thermoman.1 wrote:I tried this recipe yesterday, my fifth effort on my Primo Kamado. I have never tried brining before, in fact I would have associated it with corned silverside or pickled pork. How wrong could I be!! Cooked at 188/9C until the internal temperature was 83C. Beautiful. After her first bite the wife asked if I could cook two at once. We are converted. I must delve deeper into brining. A couple of points. I couldn't find mustard powder so used some allspice. Where can I buy mustard powder? I was tempted to put in a tsp of mustard but decided not to. I sat the chicken on a beer can chicken roaster but didn't have a can of beer to put in it. Has anyone tried using (part of) a can of guinness? Thank you Captain Cook,
Bob
I have used prepared mustard before and it works ok.
You can add any flavourings to the brine you like! I often stick in fresh herbs like rosemary/thyme.
Chinese 5 spice is also a nice one to add to the brine, the brine I'll carry the flavours added into the bird.
You won't go back to non brined chooks now!
RE the beer can, forget it, you can use the gadget as a holder if you wish, but the beer can is just a gimmick, it does nothing. Try putting some beer in the brine?
Don't worry about putting of anything in the can, it's a gimmick which does zip. Although I think they cook better because they are standing upright but not due to the contents of the can
I brined 2 chooks this afternoon in some Game Changer brine mix I bought from Smokin J in our vendor section and roasted them in the kamado tonight. Absolutely delicious..
Gumb wrote:Don't worry about putting of anything in the can, it's a gimmick which does zip. Although I think they cook better because they are standing upright but not due to the contents of the can
I brined 2 chooks this afternoon in some Game Changer brine mix I bought from Smokin J in our vendor section and roasted them in the kamado tonight. Absolutely delicious..
Dead right Gumb! When you think about it the "beer" has to boil in order to steam up the chook....by that time the Chook is past it!
What it does do is cook the chicken evenly by letting the heat get all around the chook, like a poor mans "rotisserie"! The can plugs the cavity so the natural juices don't just run straight out, and some liquid in the can stabilises the bird so it won't fall over.
Cheers
Chris
Common Sense is so rare these days it should be a Super Power!
I cooked this chook on the weekend (butterflied on indirect heat on the beefeater bugg) absolutely awesome possibly the most tender, juicy chicken I have ever eaten with super crispy skin. I will definitely brine my chickens from now on.
I added rosemary + garlic bulbs to the brine and I didn't feel this added much flavour, next time I'll try making the brine a day in advance to allow all the flavour to infuse then add the chicken.
HendoNZ26 wrote:I cooked this chook on the weekend (butterflied on indirect heat on the beefeater bugg) absolutely awesome possibly the most tender, juicy chicken I have ever eaten with super crispy skin. I will definitely brine my chickens from now on.
I added rosemary + garlic bulbs to the brine and I didn't feel this added much flavour, next time I'll try making the brine a day in advance to allow all the flavour to infuse then add the chicken.
Boil the brine and then cool it down before using if you are using herbs etc for extra flavour.
Bill
Cast Iron Hibachi
Jackeroo Mini Spit
18 1/2" kettle
57cm Kettle
6 Burner Gasser sausage sizzler only.
Thanks for all the comments on using beer to cook beer can chicken. I have decided that the beer (not boiled) is probably better off in my stomach than the chickens.
New problem. Being very proud of my first effort at a brined chicken, I have volunteered to cook four for an upcoming family gathering without giving much thought to the logistics. I have got a bar fridge currently containing nothing which I can use for the brining and then the overnight drying. I was thinking that I could cook two at a time but have only got one beer can doover. I presume that after being taken out of the brine that the chicken would best be dried in an upright position. I suppose that I could use an empty jar etc for this purpose. Would it be OK then to cook one on the beer can thingo and the other lying down? All suggestions valued.
You can stand on a glass shoved up the cloaca to dry. What BBQ are you cooking on? I've squeezed 3 on before in my Q320. Cooking them laying down as normal is no problem at all, as long as there sitting on a raised trivet.
I would like to have a crack at this brined chook on my Kettle tomorrow. Can anyone provide some basic set up details for me? Am guessing indirect with a foil tray with water in it but would a full chimney of robot turds (split into two) be too hot? I have an internal temp gauge but don't want to burn things.
Do you fellas stuff your birds...? If so, do you make the stuffing from scratch or use stuffing mix with some additional onion or whatever?
Sorry for the rookie questions - I haven't done any roast chickens on my kettle to date (and am waiting on my kettle cook book to arrive).
Cheers,
Wobbly
Weber Family Q
57cm Black Charcoal Weber
47cm Maroon Charcoal Weber
I would like to have a crack at this brined chook on my Kettle tomorrow. Can anyone provide some basic set up details for me? Am guessing indirect with a foil tray with water in it but would a full chimney of robot turds (split into two) be too hot? I have an internal temp gauge but don't want to burn things.
Do you fellas stuff your birds...? If so, do you make the stuffing from scratch or use stuffing mix with some additional onion or whatever?
Sorry for the rookie questions - I haven't done any roast chickens on my kettle to date (and am waiting on my kettle cook book to arrive).
Cheers,
Wobbly
Hi Wobbly
The basic setup is 25 heatbeads per side, top and bottom vents fully open. foil tray between the char baskets, bird in the centre, lid on and cook for 1 hr and check for donness. total cooking time will vary with size of bird. Normally for a 2.2 kg bird is 1 1/4 hours. Cut a lemon in quarters and stuff it up its clacker. Note when cooked you will have some pink couloring around the bones. this is normal and does not indicate that the bird is undercooked. This is the brine holding the juices from the bones. You will love it.
you can either make your own stuffing or buy premixed. This will have an effect on the cooking time. I never stuff them, I just use a lemon sometimes. It is best to do without anything first off to get the best results.
If you are going to control the heat cook it at 375F - 390F (190C - 200C)
Captain Cook is on the money. No water tray required, salt the skin and a small amount or no stuffing (better) gives great results. The airflow & heat in the cavity is very important, even if you stuff - I recommend never going more than half the cavity space. If using lemon from the fridge in the cavity, blanch it whole first, cut it in halves or quarters & add a small handful of your favourite fresh herbs. The warmed lemon prevents the roasting process taking longer. If stuffing remember to add some time to the cook.
:D