Cooked some chicken yesterday in the CS that was as perfect as I've cooked. And I've cooked a lot of chicken.
Try this. My thanks to the BBQ FAQ for a brine recipe from Big Wheel, which I'll repeat here. Instructions follow the brine.
I took about 5 packages of the "cut up" whole chickens, a couple of packages of frozen skinless chicken breast, thawed them and put them in the following brine:
BigWheel's Prize Winning Brine!
- 1 gallon water
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or molasses
- 2 T. black pepper
- 1 T. mustard seeds
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup chopped garlic (from the jar) (or
- 2 Tablespoons granulated garlic)
- 1 T. Tarragon
- 1 T. Oregeno
Notes:
12 hrs. is about right on time ... a few hours either way wont hurt a thing.
Make sure the brine is "cold" before you place the birds in it or they will absorb too much salt.
Make sure you use glass, ceramics, plastic or stainless steel for brining cause it is highly reactive.
I let my chicken brine for about 24 hours. Kept them in the cold refrigerator. Took them out the next day, rinsed them off and used a poultry rub on them (use your rub of choice here).
Before applying rub: Here's a secret that some competition cooks swear by, and I now agree. Cover the chicken with a light coating of Mayonnaise. Yup, you got it, Mayo. Then sprinkle on your rub. Now Smokin' Junior hates mayo as much as Smokin' Senior, but you will not taste it in the final product..really.
Put the chicken in the CS and cooked the Breast to 160 and the dark to 180. Don't overcook
The chicken will look REALLY moist when finished. I popped them on the grill about 3 min each side to crisp up the outside and seal in the moisture.
Awesome!
If you haven't had success with chicken in a CS, try this and let me know if it works for you.
Then use the above suggestion, move it to a thigh.
