LarryR Posted May 30, 2012 Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 I know I said I'd do steaks next but the SO pulled out two birds that were in the freezer so I brined them, spatchcocked and threw on Hestia. Turned out awesome!! I think I'm getting a little better at the videos although audio still seems to drop a bit from clip to clip, not sure what's causing that but I'll look into it. I changed how I"m filming from portrait to landscape. I really prefer portrait as you see the entire cooker but landscape fills out the "widescreen" better so I think I've switched to that format. Video is in 720p. Enjoy! SPATCHCOCKED BIRDS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syzygies Posted May 30, 2012 Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 Re: Brined and Spatchcocked Chicken VIDEO I was surprised to see the brine just cover the chickens. I nearly fill the bucket with the chickens in, then take out the chickens to see the volume of water, and mix the brine. This way, the water in the birds is inconsequential compared to the brine water, and I can just mix the brine the same way each time, without worrying about the dilution effect from the water in the birds. (If our tap is running warm, I take out more water after noting the volume, and add back in ice after mixing the brine. Add ice till the water level returns to the reference volume; this water level won't move as the ice melts. Or use kilos = liters.) In Paul Bertolli's "Cooking by Hand" he would have us estimate the water in the meat, add it to the brine water, and compute how much salt to add using this total. Essential for more monumental pieces of meat, where having the brine water dominate the meat water isn't an option. You're either making this computation, or intuitively compensating each time. One is more consistent, either actually making the computation or using lots of water. I'm reminded of a recent story about the baseball player Barry Bonds. Steroids aside, a dominant home run hitter in his prime. He was coaching a hitter whose head moved a foot while batting. The hitter got the movement down to six inches. No, no, no! Barry asked him to watch Barry's eyes through a slit, while Barry took a bat. Bonds' eyes didn't move at all. He was great at seeing pitches. I can see how not moving one's head reduces cognitive load here. I like the salinity after brining to be exactly what I was aiming for, not merely close enough. Even if one makes the computation, more water in the bucket means less variation in salinity on the way to equilibrium. This in turn makes timing less of an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryR Posted May 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2012 Re: Brined and Spatchcocked Chicken VIDEO I think I follow what you’re saying, just haven’t taken brining to quite that level, the method I follow is pretty simple and straight forward, and works like a charm each and every time. When I brine I start by filling the bucket with 1 gallon of water. Add ½ cup table salt or equivalent of other salt variety and any flavor I’m using. Give it a good stir to dissolve then place my meat in the brining solution. If I need to add more water, I’ll measure needed amount by using the quart measuring marks on my bucket, mix how much additional brine needed in another container with the appropriate amount of salt and flavor and dump it in. In most cases like this cook, pork tenderloin or handful of chops a gallon of brine usually works. A turkey usually will take about 1.5 gallons of brine. I’ve done the ice method a couple of times, however, if I have time I prefer to put water in my bucket and put the bucket in my beer fridge overnight. There’s some good basic information about brining at the following link, including references to several articles (none of which I’ve read). ALL ABOUT BRINING Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scouterpf Posted June 7, 2012 Report Share Posted June 7, 2012 Re: Brined and Spatchcocked Chicken VIDEO We enjoy the Cornell Formula for brining. I bag the bird(s) for about 24 hrs. in the brine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EGGARY Posted June 8, 2012 Report Share Posted June 8, 2012 Re: Brined and Spatchcocked Chicken VIDEO Please:What is the Cornell Formula for Brining ? Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scouterpf Posted June 9, 2012 Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 Re: Brined and Spatchcocked Chicken VIDEO this was developed at corneii university in new york, usa 1C cooking oil 2C cider viniger 3T salt 1t poultry seasoning 1/2 t ground pepper 1 egg I blend all together in a blender then pour over the chicken in plastic bags, keep in the 'fridge over night, saving some to baste while the chicken is cooking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
