Buttermilk brine for chicken - avoid burning?


 
A

A. Vale

TVWBB Fan
I love brining chicken in buttermilk but it burns so easily on the grill. Has anyone put chicken brined in buttermilk on the smoker to cook and the finish it off on the grill for a crispy but not burned skin? If so, temps and time? I have two fryer chickens cut up and brining now...
 
You could do that but you could do the same thing on the "grill" as well. Indirect and then "direct" over the heat to crisp.
Love buttermilk brines!
 
Tell me more about brineing/marinating in butter milk, like what does this process consist of ,what s the difference between butter milk and a regular brine and the flavor and anything else you can add.
 
The buttermilk tenderizes the chicken. I add shallows, garlic, pepper and salt. Great taste but need to wipe it down before grilling and sugar in buttermilk burns easily.
 
Magic of Buttermilk
" It was long assumed that the acids and enzymes in buttermilk and yogurt tenderized meat. It is now known that calcium in these dairy products triggers “aging” enzymes within muscle and connective tissues, which, in turn, degrade certain proteins that hold bundles of muscle fibers together."
 
I love a buttermilk brown sugar brine for smoked chicken, but I don't think I'd mess with it if grilling or smoking at higher temps, though.
 
I ended up wiping down the chicken and cooking it indirectly as Marc suggested. When the buttermilk dried a bit I switched over to low direct heat. Browned nicely without burning.
 
I use buttermilk often and never of had an issue with it burning. I do both chicken & lamb at "high" temps. Guess I've just been lucky.
 
A little. Maybe 1/4 cup (@50g) per liter. Sometimes a bit more or less dependent on other ingredients.
The issue seems to be that it's the dairy that causes concern. Never had a problem (knock on wood) myself.
I've done chicken (and lamb) covered in yougurt without undo concern. Obviously those wouldn't get dropped on
a 600d grill grate but at "normal" temps not a problem.
 
Marc said:
A little. Maybe 1/4 cup (@50g) per liter. Sometimes a bit more or less dependent on other ingredients.
The issue seems to be that it's the dairy that causes concern. Never had a problem (knock on wood) myself.
I've done chicken (and lamb) covered in yougurt without undo concern. Obviously those wouldn't get dropped on
a 600d grill grate but at "normal" temps not a problem.
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Thanks. I was just wondering for future reference in case I was pressed for time and needed to smoke some BB chicken at higher temps.

Back to the OP, the thing is, the main reason I like to indirect grill chicken really fast in my kettles is for crispy skin, and buttermilk keeps the skin wet, thus that would be the last thing I'd want to use for crispy skin (unless putting in a fryer).Like I said though, I've never tried BB chicken at "crispy" temps over 350, so I'm just going on how wet the chicken is out of the brine. Once I smoked three grates worth of legs in my wsm and the inside of the dome ended up brown just like I was using water in the pan....but I wasn't! I guess as already posted, you just have to wipe down all the chicken before grilling if you want crisp skin. Smoking, I'm just going for tender skin.
 
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This thread has been so informative for me! I have never brined chicken in buttermilk but have thought about it. In fact, was discussing it with the wife over the weekend. I've learned a few things,...thanks guys!
 
Matt_B said:
This thread has been so informative for me! I have never brined chicken in buttermilk but have thought about it. In fact, was discussing it with the wife over the weekend. I've learned a few things,...thanks guys!
Click to expand...

Matt, buttermilk is really good for chicken, whether fried or smoked. Not only does the buttermilk flavor and tenderize, if you're smoking it keeps the skin moist for quite a while so you won't end up with dry, leathery skin. Makes me want to smoke a bunch of chicken thinking about it. I think I'll jacquard first and mix up a batch of Bama white sauce. :)
 
This is the recipe I used for 2 fryer chickens cut up. Just remember to wipe the brine off the chicken before grilling. I let the chicken sit overnight before grilling.

1 quart buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped shallots
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon pepper
 
Marc said:
I use buttermilk often and never of had an issue with it burning. I do both chicken & lamb at "high" temps. Guess I've just been lucky.
Click to expand...

Ditto Marc. No trouble at all using buttermilk brine. Tend to have more trouble using brines without buttermilk!
 
A. Vale said:
This is the recipe I used for 2 fryer chickens cut up. Just remember to wipe the brine off the chicken before grilling. I let the chicken sit overnight before grilling.

1 quart buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped shallots
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon pepper
Click to expand...

That is very similar to the BM brine I use but after 3 hours in the brine, I take the pieces out, rinse them off under cold water and then patted them dry with paper towels. For crispy skin, put the chicken back in the fridge uncovered for a few more hours. No burning, crispy skin, juicy chicken.
 
The "Low and Slow" book has a brine that I used with good results. For two halves of chicken:

4 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp Old Bay (optional)

Put the 2 chicken halves in gallon zip bag, add brine, top off with cold water, and seal. Brine if fridge 6 to 12 hours, turning a time or two.
 
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