| Have you ever gone to a barbecue event and your | | | | juicy (moisture retention). If you have included spices in |
| mouth was ready for smoked barbecue chicken and | | | | the brine solution then this will add flavor to the meat. |
| the chicken was dry, underdone, or just plain burnt? | | | | In fact, a brine works so well for barbecue chicken you |
| Chicken does not have to be that difficult. Barbecue | | | | have to really wonder why the tech eight is not more |
| chicken can be succulent, sweet and full of smoked | | | | widely known. |
| barbecue flavor. There is a secret to good chicken | | | | These are the steps or great barbecued chicken: |
| and it is based on a very common ingredient. Most | | | | |
| people just don't know about it. The secret ingredient is | | | | 1. Make sure the chicken is clean. Wash thoroughly |
| salt. The salt combined with water makes a brine. So | | | | under running water. Wash all of the chicken parts |
| the secret is out, to have great barbecue chicken | | | | especially legs and thighs. |
| need to use a brine. | | | | 2. Rub the chicken pieces down with mayonnaise, |
| Another word commonly used for brine is a marinade. | | | | mustard or olive oil. Sprinkle on your favorite dry |
| Before we come to use you must distinguish between | | | | chicken rub. |
| a marinade and a brine. We generally consider a brine | | | | 3. Prep your smoker to about 250 to 275°. |
| a solution of salt, water, and sugar. A marinade can be | | | | 4. Make sure that you add water soaked wood chips |
| any other type of liquid. Four barbecue chicken a brine | | | | just before putting the chicken on. |
| is best. | | | | 5. Cook the chicken in the smoker for not more than 1 |
| A marinade will enhance the flavor of the meat and | | | | 1/2 hours. |
| keep it from drying out. A great marinade is Italian | | | | 6. Check the chicken's temperature with a meat |
| salad dressing. It makes a super chicken marinade. | | | | thermometer. You want an internal temperature of |
| When you do use salad dressing for marinade just | | | | about 160 degrees. When checking avoid touching |
| make sure that you marinate it for at least eight hours. | | | | bone. |
| A brine is simply a solution of salt, water, and flavoring | | | | 7. When the chicken approaches 150 degrees take the |
| ingredients. Those ingredients can be almost anything. | | | | chicken out of the smoker and wrap in foil. Return the |
| It's just up to the cook's imagination. One of the best | | | | chicken to the smoker for about 40 minutes. Keep |
| brines for chicken is a solution of salt, water, and sugar. | | | | checking the temperature. This time can vary |
| The brine solution actually helps to increase the | | | | depending on the internal chicken temperature. |
| moisture level in the meat. Brining involves a process | | | | 8. Remove the chicken from the smoker and sauce |
| of osmosis and diffusion of a concentrated solution. | | | | with your favorite barbecue sauce. Wrap the chicken |
| The solution has a natural tendency to go from a | | | | up again and place back on the smoker for an |
| higher concentration to a lower concentration moving | | | | additional 5 to 8 minutes. |
| the water molecules into the cells of the chicken flesh. | | | | 9. Take the chicken out of the smoker and let it rest |
| What happens is that the volume of water in the cells | | | | for 15 minutes. |
| actually increases. During the cooking process much of | | | | 10. You are now ready to serve. |
| the water is retained in the cells, this makes the meat | | | | |