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This weekend's cook


 
B

Brian Bo.

TVWBB Fan
I have an 8lb chicken ready at home and it's urgently awaiting my arrival. I am going to brine it this evening and smoke it tomorrow for some company that is coming over to watch the UConn game. I'm actually traveling right now and picked-up this AWESOME-tasting beer from a brewery in Des Moines, Iowa. Growler full of Vanilla Cream Ale. I plan to use some of this to brine my chicken and can't wait to taste the thing. I figured I'd use some of the beer considering I won't drink a half-gallon full of beer in two days...it'll go flat any longer than that.

More importantly, has anyone ever brined using BEER? How'd your poultry turn out? I'm curious to hear some responses! And if you can, I'd like to know what other ingredients you incorporated into the brine besides the beer, salt, pepper, and water.

Thanks!
 
I'm curious to know how you're getting a half gallon of beer from Iowa to CT in just a few hours.
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Haha.

Well, if I'm traveling for work and I'm near a good brewery (I check reviews before I go to them), I'll head out to one and eat there and come home with some beer! I'm in Minnesota at the moment (kinda hacked into the NWA wireless network here with a pilot's password), but anyhow...I went to a brewery last night in Des Moines and tasted about 9 beers. Decided to take the growler full of Vanilla Cream Ale because I figured my fiance would probably drink a cup of it, as opposed to the other beers I like (which she doesn't like)...Hefeweizen and Stouts.

What I usually do is bring the growler to the hotel after dinner and ice it (fridge, if they have one available in my room). I place it in a plastic bag in the morning when I check-out of the hotel and wrap it very well in my luggage (towels, jacket, other clothing). When I get home, it's still fresh and isn't flat because it's filled to the very top right out of the brewery.

Oh yeah!
 
In your checked baggage? I know I'm totally off topic, but I'm curious. I've had wine in my checked bags before w/ no issues. But I'd be surprised that a growler works, and I'm assuming you can't sneak a half gallon of beer through security to bring as carry on.
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Yeah, in my checked luggage. I do it all the time. I usually pick-up a growler for a few reasons. I get to bring home good beer and I end up with a growler from breweries across the nation, which I think is kind of cool.

On another note...GOOD NEWS! I just found out one of the trees in my yard is a crabapple tree! This thing is HUGE!...not the size of your typical apple orchard tree. It just hit me...as I used to pick-up these ugly-looking apples before I mowed my yard during the spring/summer. Looks like I'll be cutting some limbs soon so that they can dry out a bit and I can use them!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by JimK:
In your checked baggage? I know I'm totally off topic, but I'm curious. I've had wine in my checked bags before w/ no issues. But I'd be surprised that a growler works, and I'm assuming you can't sneak a half gallon of beer through security to bring as carry on.
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Why are you surprised the growler works? I'm a frequent beer smuggler myself. It used to be so much easier when we could just carry it on the plane. Now, I have to check it which usually means I pay a fee because my bags weigh too much. Grrrr....

-Ian
 
Just figuring the weight, as you mentioned, and the seal. But upon further thought, I guess the seal is at least as good as a wine cork.

Brian: What's your brine recipe? Obviously there's orange in there. Also looks like rosemary and kosher salt. Then the vanilla beer. I didn't notice any in the pic, but I'll bet a clove or two would be nice. Please share, and let us know how it turns out.
 
Yep, no problem. Here it goes.

1/2 quart of beer - Vanilla Cream Ale (I'm drinking the remainder)
1.5 quart of water
1 tbsp of minced garlic
1 orange (juiced by hand)
1/3 cup of sugar (used white in this case)
1/3 cup of iodized salt
1 teaspoon of rosemary
1 teaspoon of black pepper


No cloves, although, I was actually debating whether to use some or not because my fiance had just picked-up some whole cloves from the supermarket earlier today.

I boiled the water, sugar, salt, rosemary, minced garlic, and pepper. Once that boiled for about a minute or two, I let it cool for about 10 minutes and then mixed the beer into the same pot along with the oranges. I squeezed the oranges by hand and then threw the orange slices into the mixture. I let that sit until the mixture got really cool and then poured into a big ziploc where my chicken was waiting.

Before I poured the mixture onto the chicken, I took a quick sample...about half-a-teaspoon of it. This stuff tastes really good and I can't wait to taste this chicken after it's cooked. This is the most complex brine I've made...not that I've made many...but I'd still like to try a Maple Syrup brine along with an Apple Cider brine. I usually don't like to go off of other people's recipes so I will likely come up with my own, while incorporating those main ingredients into each separate mixture.

Let's see what happens tomorrow. Temps will be in the low 30's with some disgusting wind.
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In regards to traveling with the growler...I place it into a plastic bag and make sure I tie it tightly. I then pack it in a sweater/couple of shirts/jacket or all three...just to ensure it doesn't hit anything that will cause it to crack. The cap creates a tight seal. I make sure it's on super tight before I pack it into my luggage. Also, the growler isn't that heavy. I'd say 5 lbs max.

I'm headed to Pittsburgh this coming week, so who knows what kind of beer I'll be cooking with next!
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I won't drink a half-gallon full of beer in two days...it'll go flat any longer than that. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
OK, I must be a lush, when I read this I was thinking I'd be in a panic if I only had 1/2 gallon of beer to drink. Thanks for the recipe, I'm looking forward to hearing how it turns out. Are you going low or high heat on this cook?
 
I'm kind of stuck in the middle here with the temps. I started the timer when the smoker temp hit 200F and just checked the internal temp on the chicken after exactly 1.5hrs of cooking and it was 144F in the breast. At the time I checked, the smoker temp was 279F and after brushing the chicken and taking the internal temp, the smoker temp is now up to 305F and has been for about 10 minutes now.

It's about 30F outside, by the way. Vents are about 1/3rd of the way shut.

During the summer, I usually cook chickens at a higher temp (~350F). I don't eat the skin on the chicken but I usually cook until it's a little crispy. Usually cook a whole chicken until the breast is at 165F and let it rest in the microwave for about a half hour.

It smells so good.
 
Came out very, very tasty.

Had to take it off of the smoker about a half-hour earlier than I wanted to because of company...but internal temp was perfect on both light and dark meats. I don't eat the skin, so the skin doesn't bother me. It was crispy in some spots but I usually cook whole chickens until the skin gets crispy. I used two chunks of hickory for this smoke and thought the smoke flavor was perfect - so did everyone else. Breast was SUPER tender, very juicy, and very flavorful.

http://rem.alexsark.com/bbq/beerbrine7

http://rem.alexsark.com/bbq/beerbrine6

http://rem.alexsark.com/bbq/beerbrine5
 
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