thoughts on my 1st mesquite chicken breasts smoke

[mythmaster]

Sorry, no Q-view -- camera was full, and I didn't feel like messing with it.

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.

Cheers!
-Bret

 

[fourthwind]

Spraying with a vinager base spritz will also help with the browning..

That being said..


This smoke never happened without pics

 

[mythmaster]

haha! I knew I was gonna get razzed

Thanks, though. I'll look into that.

 

[mballi3011]

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????

 

[meateater]

Your supposed to have a dedicated SMF camera!

They do sound good!

 

[mythmaster]

I'm actually going to buy a camera just for SMF tomorrow, and I'll snap a shot of them (6 leftovers).

 

[mythmaster]

OK, here's some crappy Q-view.

The chicken from the fridge:

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

The sammie was still tender, juicy, and tasty!

 

[meateater]

Now doesnt that make you feel better?

 

[fourthwind]

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??

 

[caveman]

Ahhhhh!!! There are the pics. I was wondering about that.......I think poultry is the only thing that does not brown up during a smoke unless you're smoking at high temps. Good job.