***Official Grilling and Smoking Thread*** (3 Viewers)

[Ron Swanson]

I usually do 1 cup kosher salt, 1 gallon distilled water, and 1 cup sugar.  I *think* this was also from Franklin. Sometimes I omit the sugar for poultry but it does add a nice touch for pork. Fully agree though, extra flavorants and spices have very little, if any, impact on the final product.

 

[Worm]

Anyone smoke ducks? I did just a single one as a test last year and made gravy with the drippings... amazing. I think I just did a simple rub, don't think they need much.

Any recommendations on where to purchase? Honestly don't remember where I got it last year.

 

[TheFanatic]

Was just coming in here to start talking Thanksgrilling. 

I order a fresh turkey from a chef friend of mine. He taught at L'Ecole Culinaire for more than a decade and opened his own place a couple years ago. He brines it for me. It will cost me about a hundo for a 20 pounder but I've never had a better bird. So I was planning on spatchcocking it, but I have to use one of my Akorns this year for contractual reasons and I'm pretty sure a 20 pounder flayed out like that will be too big for the grill. So my choices are doing halves and doing one on each Akorn or keeping it traditional and upping my cooking time by a lot. If I do half and half, I could do a spicy side which greatly intrigues me but I'm not sure I have enough spicy eaters. So that's my predicament. 

Also, has anyone heard of the ice trick. You set the bird out on the counter for an hour or two before cooking and place a bag of ice on the breasts to chill them.  When the grill is perfect, you pull the ice off, hit with the seasoning and put it on the grill. The theory is that chilling the breasts and not the rest of the bird slows down the cooking process for them and ensures everything is done at the same time. Anyone try this?

 

[Joe Bryant]

I've heard of it but never tried it. In theory, makes sense. Here's a test for the two. https://www.kj.com/blog/results-of-the-harold-mcgee-turkey-experiment . Sounds like it's some better but not earth-shaking. 

 

[TheFanatic]

I've heard of it but never tried it. In theory, makes sense. Here's a test for the two. https://www.kj.com/blog/results-of-the-harold-mcgee-turkey-experiment . Sounds like it's some better but not earth-shaking. 

I thought the ice went on the breasts for considerably longer than that. I'm gonna have to do some more research. 

On a side note, I would think Kendall Jackson could afford a better photographer. Pretty sure all of those pics were taken with an old iPhone and no post editing done to them. And maybe a food stylist? Remind me to ignore KJ if they call to sponsor some content. They obviously don't spend on content. 

 

[Joe Bryant]

475 pounds of Pork Shoulders on the Big RC for dinner tonight for our Homeless Folks Downtown.

Quality Control.

 

[shuke]

I personally have found all the extra stuff doesn't do a lot. 

Agree.  That is a lot of work for nothing.

 

[Joe Bryant]

While I'm on the subject of brines, another thing I don't do is heat it on the stovetop. If you use table salt and sugar, it'll dissolve well enough. Just one less step.

I put the chicken or turkey in a cooler, add the water, salt, sugar and maybe Mountain Dew or syrup if I have it, throw in the poultry, add ice and let it go. Easy. 

 

[Mad Cow]

Oh, and you don't have to go as low as 250.  I've had the same results at 300.  Just go by temp and nothing to render so the quicker you can get there the juicier.  There will be plenty of smoke either way.

Question - are you saying 2 sticks of butter per breast, 1 each side?  Or 1 stick of butter per breast?  Looking at doing a turkey and a breast, have the guest list going up.

 

[Mad Cow]

While I'm on the subject of brines, another thing I don't do is heat it on the stovetop. If you use table salt and sugar, it'll dissolve well enough. Just one less step.

I put the chicken or turkey in a cooler, add the water, salt, sugar and maybe Mountain Dew or syrup if I have it, throw in the poultry, add ice and let it go. Easy. 

Nice, so I assume ice once in is enough, no need to add more?

 

[Joe Bryant]

Nice, so I assume ice once in is enough, no need to add more?

Correct. That's assuming it's a decent cooler and it's not too hot and you're not trying to keep too long. For me, in a regular igloo cooler, ice in at the first is enough. If you find you need to add ice, no worries, just add.

I used to brine in 5 gallon bucket and put it in the refrigerator but that's not always convenient. Especially with multiple buckets.

 

[JaxBill]

For Turkey,  i follow the Amazingribs instructions and dry brine overnight uncovered.  I have tried butterballing the breasts but not sure how effective that is and just skip that step.

The gravy on his site made from the turkey drippings is phenomenal. 

 

[Joe Bryant]

For Turkey,  i follow the Amazingribs instructions and dry brine overnight uncovered.  I have tried butterballing the breasts but not sure how effective that is and just skip that step.

The gravy on his site made from the turkey drippings is phenomenal. 

Thanks @JaxBill   Can you share the specifics of what you do? Don't share if it's pay content from amazingribs. 

 

[JaxBill]

AmazingRibs turkey (free)

This is what i do on my wsm-

- prepare gravy ingredients and dry brine turkey night before. Let air get to skin and salt

- use oil and Simon&Garfunkel rub on bird 

- 325ish heat minimal smoke wood 

- pan of gravy under bird collecting dripping

- dont tie legs but foil wing tips once browned. 

- check by temp not time

 

[Mad Cow]

When smoking your turkeys, do you put them on the grates, or in a pan to collect the drippings?

 

[Grahamburn]

Question - are you saying 2 sticks of butter per breast, 1 each side?  Or 1 stick of butter per breast?  Looking at doing a turkey and a breast, have the guest list going up.

1 stick of butter per side/breast.  So, 2 sticks of butter total for one bird.  Breasts can be confusing in so many ways.

 

[Mad Cow]

1 stick of butter per side/breast.  So, 2 sticks of butter total for one bird.  Breasts can be confusing in so many ways.

 

[Sullie]

When smoking your turkeys, do you put them on the grates, or in a pan to collect the drippings?

I put the bird(s) directly on the grate to absorb as much smoke as possible and put a pan under to collect drippings but I also put water in the pan for moisture.  

I wanted to circle back to a few questions above MadCow.  With regards to brine, I'll tell you what man, I think you should brine and smoke a chicken before you experiment on Thanksgiving.  The first time I brined a bird, I followed the brine recipe to the letter, smoked the bird and I thought it was way, way too salty.  Everyone ate and only later on when I pressed about it did my wife and my brother say "it was a too salty" and my brother salts the crap out of everything.  Anyway,  I thought it was me but since they confirmed it, I use about half of the salt that a typical brine recipe calls for, you will want to try it out first.  Just my 2 cents.

 

[Megla]

When smoking your turkeys, do you put them on the grates, or in a pan to collect the drippings?

On the grates, tin pan below for drippings

 

[Megla]

I put the bird(s) directly on the grate to absorb as much smoke as possible and put a pan under to collect drippings but I also put water in the pan for moisture.  

I wanted to circle back to a few questions above MadCow.  With regards to brine, I'll tell you what man, I think you should brine and smoke a chicken before you experiment on Thanksgiving.  The first time I brined a bird, I followed the brine recipe to the letter, smoked the bird and I thought it was way, way too salty.  Everyone ate and only later on when I pressed about it did my wife and my brother say "it was a too salty" and my brother salts the crap out of everything.  Anyway,  I thought it was me but since they confirmed it, I use about half of the salt that a typical brine recipe calls for, you will want to try it out first.  Just my 2 cents.

Did you confuse table salt with Kosher salt in the brine recipe?  They are very different when it comes to the salt solution concentration

 

[Mad Cow]

I put the bird(s) directly on the grate to absorb as much smoke as possible and put a pan under to collect drippings but I also put water in the pan for moisture.  

I wanted to circle back to a few questions above MadCow.  With regards to brine, I'll tell you what man, I think you should brine and smoke a chicken before you experiment on Thanksgiving.  The first time I brined a bird, I followed the brine recipe to the letter, smoked the bird and I thought it was way, way too salty.  Everyone ate and only later on when I pressed about it did my wife and my brother say "it was a too salty" and my brother salts the crap out of everything.  Anyway,  I thought it was me but since they confirmed it, I use about half of the salt that a typical brine recipe calls for, you will want to try it out first.  Just my 2 cents.

I did brine and smoke a chicken last week, it was amazing.  I had smoked a turkey a few years ago as well, but had not brined.  Always looking to increase the knowledge.

 

[Sullie]

Did you confuse table salt with Kosher salt in the brine recipe?  They are very different when it comes to the salt solution concentration

Nope, I used Kosher salt, again, I followed the recipe to the letter, it was way too salty for my taste.

 

[JaxBill]

Nope, I used Kosher salt, again, I followed the recipe to the letter, it was way too salty for my taste.

Also, you need to make sure the turkey hasn't been "enhanced" with a saline solution already. 

 

[shuke]

While I'm on the subject of brines, another thing I don't do is heat it on the stovetop. If you use table salt and sugar, it'll dissolve well enough. Just one less step.

I put the chicken or turkey in a cooler, add the water, salt, sugar and maybe Mountain Dew or syrup if I have it, throw in the poultry, add ice and let it go. Easy. 

Just cold water and salt for me.  

Brining is not for seasoning.  That’s what rubs are for.  

 

[Joe Bryant]

Tangent note as it relates to seasoning before cooking.

When I first started, I did a lot of the techniques using complex rubs with a ton of different ingredients before the meat goes on the grill. Plus things like slathering in mustard or adding the rub and then wrapping in plastic wrap and refrigerating overnight. It occurred to me I never seemed to be able to see much difference in the finished product. I couldn't taste the paprika or chili powder or cayenne in the finished product. 

So I stopped and went back to my Texas roots and now just use salt and pepper for the big cuts of meat that require a long cook time. I'll then apply a rub after the meat is cooked. For ribs with a much shorter cook time, I'll add rub before cooking. 

It was funny in I thought I'd come up with something unique then I was at Mike Mill's BBQ school in Murphysboro at their 17th Street spot and that's exactly how they do it. Salt and pepper first and their Magic Dust after. 

One of those rare times when it's both easier and better. 

 

[Megla]

Tangent note as it relates to seasoning before cooking.

When I first started, I did a lot of the techniques using complex rubs with a ton of different ingredients before the meat goes on the grill. Plus things like slathering in mustard or adding the rub and then wrapping in plastic wrap and refrigerating overnight. It occurred to me I never seemed to be able to see much difference in the finished product. I couldn't taste the paprika or chili powder or cayenne in the finished product. 

So I stopped and went back to my Texas roots and now just use salt and pepper for the big cuts of meat that require a long cook time. I'll then apply a rub after the meat is cooked. For ribs with a much shorter cook time, I'll add rub before cooking. 

It was funny in I thought I'd come up with something unique then I was at Mike Mill's BBQ school in Murphysboro at their 17th Street spot and that's exactly how they do it. Salt and pepper first and their Magic Dust after. 

One of those rare times when it's both easier and better. 

I always have a large bowl of freshly ground peppercorns/gray sea salt and dried shallots combined as my seasoning.

 

[In The Zone]

I put the bird(s) directly on the grate to absorb as much smoke as possible and put a pan under to collect drippings but I also put water in the pan for moisture.  

I wanted to circle back to a few questions above MadCow.  With regards to brine, I'll tell you what man, I think you should brine and smoke a chicken before you experiment on Thanksgiving.  The first time I brined a bird, I followed the brine recipe to the letter, smoked the bird and I thought it was way, way too salty.  Everyone ate and only later on when I pressed about it did my wife and my brother say "it was a too salty" and my brother salts the crap out of everything.  Anyway,  I thought it was me but since they confirmed it, I use about half of the salt that a typical brine recipe calls for, you will want to try it out first.  Just my 2 cents.

This was me last year. I followed the dry brine instuctions and came out salty as well. Very moist and juicy but salty. I to will cut back on the salt this year. 

I can't decide what to do as far as seasoning before it goes on the smoker. Things I'm considering are Montreal Chicken, 21 spice (no salt) , Lemon Pepper, or some type of BBQ rub. Or I could just go simple with some kind of herb butter smeared all over. 

Thoughts?

 

[Brony]

This was me last year. I followed the dry brine instuctions and came out salty as well. Very moist and juicy but salty. I to will cut back on the salt this year. 

I can't decide what to do as far as seasoning before it goes on the smoker. Things I'm considering are Montreal Chicken, 21 spice (no salt) , Lemon Pepper, or some type of BBQ rub. Or I could just go simple with some kind of herb butter smeared all over. 

Thoughts?

In my experience, brining leading to salty taste is a function of time and the salt concentration.  Since salt concentration is a little more iffy to determine if you eyeball things like I do, managing the brine time is easier way to avoid over-salting.  I know for chicken 8 to 12 hours is good; over 24 hours is too much, but I need to revisit what I did for turkey last year. 

 

[Megla]

This was me last year. I followed the dry brine instuctions and came out salty as well. Very moist and juicy but salty. I to will cut back on the salt this year. 

I can't decide what to do as far as seasoning before it goes on the smoker. Things I'm considering are Montreal Chicken, 21 spice (no salt) , Lemon Pepper, or some type of BBQ rub. Or I could just go simple with some kind of herb butter smeared all over. 

Thoughts?

Consider what you want the bird to look like as well as taste.

If you want a lighter color bird go with a more citrus based rub, little sugar

If you want a darker, mahogany color then use a paprika based rub with some turbindo sugar.

I always put a herb butter on the meat under the skin and I always season with fresh salt/pepper

From my experience the rub you use will have a very low taste profile in the end

 

[Megla]

In my experience, brining leading to salty taste is a function of time and the salt concentration.  Since salt concentration is a little more iffy to determine if you eyeball things like I do, managing the brine time is easier way to avoid over-salting.  I know for chicken 8 to 12 hours is good; over 24 hours is too much, but I need to revisit what I did for turkey last year. 

And as mentioned early make sure the Turkey is not already in a brine solution package, many are packaged in a 8% solution so when brining use less salt for those

 

[Megla]

In my experience, brining leading to salty taste is a function of time and the salt concentration.  Since salt concentration is a little more iffy to determine if you eyeball things like I do, managing the brine time is easier way to avoid over-salting.  I know for chicken 8 to 12 hours is good; over 24 hours is too much, but I need to revisit what I did for turkey last year. 

14+ LB turkeys are best at right around 24 hours

 

[E-Z Glider]

I can't decide what to do as far as seasoning before it goes on the smoker.

Gazebo Room Greek Dressing rubbed into and underneath the skin. Even makes the gravy drippings better. 

 

[Mad Cow]

Have any of you gone longer and lower with the turkeys?  I am doing the math on it and have a 21 lb bird.  Got it this AM on the way to work and will be defrosting it in the refrigerator I have at my office.  Plan on eating around 1 to 1:30 Thursday.  Figuring around 15-20 min/lb, have to allow 7 hours, plus 45-60 minutes resting.  Then prep, and I do not want to get up so flipping early on Turkey Day.  Wondering about starting it low the night before, then going higher at the end?

 

[Megla]

Have any of you gone longer and lower with the turkeys?  I am doing the math on it and have a 21 lb bird.  Got it this AM on the way to work and will be defrosting it in the refrigerator I have at my office.  Plan on eating around 1 to 1:30 Thursday.  Figuring around 15-20 min/lb, have to allow 7 hours, plus 45-60 minutes resting.  Then prep, and I do not want to get up so flipping early on Turkey Day.  Wondering about starting it low the night before, then going higher at the end?

Doing that may cause your skin to be very chewy, if time is an issue just cook at a higher temp, 300-325, this will be fine since you brined and I can't imagine the bird taking longer than 5 hours at that temp.

Start fire at 7am

Bird on at 730am, pull at 1230pm, rest to 115pm, carve at 130pm

 

[Mad Cow]

Doing that may cause your skin to be very chewy, if time is an issue just cook at a higher temp, 300-325, this will be fine since you brined and I can't imagine the bird taking longer than 5 hours at that temp.

Start fire at 7am

Bird on at 730am, pull at 1230pm, rest to 115pm, carve at 130pm

Thank you, sir

 

[Sullie]

This was me last year. I followed the dry brine instuctions and came out salty as well. Very moist and juicy but salty. I to will cut back on the salt this year. 

I can't decide what to do as far as seasoning before it goes on the smoker. Things I'm considering are Montreal Chicken, 21 spice (no salt) , Lemon Pepper, or some type of BBQ rub. Or I could just go simple with some kind of herb butter smeared all over. 

Thoughts?

LYSANDERS has an outstanding line of rubs.  I used the chicken rub for both chicken and turkey but I use the Pork, Beef, etc.  I used to buy them at my local Marsh supermarket but Marsh went out of business, then Meijer carried them for a while so i bought them there but then they stopped carrying them.  Then, for whatever reason LYSANDER went out of business for a while but now they're back in business and available all over but I buy it off Amazon now.

 

[Joe Bryant]

In my experience, brining leading to salty taste is a function of time and the salt concentration.  Since salt concentration is a little more iffy to determine if you eyeball things like I do, managing the brine time is easier way to avoid over-salting.  I know for chicken 8 to 12 hours is good; over 24 hours is too much, but I need to revisit what I did for turkey last year. 

Absolutley. Higher salt concentration means less time in the brine. It's an interdependent equation there between amount of salt : amount of water : time in brine.

I personally don't like dealing with 24 hours for the brine so I'll use a higher salt concentration than someone going for 24 hours. But do what works for you.

 

[msommer]

Tangent note as it relates to seasoning before cooking.

When I first started, I did a lot of the techniques using complex rubs with a ton of different ingredients before the meat goes on the grill. Plus things like slathering in mustard or adding the rub and then wrapping in plastic wrap and refrigerating overnight. It occurred to me I never seemed to be able to see much difference in the finished product. I couldn't taste the paprika or chili powder or cayenne in the finished product. 

So I stopped and went back to my Texas roots and now just use salt and pepper for the big cuts of meat that require a long cook time. I'll then apply a rub after the meat is cooked. For ribs with a much shorter cook time, I'll add rub before cooking. 

It was funny in I thought I'd come up with something unique then I was at Mike Mill's BBQ school in Murphysboro at their 17th Street spot and that's exactly how they do it. Salt and pepper first and their Magic Dust after. 

One of those rare times when it's both easier and better. 

I learned grilling when I was in Brazil for 10 years. They use salt. Nothing else.

 

[cosjobs]

Agree.  That is a lot of work for nothing.

Same with the sugar. I tried with and without and there was no discernible difference

 

[cosjobs]

Nope, I used Kosher salt, again, I followed the recipe to the letter, it was way too salty for my taste.

Rinse and soak in clean water a couple times, the last time letting it sit for about 4 hours in the fridge

 

[cosjobs]

Last week I made a brine by boiling 2 gallons of water with 2 cups pickling spice for an hour. I then added 2c kosher salt, 1c sugar, 10 smashed garlic cloves and 4t Pink curing salt. Once chilled I added:

Two briskets,( separated the point from the flat)

One 4# NY Strip roast

half a dozen beef ribs.

One week later (today) I took it out of the brine and quadruple rinsed it and now it is sitting in a bowl of cold water for another six hours. 

I am going to dry completely and apply a heavy dry rub, mostly Paprika, black pepper and corriander

One piece will go in the smoker now for about 5-6 hours, very low heat, I want to add smoke flavor, not cook it. After that I will put it in a pan with half inch of water and a rack to keep the meat out of the water, cover with foil and cook in a 250 oven for 3-4 hours or until 200 degrees internal temp.

The other pieces with stay in the fridge with their rub a day or two. I want to see if it makes much/any difference.

I with cook one piece, then smoke. the other pieces I will smoke, then cook as described above, but will also experiment cooking the flat in sous vide.

i've read some smoke before, some after, so I'll use the trial and error to decide for myself.

I read some places do not smoke it all, but just add a lot of paprika for the smokey flavor.and or a little liquid smoke. I won't be trying that this round.

I really curious to see how the strip roast comes out. I've done briskets before with great success but the leanness is a concern on the strip.

Note- if you use prague powder/curing salt/ instacure - you are using nitrite/nitrites and you need to be really careful on how much you use. It is a carcinogen, but low doses have little more nitrates than celery (That nitrate free bacon you see for sale is cured with celery paste.)

 

[Sullie]

Rinse and soak in clean water a couple times, the last time letting it sit for about 4 hours in the fridge

Been there done that, still too salty.  Listen, I'm 50 years old, I've been smoking meat a long time, I know what I like and what I don't like.  I don't know why it's so hard to accept this but a lot of brine recipes call for too much salt and the meat tastes too salty to some of us.  It's not a big deal to me to just cut the salt in half, maybe it's a preference thing?

 

[cosjobs]

Been there done that, still too salty.  Listen, I'm 50 years old, I've been smoking meat a long time, I know what I like and what I don't like.  I don't know why it's so hard to accept this but a lot of brine recipes call for too much salt and the meat tastes too salty to some of us.  It's not a big deal to me to just cut the salt in half, maybe it's a preference thing?

seems mean.

 

[Sullie]

seems mean.

No, no, not my intent at all. The first few times I brined I thought "man the meat is super tender but it's so damned salty, I'll have to find another method to make the meat tender."  Then I started researching and I found other people had the same issue and they all said the same thing, reduce the amount of salt you use to brine with before you give up on it.

 

[Megla]

Been there done that, still too salty.  Listen, I'm 50 years old, I've been smoking meat a long time, I know what I like and what I don't like.  I don't know why it's so hard to accept this but a lot of brine recipes call for too much salt and the meat tastes too salty to some of us.  It's not a big deal to me to just cut the salt in half, maybe it's a preference thing?

You do realize we are just trying to help right?

 

[Sullie]

You do realize we are just trying to help right?

Yup, me too my friend, me too.

 

[TheFanatic]

Tangent note as it relates to seasoning before cooking.

When I first started, I did a lot of the techniques using complex rubs with a ton of different ingredients before the meat goes on the grill. Plus things like slathering in mustard or adding the rub and then wrapping in plastic wrap and refrigerating overnight. It occurred to me I never seemed to be able to see much difference in the finished product. I couldn't taste the paprika or chili powder or cayenne in the finished product. 

So I stopped and went back to my Texas roots and now just use salt and pepper for the big cuts of meat that require a long cook time. I'll then apply a rub after the meat is cooked. For ribs with a much shorter cook time, I'll add rub before cooking. 

It was funny in I thought I'd come up with something unique then I was at Mike Mill's BBQ school in Murphysboro at their 17th Street spot and that's exactly how they do it. Salt and pepper first and their Magic Dust after. 

One of those rare times when it's both easier and better. 

That's my neck of the woods! I don't live all that far from the the Mills. Maybe an hour and a half.

Moe Cason does something similar. He does the rub on the meat before it goes on, but at the end, he sifts his rub through a sieve so only the small stuff makes it through, and dusts everything again. I think I'm going to try something similar this year with my bird. I'm going to shove butter under the skin of the breasts, then hit with salt and pepper and dust with rub late in the process. Maybe at like 140 so it has a chance to adhere to the meat. 

 

[Joe Bryant]

No, no, not my intent at all. The first few times I brined I thought "man the meat is super tender but it's so damned salty, I'll have to find another method to make the meat tender."  Then I started researching and I found other people had the same issue and they all said the same thing, reduce the amount of salt you use to brine with before you give up on it.

For sure. Keep it like a science experiment in try one thing, see what you think and adjust accordingly. Helps if you can keep the other things as constant as possible so you can dial it in. Good luck. 

 

[Sullie]

First off, my apologies for coming across as a d*ck, not my intent at all.  There's a lot of great advice on here and I enjoy the thread quite a bit and I feel bad for coming across the way I have, that's 100% my fault.  

So with that out of the way, my whole point was, I read above where MadCow had mentioned his brine was too salty and I wanted to chime in with my experience.  Anyway, there's a lot of different brine recipes out there so when someone (like me) comes along and says "reduce your salt" - I understand why people would balk - because so many recipes are different, I wanted to address the recipe I used specifically. 

So here's the brine recipe I first used, my experience with it and what I've done to modify it over the years:

Ingredients

1 gallon vegetable broth

1 cup sea salt

1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary

1 tablespoon dried sage

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon dried savory

1 gallon ice water

Add all ingredients to list

Directions

Prep

5 m

Cook

15 m

Ready In

8 h 20 m

In a large stock pot, combine the vegetable broth, sea salt, rosemary, sage, thyme, and savory. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to be sure salt is dissolved. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.

When the broth mixture is cool, pour it into a clean 5 gallon bucket. Stir in the ice water.

Wash and dry your turkey. Make sure you have removed the innards. Place the turkey, breast down, into the brine. Make sure that the cavity gets filled. Place the bucket in the refrigerator overnight.

Remove the turkey carefully draining off the excess brine and pat dry. Discard excess brine.

Cook the turkey as desired reserving the drippings for gravy. Keep in mind that brined turkeys cook 20 to 30 minutes faster so watch the temperature gauge.

I felt like this specific recipe was way too salty for my taste and the first time I used it, I used it on a decent sized turkey.  I'm pretty sure I rubbed salt on the turkey before I threw it in the brine, I hate dry turkey so I'm sure I over did it with the salt.  Next, I tried the exact recipe again but with two large chickens but this time I only brined for 4-5 hours, again and I did not rub down the chickens with salt before brining, again, for me I felt like it was too salty so I tried with kosher salt in the brine the third time on a turkey breast and I think I only brined for like 4 hours that time, again, too salty and after that time I stopped doing brine for a long time.  I'm going from memory but I know I tried the exact same recipe with variations on time.  

I kept using this brine because it got fantastic reviews so, I kept thinking I was doing something wrong so my point was just that I wanted people to realize if that maybe if you just reduce the salt you'll enjoy the brine better, that's all I was getting at.

Here's what I do now and I put modifications in bold :

Ingredients

1/2 gallon vegetable broth

1/2 - 1 gallon of apple juice

1/2 cup sea salt

1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary

1 tablespoon dried sage

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon dried savory

1 gallon ice water

1 - 2 large lemons cut up into wedges

1-2 large oranges cup up into wedges

1-2 large tart apples cut up into wedges

Add all ingredients to list

Directions

Prep

5 m

Cook

15 m

Ready In

8 h 20 m

In a large stock pot, combine the vegetable broth, sea salt, rosemary, sage, thyme, and savory. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to be sure salt is dissolved. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.

When the broth mixture is cool, pour it into a clean 5 gallon bucket along with apple juice and fruit. Stir in the ice water.

Wash and dry your turkey. Make sure you have removed the innards. Place the turkey, breast down, into the brine. Make sure that the cavity gets filled. Place the bucket in the refrigerator overnight.

Remove the turkey carefully draining off the excess brine, rinse thoroughly and pat dry. Discard excess brine.

Inject bird(s) with apple juice with injector syringe (I use the Ofargo Plastic Marinade Injector Syringe from amazon for $8.99 b/c I only use 1-2 times per year.)

Stuff the turkey/chickens with 1-2 tart apples cut into wedges

Smoke the bird(s) in a smoker for the desired time/temperature, I've tried various woods for smoking, I end up liking apple wood flavor the best.

 

[That one guy]

Two questions:

1) how long do prepackaged/frozen racks of ribs keep in freezer?  

2) my new gateway drum smoker is scheduled to arrive mid December, I’m super excite!  With my new upgrade, a bucket list item I didn’t know was a bucket list item until discovering the joys of smoking meats needs to be crossed off the list:  entering a bbq competition.  As a beginner, I only want to not embarrass myself in the ribs and chicken categories, not even gonna consider brisket or pork (this one mainly because I’ve been watching an amazon prime series that follows the Alabama bbq circuit and there’s something called the money muscle and I have no idea what that even is).

Anyway, you guys have any competition rib or chicken recipes/tips/suggestions/stories ya wanna share?  There’s a local q contest coming up in February, might make my debut there