Gourmet Brined Chicken

[Captain Cook]

This is my favourite Chicken recipe. It can also be done on a kettle or gas BBQ with a hood. remember to cook it indirectly.

Gourmet BBQ Brined Chicken
This is without a doubt one the best chicken recipes you will ever try. You can also adapt it for the Xmas Turkey simply double the quantity and brine the turkey for 8 hours instead of 4-5. The length of brining will determine the saltiness of the bird and how moist it will be, if you are going to smoke cook it, you could brine it for longer. My experience is 5 hours is perfect for chicken and 8 hours for a turkey.

1 #14 - #18 Chicken
Brine
1/4 cup salt (was 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup brown sugar ( was 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon ground garlic flakes
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 ½ litres water
Method
Mix brine ingredients together in a glass bowl Place chicken in a Ziploc bag and pour in brine solution. Seal and place in the fridge for 4-5 hours. Remove, rinse with fresh water, pat dry and stand upright over a dish or tray in the fridge overnight to let the skin dry.
Preheat the Q on high for 10 minutes. Roast the chicken indirectly on a roasting trivet
for about 1 1/4 hours until the internal meat temperature is 83 C. (It is always a good idea to cook 2 as 1 will not last everyone wants seconds)
A variation is to add fresh herbs or Chinese 5 spice to the brine.

Serve with fresh buttered rolls, cold sliced tomato and a few bottles of bubbly on a Sunday afternoon - how good is that.

Recipe prepared by “The Gourmet Cabernet” alias “Captain Cook”

Edited Dec 2013 - quantities changed for those who don't want to use that much salt.

[Davo]

Phil, that sound delicious mate, definately one to try as I think chicken is a good allround favourite on the bbq.

Just a small question, you say after taking from the brine, pat dry then put it in the fridge overnight to let skin dry, this would have to be sitting on a rack on a plate/tray so that the underside is not sitting directly on a flat surface?
And that the chicken would have to be left uncovered in that time?

Cheers

Davo

[Captain Cook]

Davo
I usually sit the chook on a plastic mug on a plate in the fridge. I also do it out of the fridge on a mug with one of those food covers over it for an hour to bring it up to room temp and sometimes when I am in a hurry I just take it out of the brine drainit for 5 - 10 minutes and then give it a good pat dry, brush with oil and cook. I found that the drier the skin before cooking the crisper the skin after. The smoke seems to "Stick" better when it has been dried for a fair while.

It is one of the few dishes that I use a little hickory on (just one piece).

Regards
Captain Cook

[urbangriller]

If you are in a hurry you can dry it with "managements" hair dryer (on the cold setting).....just don't get caught.

I've posted my fact sheet on Brining in the Beef/Lamb recipe topic under Brined Lamb.

Cheers
Chris

[tivoenator]

Last night I did a couple of these brined chickens on the weber kettle.

This is a fantastic recipe.

This is without a doubt one the best chicken recipes you will ever try

All my kids said it was the best chicken they've ever eaten. I did a brined rack of lamb a few weeks ago and got a similar reaction.

Cheers,

Dave

[SmokinOkie]

If you have questions about Brining, please ask. I authored a pretty well known web article called Brining 101, so I'm pretty much an expert (according to some)

Brining 101


I didn't see a Marinades section, it's not really a sauce, but I'd be happy to start a new thread about Brining.

Smokin'

[The Tree Guy]

Thanks Russ, I've had a quick look. I'll look at it in detail now.

I just did Phil's Gourmet BBQ Chicken, turned out great.

Thanks Phil, no storm this time.

[PSB]

Hi guys

Is Phil's Gourmet BBQ Chicken recipe on this site somewhere? Can anyone point me in the right direction?

[The Tree Guy]

Top of this page. You'll like it.

Gourmet BBQ Brined Chicken

[PSB]

Thanks Steve!

I sure do feel like an idiot!

[PSB]

Hi Guys

Did the BBQ Brined Chicken for dinner tonight.

Cooked it for about 1.5 hours in the Baby Q

Served with salad and chips and fresh bread rolls

Succulent, moist tender and full of flavour

No leftovers for lunch tomorrow. We devoured every bit of it.

Thankyou Phill for a wonderful recipe that I will do again and again...

[Captain Cook]

Pleasure
I haven't found anyone who didn't like it.
It is the standard way that all my friends cook chickens now.

Cheers
Phil aka Captain Cook

[antiquesman]

This is probably a dumb question but if you don't ask you don't learn.... will this recipe work equally well over charcoal?
George

[paulr]

This is probably a dumb question but if you don't ask you don't learn.... will this recipe work equally well over charcoal?
George

I reckon the answer is yes (I really find that the taste is just that much flavoursome cooking with lump charcoal (yeah yeah may have to go back to heatbeads after my local suppliers all disappear or just charge too much).
The only charcoal cooks that require a bit more technique are the "indirect" ones but with the Weber baskets they are easily achieved...

[Captain Cook]

George
It works better over charcoal, use one small bit of wood for a hint of smoke if you want.

I still have to try it in the Traeger, it's on the list, trouble is I have so many recipes that I have to convert to Traeger and so little time.

Cheers

Phil aka Captain Cook