I do a buttermilk brined chicken wings, and have posted the recipe technique here somewhere, not sure where to find it since the software change.For me, good southern-style fried chicken starts with a 2-3 hour soak in buttermilk. I was wondering if it also did well as a pre-smoke brine, and if anyone had any good combos to use with it. Thanks!
My buddie used this recipe last winter on some chicken we did and it was really good.
thanks Dutch,
I never really noticed a tang to the meat when fried after marinating in buttermilk, but this is probably just subjective. For me, it just makes it juicy and tender, probably due in part to the acidity of the buttermilk. I'm thinking I might do some bone-in thighs and breasts, or spatchcock a whole bird, having soaked for about 3 or 4 hours.For chicken, I use a buttermilk marinade, but not as a brine. I don't care for the texture change that a brine produces, but I like that buttermilk tang. And yes, I do smoke the chickens instead of deep frying them.
I'm not 100% sure on this, but I think buttermilk has a higher amount of lactic acid. Regardless, I'm right with you on that combination. Soak a cut up fryer in it, bread it with simple flour, salt, and pepper, and fry it in a cast-iron skillet... ah, making me homesick. ;)As for marinade, does buttermilk have the acid content to consider it a marinade. Dang, I need a beer or I am going to get a terminology headache.