Whole Chickens - Marinade Question


 
B

Ben Milano

TVWBB Member
I am smokin' a few whole chickens this weekend and have a few preparation questions, particularly relating to marinades and slathers.

I have a great mustard slather and rub that I will be using prior to smoking the birds. But I am a bit confused when it comes to the marinade. After I spilt the birds should I marinade the entire bird for several hours or would it be best to inject the marinade in the breast/thigh areas instead? Which method would make the food more moist and juicer?

Lastly, I read that a typical Italian dressing (vinegar based) would work great as a marinade but I love to experiment with making my own. Since I never attempted chicken yet - any suggestions on a simple, easy to prepare marinade that I can use?

As always, I appreciate the help and I hope all of you guys have a great, safe and filling Memorial Day Weekend!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ben Mila After I spilt the birds should I marinade the entire bird for several hours or would it be best to inject the marinade in the breast/thigh areas instead? Which method would make the food more moist and juicer?

Lastly, I read that a typical Italian dressing (vinegar based) would work great as a marinade b </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Ben

Many of the people on this board are strong proponents of brinning and you'll probably get some suggestions on that. I most often marinate my butterflied halves in WB Italian overnight. I don't know how you can improve on that marinade, but maybe you'll get some recipes. Alternatively, I've began using Mojo, store bought, overnight and it's also great. There are recipes for making that marinade posted under the appropriate sections of the forum.

If I were going to marinade or inject, I would marinade, but you could do both. In terms of moisture, I believe the key is not not overcook it. 160 in breast and 170 in thigh. Many say brinning allows you to get away with a higher temp and still maintain moisture.

Paul
 
Paul is right--the key is to not overcook.

Personally, I don't inject--nothing wrong with doing so, I just don't. I always brine fowl if I'm rubbing only; I usually don't brine if I'm marinating.

I marinate overnight or all day or for at least 5 or so hours. Two I use often are mojo and molho de piri-piri. If I make an Italian-style dressing as a marinade it is like this one. It is very rare that I buy bottled dressings--like, never--because I can use better ingredients if I make them myself. The recipes above will give you a few ideas on ratios and ingredients--easy to modify any of them if you wish. For the Italian, I often sub fresh garlic and fresh onion for the dried, sometimes add fresh red bell pepper for sweetness, and puree the whole thing, adding a T or two of Dijon to help emulsify the marinade.

Frequently when I marinate I make it potent and do not rub, or I use a few elements of the marinade for a simple rub. If I'm brining I cut the salt for the rub to practically nothing.
 
Paul,

The other posts are right on! I usually marinate in mojo or italian dressing and do it anywhere from overnight to 3 or 4 hours. Brining is also much better than injecting into the birds.

As I write this, I have a 5 pound chicken on the WSM (with 3 slabs of ribs). Temps holding at about 226 degrees and the chicken was marinated in mojo dressing for 4 hours, then I shook off excess marinade and applied a light Texas BBQ rub, Sure smells good on my deck!

Ray
 
It is 8am on Sunday morning here in NY as I write this. My 2 whole chicken (9 pounds) have been marinading in Italian seasoning since 6pm last night. They will be hitting the smoker around 11:30am - 12 noon and [hopefully] be ready to eat around 4pm or thereabouts.

I am planning on using a mustard slather/rub combo (see above) and mop 'em at around the 2 1/2 hour mark with a soy sauce/garlic concoction.

Mmmm!
icon_smile.gif
 
The chickens came out great! I could not beleive how moist, tender and smoky they were. My family said it was the best they ever had

Thanks everyone
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top