Two Chickens this weekend

[psycho dad]

I'm doing 2 chickens for my mom's birthday sunday.

I'm going to brine one and inject one, keeping every other step identical to see which one I like best.

 I've never injected a bird before, what do you guys recommend?

 

[stank56]

I usually use creole butter but have also injected a mix of butter, salt, and lemon juice for my wife.

 

[psycho dad]

Okay, just looked up recipe for creole butter, I gotta try that.

thanks!

stay tuned for q view!

 

[foamheart]

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• foamheart
• Jan 24, 2014

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• foamheart
• Jan 24, 2014

Basic Brined Chicken

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/152772/basic-brined-smoked-chicken

Sorry I thought I had an injected Chicken, but will an injected turkey suffice this time?

Basic Injected Turkey

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/147498/smoked-turkey-a-bds-tribute

I recommend you wash and dry chicken, leave overnight in the reefer to dry and develop the yellow pellicle (or however its spelled), this increases the probably of getting crisp skin after rubbing with oil before smoking.

Foam's Basic Injection

1/2 stick of butter melted

1 cap of onion juice

2 caps of garlic juice

4 caps of Lea & Perins

Tabasco to taste

That's the basics, feel free to go wild and improvise with what ever is in your spice rack. If you want to add herbs of any type, you need to steep the herbs like tea to get the flavor profile first and use that liquid. Passing leaves and stems and things thru a needle filled with warm butter into a cold chicken can be tuff enough without clumps.......

Lots of small injections help prevent pooling which is not pretty with the injection fluid. Remember that injecting nor brining will really increase the juiciness of a properly cooked chicken. Basically they are for adding flavor profiles, not moisture.

Nekkid Chicken

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/156212/nekkid-chicken-foamheart

Good luck, hope some or any of these helps.

Remember...... enjoy the smoke!

 

[psycho dad]

thanks for the tips Foamheart.

Starting my brine now. salt, sugar, allspice & a couple of bay leaves.

 

[psycho dad]

Chickens into the smoker at 2:00.

IMG_20140126_135528_459.jpg

• psycho dad
• Jan 26, 2014

Left one is brined, right injected. Both dusted with rub. Smoker set at 275 (High as she'll go).

I'll be using cherry, maybe some apple.

 

[psycho dad]

5:00

IMG_20140126_165450_871.jpg

• psycho dad
• Jan 26, 2014

dinner time

 

[foamheart]

 
Chickens into the smoker at 2:00.

IMG_20140126_135528_459.jpg

• psycho dad
• Jan 26, 2014

Left one is brined, right injected. Both dusted with rub. Smoker set at 275 (High as she'll go).

I'll be using cherry, maybe some apple.

They look like two drunk buddies at Mardi Gras!

 

[foamheart]

 
5:00

IMG_20140126_165450_871.jpg

• psycho dad
• Jan 26, 2014

dinner time

Nice Color on the chickens.....

 

[stank56]

Looks like some good eatin' to me!

 

[psycho dad]

 
They look like two drunk buddies at Mardi Gras!

 Too funny Foam.

The results are in!

 Almost everyone preferred the brined chicken over the injected.

Although both were really good, I may have been a little heavy handed with the creole butter.

 I guess I didn't really prove one is better than the other, just need to work on the execution. I injected the butter cold, it kept clogging the injector.

The results were several orange patches in the meat, and the beer taste was a little strong.

 I'm going to inject some buffalo wings for the game next week. I'll be sure to heat the butter and inject just before they go in the smoker.

Thanks for looking!