Brianschef
Senior Cook
- Joined
- Nov 24, 2003
- Messages
- 142
I always brine my chicken in buttermilk. You can add any herbs and spices to it you choose, but it is always flavorful and moist.
Brine / Brining for Chicken
- Thread starter bknox
- Start date
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GB
Chief Eating Officer
Soaking in just buttermilk technically is not a brine. It would actually be a marinade. To be a brine it must contain water and salt.
htc
Head Chef
I was able to do a brine and then cook the chicken on my weber. I just grabbed a bunch of stuff. Didn't really follow a recipe. Used sea salt, fish sauce, soy sauce, dried chili pepper, mirin, garlic, onion, ginger and dill. It turned out really good. The chicken wasn't mushy at all. I only brined for about 4 hours. Will definitely use this technique again.
kitchenelf
Chef Extraordinaire
I'm too lazy to read this whole thread - sorry guys!
I have found that brining my turnkey in apple juice instead of water gives it an incredible flavor!! I still use brown sugar, limes, lemons, oranges, rosemary, thyme, garlic, kosher salt - heat that up and let cool completely. A chicken probably wouldn't take as long. I brine my turkey for a full 24 + hours. I think another thing to look at is whether or not your poultry already has a salt/water solution added to it. You're better off getting one with that added since you might overdue the texture in the end.
Don't go too heavy on the salt because the gravy that comes from this (with the apple juice) is awesome!
I now have a few chicken breasts more or less marinating in buttermilk - but since a brine breaks down connective tissue it might be a relative of brining. The acid will tenderize it. I was going to have them tomorrow for dinner and I swear, now I don't know what I was going to do with them after I took them out of the brine - it's a bummer getting old!!!!! Dang, that makes me so mad - I've been sitting here thinking and I CAN'T REMEMBER!!!!
OHHHHHH - I remember. I'm going to cook ramen noodles - add a bag (or part of anyway) of the mixed fresh veggies - pea pods, shredded carrots, broccoli flowerettes that I will steam a bit first, then I will toss the cooked chicken cubes, these steamed veggies together and garnish with cilantro, green onions, and a lime wedge. I might even poach an egg and add that if I don't think my chicken is "done" - I'll be able to tell by how it plumbs up. I usually do the bittermilk thing for 3 days. (sorry, took it beyond what was asked) I will await my punishment
I have found that brining my turnkey in apple juice instead of water gives it an incredible flavor!! I still use brown sugar, limes, lemons, oranges, rosemary, thyme, garlic, kosher salt - heat that up and let cool completely. A chicken probably wouldn't take as long. I brine my turkey for a full 24 + hours. I think another thing to look at is whether or not your poultry already has a salt/water solution added to it. You're better off getting one with that added since you might overdue the texture in the end.
Don't go too heavy on the salt because the gravy that comes from this (with the apple juice) is awesome!
I now have a few chicken breasts more or less marinating in buttermilk - but since a brine breaks down connective tissue it might be a relative of brining.
The acid will tenderize it. I was going to have them tomorrow for dinner and I swear, now I don't know what I was going to do with them after I took them out of the brine - it's a bummer getting old!!!!! Dang, that makes me so mad - I've been sitting here thinking and I CAN'T REMEMBER!!!!OHHHHHH - I remember. I'm going to cook ramen noodles - add a bag (or part of anyway) of the mixed fresh veggies - pea pods, shredded carrots, broccoli flowerettes that I will steam a bit first, then I will toss the cooked chicken cubes, these steamed veggies together and garnish with cilantro, green onions, and a lime wedge. I might even poach an egg and add that if I don't think my chicken is "done" - I'll be able to tell by how it plumbs up. I usually do the bittermilk thing for 3 days. (sorry, took it beyond what was asked) I will await my punishment
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kitchenelf
Chef Extraordinaire
Brianschef said:
I like to soak mine for about 3 days then do a solid 24-hour marinade in fresh rosemary, garlic, touch of balsamic vinegar, and olive oil.
OP
OP
bknox
Head Chef
I had time to play with brines and here is what I found. First I used a recipe containing;
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
3 cups cold water
1 Tablespoon Black Peppercorns
1 Tablespoon of Mustard Seed (I had Brown)
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne
Let stand with chicken for 3 hours and baked. I thought it was salty and I could not really taste any other flavor besides the salt.
SOOOoooooo, I made a new brine. I am calling it Bryan's Brine. It actually sounds fairly cook with a deep southern accent, sort of like Brines Brine.
Anyway, I used;
1/4 cup Sea Salt
1 Tablespoon Cracked Black Pepper
1/3 cup Honey
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
4 roasted and ground Pasilla Peppers
1 1/2 teaspoons ground Cayenne
2 Tablespoons Mustard Seed
2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
2 teaspoons Ginger Powder
I mixed all ingredients and let it sit for about 2 hours before putting in the chicken. If I do it again I will probably heat the brine to a boil and let cool before adding Chicken. Brined my chicken for about 3 hours.
Very tasty and succulent and the flavor WAY overpowered the salt. Not really salty at all or mushy. I may try it with Turket next.
I also like the idea of marinating chicken in Buttler Milk. I have a recipe for taking boneless chicken strips and marinating them in 1 cup Yogurt, Large handful of chopped Cilantro and some Lime juice and maybe salt, grilled on skewers. This recipe would rock with Butter Milk.
Now I am hungry and need to go to the grocery. Enjoy.
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
3 cups cold water
1 Tablespoon Black Peppercorns
1 Tablespoon of Mustard Seed (I had Brown)
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne
Let stand with chicken for 3 hours and baked. I thought it was salty and I could not really taste any other flavor besides the salt.
SOOOoooooo, I made a new brine. I am calling it Bryan's Brine. It actually sounds fairly cook with a deep southern accent, sort of like Brines Brine.
Anyway, I used;
1/4 cup Sea Salt
1 Tablespoon Cracked Black Pepper
1/3 cup Honey
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
4 roasted and ground Pasilla Peppers
1 1/2 teaspoons ground Cayenne
2 Tablespoons Mustard Seed
2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
2 teaspoons Ginger Powder
I mixed all ingredients and let it sit for about 2 hours before putting in the chicken. If I do it again I will probably heat the brine to a boil and let cool before adding Chicken. Brined my chicken for about 3 hours.
Very tasty and succulent and the flavor WAY overpowered the salt. Not really salty at all or mushy. I may try it with Turket next.
I also like the idea of marinating chicken in Buttler Milk. I have a recipe for taking boneless chicken strips and marinating them in 1 cup Yogurt, Large handful of chopped Cilantro and some Lime juice and maybe salt, grilled on skewers. This recipe would rock with Butter Milk.
Now I am hungry and need to go to the grocery. Enjoy.
BreezyCooking
Washing Up
I don't brine any of the poultry I cook. I buy organic free-range turkey that is always moist & tender - even the leftovers. Goose as well. Chickens, guinea hens, cornish game hens, & duck are all done on the rotisserie & are always unbelievably juicy. Why should I add what amounts to nothing more than salt water to something that is already perfect? I've had birds that have been brined, & frankly, I think brining is just another fad.
If you start out with fresh superior poultry, it shouldn't be necessary.
If you start out with fresh superior poultry, it shouldn't be necessary.
GB
Chief Eating Officer
I agree with gesswho (welcome to the site by the way). I know that for myslef at least, brining most certainly is not a fad. I find it to be an amazing technique and everyone who eat my chicken agrees with me. I find it no more of a fad than boiling water is a fad or sauteing veggies is a fad.
Do you season your chicken with salt and pepper when cooking? If so, why would you only want to season it on the outside instead of having it seasoned equally throughout? A brine also does not have to amount to nothing more than salt water as you can see from bknox's flavorful brine. It is a way of introducing flavor, not just moisture.BreezyCooking said:
No it is not necessary, but it can certainly enhance an already great product. It is not necessary to put pepperoni on a pizza or a cherry on an ice cream sundae, but isn't it great that we do have those options?BreezyCooking said:
Claire
Master Chef
Brining is certainly popular right now, if that is your definition of fad. But isn't corned beef brined? Lord knows it's been around for a long, long time.
BTW, virtually any marinade method, if left too long, can result in mushy meat. If you've ever used yogurt on a chicken breast, you know that the yogurt can really eat up the meat if left too long!
And, no, I still haven't tried it! Will when I get back from Florida.
BTW, virtually any marinade method, if left too long, can result in mushy meat. If you've ever used yogurt on a chicken breast, you know that the yogurt can really eat up the meat if left too long!
And, no, I still haven't tried it! Will when I get back from Florida.
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mudbug
Chef Extraordinaire
BreezyCooking said:
Breezy, perhaps you have access to "superior poultry" that others do not have. Free-range is not everyone's idea of perfection, or even necessity.
Or perhaps your idea of superior is at odds with what others think.
Or maybe you prefer a flavor that others find bland.
Just wondering. There's plenty of room in this world for differences of opinion and technique.
