Pellet Fan
All Things Considered => General Discussion--Food Related => Topic started by: jdmessner on May 15, 2021, 12:17:08 PM
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I am trying to figure out what to do for a picnic next week. I thought it would be fun to try various meats on a stick. I did a test run with chicken breast strips. I marinated them in Italian dressing and put them on the grill at 250* until they hit an IT of 165*. They were very dry and chewy. Should I try grilling them at a higher temp?
I am going to experiment with some beef in the next day or two. I am starting with thin slices of top round. If that doesn't work, at least I will end up with some good jerky! Any other ideas are welcome.
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When I shish kabob chicken breast I don't brine it, I chunk it and marinate it and grill it hot and fast. It doesn't have time to dry out.
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When I shish kabob chicken breast I don't brine it, I chunk it and marinate it and grill it hot and fast. It doesn't have time to dry out.
+1
Faster is better for small pieces.
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How long did you marinate in the dressing? Marinades with acid (vinegar, lemon juice, etc) basically cook the chicken while marinating pretty much like ceviche. Your chicken may have already been nearly "done" before you even cooked it.
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How long did you marinate in the dressing? Marinades with acid (vinegar, lemon juice, etc) basically cook the chicken while marinating pretty much like ceviche. Your chicken may have already been nearly "done" before you even cooked it.
It was only marinated for an hour or so, I don't think it made much of a difference, but that is a good idea to keep in mind for future reference. I do think I just cooked it at a temp that was to low for too long. I will try again at some point.
The picnic is this Sunday and the menu has changed several times. After scrapping the kabobs I thought about hot dogs and brats. The only problem was then you have to mess with condiments and I can't do brats without green peppers and onions. Then I got the bright idea of to do pulled pork and brisket, it was a big hit last fall. I was shocked at how much prices had gone up since the last time I looked. On a whim I stopped into Aldi's. I almost never shop there. They had chicken quarters (legs and thighs) for 55 cents a pound. No condiments and no buns required. That sounded like a good deal to me.
So it looks like Sunday chicken dinner with baked beans, potato chips, apple or banana, and a cookie or brownie.
Now the question is whether or not to brine. Ideas encouraged!
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Are you going to Smoke, BBQ or Grill the chicken?
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Are you going to Smoke, BBQ or Grill the chicken?
I guess I tend to use those terms interchangeably! I plan to cook them in the pellet grill.
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When I shish kabob chicken breast I don't brine it, I chunk it and marinate it and grill it hot and fast. It doesn't have time to dry out.
This is good advice for virtually any small cut of meat. You probably sacrifice some smoke flavor this way but I prefer moisture over smoke flavor, dry meat sucks. ::)
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Are you going to cook it at a Temperature around 200° (Smoke) around 300° (BBQ) or 400°+ (Grill)?
Are you going to Smoke, BBQ or Grill the chicken?
I guess I tend to use those terms interchangeably! I plan to cook them in the pellet grill.
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Ok, now I see where you are coming from. I have been a little slow catching on to things since staying up past my bedtime to watch the Tigers on the west coast. It was worth it the other night when they no hit Seattle. However, this year it seems like someone is throwing a no hitter just about every other day! This was the second time in two weeks it happened to Seattle. Still it is fun to watch.
I am planning on using the vintage Trager with only smoke, medium, and high options. I was thinking about cooking the birds on medium, which is usually in the 250*-325* range, depending on the pellets used and the weather. However I could easily be persuaded otherwise.
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I would say they should be brined then!
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Are you going to cook it at a Temperature around 200° (Smoke) around 300° (BBQ) or 400°+ (Grill)?
I typically start virtually all cooks at 150-160° to obtain maximum smoke, then after some period of time, raise the pit to 225-250° to achieve desired IT. This works fine for large items but seems to falls short for smaller ones (i.e., less moist). If I need higher temperatures than that, I use either the BGE or the gasser.
As an example, a few weeks ago I sous vide four pork tenderloins at 140° and froze. They were small, about a pound apiece, 1 1/2-2" in diameter and 12-15" long. I thawed one and smoked at 150° for several hours, raised the pit to 225° and continued until IT had returned to 140°. The resulting product was very good but not near as moist as I am accustom to. I'm going to do another one soon but start cook at 250° or higher, will post results.
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As an example, a few weeks ago I sous vide four pork tenderloins at 140° and froze. They were small, about a pound apiece, 1 1/2-2" in diameter and 12-15" long. I thawed one and smoked at 150° for several hours, raised the pit to 225° and continued until IT had returned to 140°. The resulting product was very good but not near as moist as I am accustom to. I'm going to do another one soon but start cook at 250° or higher, will post results.
I sometimes brine pork tenderloins or chops. It helps keep them moist during longer cooks. IDK if it would be better to brine them before or after the SV, freeze and thaw. I'd try after first, because some people have said that internal ice damages meat tissue.
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I do plan to brine. In the past I have brined whole chickens and turkeys, but not smaller pieces of meat. How long should I go? Most of the stuff I have read says 4-6 hours, but I am thinking I may not need that much time.
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I like a longer brine. 6% I go 12 hours, 3% I go 24. 1 gal water, 1 cup salt, 1 cup sugar is 6% solution. Well, it is a 6% sodium solution without the sugar, I just like that simple brine.
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I do plan to brine. In the past I have brined whole chickens and turkeys, but not smaller pieces of meat. How long should I go? Most of the stuff I have read says 4-6 hours, but I am thinking I may not need that much time.
Yeah, great question. I've never brined cubed meat.
It seems to me that the larger the piece of meat, the longer the required brine. So—It doesn't seem like small shish kabob pieces will need a very long brine.
This page (https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/recipes/this-chart-shows-you-exactly-how-long-to-brine-any-meat/ar-BB1al5KM?pfr=1) says 30 minutes for boneless chicken pieces.
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When you say smaller, you mean quarters or cut up raw meat? The quarters or even individual pieces I would treat just like a whole bird. If you are gonna cut the pieces up before brining, no idea, never brined cubed meat.
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This is based on my own initial thoughts, no expertise involved, so take it for what it's worth.
I would think that cut up pieces would deteriorate in a brine if left for any real length of time.
I could be way off base but that is what my initial thought would be.
Could you brine the whole piece and then cut up? I would think that this would produce a better end result.
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I am going with leg and thigh chicken quarters. Even though the original plan was for chunks or strips, I gave up on that plan! I am trying to keep it simple.
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When you say smaller, you mean quarters or cut up raw meat? The quarters or even individual pieces I would treat just like a whole bird. If you are gonna cut the pieces up before brining, no idea, never brined cubed meat.
I was addressing cubed meat. But, as I wrote, "I've never brined cubed meat."
Like you, I brine disjointed chicken pieces in the same way as I brine the whole bird.
I'd be inclined to brine shish kabob pieces (cubed) for ½ hour.
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I would think that cut up pieces would deteriorate in a brine if left for any real length of time.
There's nothing in a cold brine that would cause fowl to deteriorate. Brines are salt water (preservative) plus whatever other flavors the cook is trying to infuse.
Marinating for an extended period may cause food to soften because marinades often contain a mild acid.
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I have marinated cubed boneless, skinless chicken breasts in Lawry's Caribbean Jerk marinade over night and then smoked at 250° for an hour or so and it was some of the most flavorful chicken that I ever made. Better than doing the same thing with whole cut.
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I have marinated cubed boneless, skinless chicken breasts in Lawry's Caribbean Jerk marinade over night and then smoked at 250° for an hour or so and it was some of the most flavorful chicken that I ever made. Better than doing the same thing with whole cut.
:)
That marinade has vinegar, lime juice and papaya juice. They're all tenderizers. It seems that overnight would be too long, but it's obviously not for your taste.
Lawry lists it as a 15-minute marinade.
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The picnic was last Sunday and overall it was a success, but not without it's trials and tribulations! Brining the chicken was the saving grace, it was moist and juicy, people commented on how tender it was.
I had 80 pounds of chicken quarters. The goal was to keep it simple by cooking them at home early Sunday morning and keeping them warm in cambros until it was time to serve. I pulled out the Trager and the Louisiana around 3:30 a.m.
Since it was brined, I did not put a dry rub on it like I normally would, because I did not want the extra salt. I figured I would just mop some BBQ sauce on it toward the end of the cook and call it good. Both grills had issues with flameouts, something I haven't really had to deal with unless the grill was out of pellets (not the case that day). I was able to get them going again OK, but it was two extra steps and extra time I did not anticipate dealing with. I had a tight schedule as it was. When it was time to mop, I could not find the jug of BBQ sauce. It disappeared, still have not found it. I did not have the time, patience, or energy to get more. I thought about using melted butter, but I had too many other irons in the fire and thinking about it was as far as it got.
I love using the cambros. The chicken was piping hot after pulling it at 8 am and serving it at noon. The skin was not crispy, but it had a nice color on it. At this point I think people have pandemic fatigue (no matter what their thoughts are one way or the other) and are just glad to be able to eat together in a group without worrying about masks! I am not sure it would have mattered what was served. The chicken was kind of bland, but it had a little smoke flavor and was hot and moist.
All together I think we served between 60-70 folks. I had baked beans, applesauce, and chips on the side. People brought a ton of different desserts.
My wife had my phone, so there are no pictures. All in all, a good day!
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The picnic was last Sunday and overall it was a success, but not without it's trials and tribulations! Brining the chicken was the saving grace, it was moist and juicy, people commented on how tender it was.
All in all, a good day!
Yay!
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Glad to hear of the success with a couple of bumps.
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Sounds to me like it was a success, but maybe you could use a sous chef for future cooks to help with those last minute things!
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Another job well done.