thoughts on my 1st mesquite chicken breasts smoke

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mythmaster

Master of the Pit
Original poster
SMF Premier Member
Mar 24, 2010
1,256
34
Guthrie, OK
Sorry, no Q-view -- camera was full, and I didn't feel like messing with it.
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I picked up 8 boneless, skinless, minimally processed chicken breasts to go in the smoker with some mesquite and brined them for one hour in the following:

1 gallon water
3/4 cup kosher salt
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon each of dried tarragon, thyme, black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

I then rinsed them thoroughly; added a little salt, pepper, and garlic powder; wrapped half of them in bacon; put them in the MES at 270*; and pulled them when they reached 165* (around an hour).

Cons:

* They only started to brown around the edges.
* The bacon was thick sliced (I didn't realize this before-hand) and started to brown but certainly didn't crisp.

Pros:

* Not at all dry -- very moist!!
* THE TASTE!!!!! OH, MAN! All kinds of awesome! Just exactly enough flavor from the brine and the mesquite.

Thoughts:

* Rubbing them with olive oil before adding salt, etc. might help with browning.
* I think that this dish would greatly benefit from a reverse sear on the grill -- maybe pull them at 150-155 and let them brown on the grill.
* I'll definitely use regular sliced bacon next time (although thick sliced might be OK with a reverse sear).


Hopefully the results from this experience will be able to help someone else.
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Cheers!
-Bret
 
Spraying with a vinager base spritz will also help with the browning..

That being said..


This smoke never happened without pics
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haha! I knew I was gonna get razzed
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Thanks, though. I'll look into that.
 
Believe it or not they will tate better if we can see them too. Right now they just sound good. But next time you will what????
 
I'm actually going to buy a camera just for SMF tomorrow, and I'll snap a shot of them (6 leftovers).
 
OK, here's some crappy Q-view.

The chicken from the fridge:

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and the bacon-wrapped piece after heating it up in the toaster oven under the broiler:

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The sammie was still tender, juicy, and tasty!
 
Looks good.. Being boneless I am thinking that you might not need to wrap in bacon during cooking since it's been brined and a short cook time. Maybe smoke the bacon seperately then wrap for the meal?? Half cook the bacon first??
 
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