BBQ grill(s), and set our chicken(s) upon the oven broiler pan, mostly these will fit into the depth of the BBQ lower than the statutory grill racks, at least adequately to  give the necessary "overhead" clearances...and catch the runoff juices enough to create gravy (get inventive, and add water to the pan, or stock, or whatever...you're all cooks!) as well as giving this convenient "platform" to pull the "work" out of the heat at the right time...

As a side note, even if I don't, personally, do it like this, if you fill the broiler pan with water/stock/beer whatever, aside from "beer-butting" the chickens (see my post elsewhere!) with the BBQ hood closed, this creates a moisture intense cooking arena, and will give you super moist results, if not the crispy skin feature...your choice of what you are aiming to achieve!

Curiously, most roasting pans from conventional ovens fit nicely to BBQ's, with the ability to insert and remove them...Coincidence?  I think not!  Just crafty BBQ designers!

Once you have gone this far, so as to insert the bird in the BBQ, lets add some wood chips that are well soaked...hickory is my preference, but alder is "interesting", and the old reliable mesquite works, if less satisfactorally...

John


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