Reply to "How many chix breasts"

This is a follow up post I started weeks ago. My original interest in brining these chicken breasts was for a 2 day wine tasting tour. I actually prepared 6 different types of chix breasts and sent them home with the winery owner to see which taste best paired with the wine they were showcasing. I also sent home 8 types of beef, but will detail that in a separate post. The chicken breast they liked best was non brined, Head Country rub, apple wood smoked, no sauce. So I headed out there last Friday with 120 lbs of chicken and 140 lbs of beef eye round, 2 CS smokers (008 & 050) and 1 large charcoal grill. Sat morning I cranked up the 050 with 36 chix breasts in it while I was cooking beef over charcoal. It only takes 45 min in my 050 at 250* to bring the chix up to 160*. When I opened the door I found one hellova mess. Icecicles of white Chix fat had covered the bottom 4 racks of breasts and I was to start serving in 10 min. I grabbed 1 of the lower chix in the tongs and removed it from the smoker. Most of that white fat fell off but it was still ugly looking. Then I had an idea... lets throw this one on the grill... just maybe a min per side and see what happens. I did and all the white spots disappeared and I had very nice looking grill marks on both sides. I cubed this one up and tasted it. It was delicious. Moist. I could taste the apple wood it was in my opinion perfect. So I went ahead then threw 12 chix on the grill and just got the lid shut when the owner comes by. He said... hows it going? And I answered great.. here try this and held out the sample breast I just cubed. He tasted it and rolled his eyes and said that is better than what he tasted 2 weeks ago. Then I opened the grill and flipped over the 12 breasts and his eyes popped open. What happened he said.. so I opened the 050 and showed him the mess in the smoker. Then I explained what happened and what I was going to do. I ended up cooking 12 breasts at a time in my 008 while using the 050 to hold 4 foil trays of meat (2 each beef and chix). As soon as the chix in the 008 was done I would blast the fat off with the charcoal grill and seal in a foil pan and put in the 050. I used the approx heat setting of 140* on the 050 thermostat and checked that with a temp probe in the smoke hole. This is the best part. Cause I pulled the chix at 160* internal AND they were already brined (the bag said solution added) these smoked breasts would keep for 5-6 HOURS sealed in the foil pan and in the moist cooking CS 050. What a perfect holding oven it made. When we needed more I would take 1 foil pan out and cube up 8-10 breasts and reseal the pan and back in the 050 it went. All day long I got comments on how moist and tasty the chicken was. I bet I had 20-25 requests for my recipe. The 2 day event went without any further hitches.

bob