Brining Comp Chicken

[Scottie]

I know some badass teams that use meat glue.

 

[Burnt at Both Endz]

I know some badass teams that use meat glue.

Yeah, but you get around some!

 

[cpw]

Just cook boneless skinless chicken breasts, and then you don't have to worry about the skin.

 

[erichasaces]

I personally don't know anyone that uses meat glue. I know some that have it, but don't use it cougherichasacescough hahaha

I use it every time I cook thighs. So that means the bag in my trailer freezer is both unopened and expired already!

 

[Qbert60]

I follow kosmo's instructions. I typically brine 3-4 hours the morning of and will pull straight from brine and season. It's been working for me. Remember that if you inject, you need to do so at least 6 hours before cooking to be effective.

I disagree. I used Kosmo's injection for legs and only injected a max of 2 hour before. Why do you say 6 hours?

 

[SpratBoy]

Been doing it for a few years with different brines, times and methods. I do scrape skins but would love to get away from it this year but in the past have found brining the thighs with skin not scraped would get a rubbery texture. Whats the consensus out there, skin on to brine or not?
Thanks!

Love the question - not because you're asking for opinions, but because you're asking for "what's the consensus" :mrgreen: Good luck with getting a consensus from BBQ'rs.

Ima skinscraping 3 hour brining hot & fast devotee myself...
I think the higher heat helps the bite-through.

 

[tduffy]

How exactly would you know that? Do all the successful competition chicken cooks keep you in the loop on their ingredients? Have you ever used meat glue?

Yes, actually a couple of them do. No I have never used meat glue. My skin bites through without using it.
You CAN get bite through chicken skin after brining and no scraping because of 3 words: cooking... it... right...

 

[bubbletop]

I personally don't know anyone that uses meat glue. I know some that have it, but don't use it cougherichasacescough hahaha

Corey driving the bus

 

[dirtydingus]

Love the question - not because you're asking for opinions, but because you're asking for "what's the consensus" :mrgreen: Good luck with getting a consensus from BBQ'rs.

Ima skinscraping 3 hour brining hot & fast devotee myself...
I think the higher heat helps the bite-through.

I'm with ya, but my chix is usually in the bottom 10% of the lineup at the end of Saturday.............MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE I BRINE IN RED WEENIE GRAVY????:wink:

 

[D&D BBQ]

I don't know of any successful chicken cooks using meat glue. If you cook it right it's not needed.

If you had bought Wicked Good BBQ's book, you'd know one right there in print. And that's just one...
Meat glue is basically insurance in case it ain't cooked "right" because unless you get all 9s in tenderness, you really can't be sure more skin than bite size came off for that judge that docked you, can you?

 

[J&B'sBBQ]

I switched to legs to eliminate the scraping skin/meat glue/bite through skin debate (not that meat glue was ever part of my process). Unless the 6 legs I elect to put into the box are an anomaly every time, I know I get bite through skin on my legs each contest.

 

[bam]

No scraping use chicken soak follow instructions.

 

[tduffy]

If you had bought Wicked Good BBQ's book, you'd know one right there in print. And that's just one...
Meat glue is basically insurance in case it ain't cooked "right" because unless you get all 9s in tenderness, you really can't be sure more skin than bite size came off for that judge that docked you, can you?

And when your meat glued skin isn't tender even though it bit through and you don't receive 9s in tenderness you'll realize there's more to the tensernsss score than bite thru skin. Last year the first half of my season I struggled with tenderness scores on chicken and I can guarantee you that every piece had bite through Skin. The changes I made that improved my scores had absolutely nothing to do with the skin and everything to do with the tenderness of the meat.

 

[D&D BBQ]

And when your meat glued skin isn't tender even though it bit through and you don't receive 9s in tenderness you'll realize there's more to the tensernsss score than bite thru skin. Last year the first half of my season I struggled with tenderness scores on chicken and I can guarantee you that every piece had bite through Skin. The changes I made that improved my scores had absolutely nothing to do with the skin and everything to do with the tenderness of the meat.

You're absolutely right in that it's the meat tenderness AND the bite thru skin that will get you a 9, but how can you be SURE that the whole or a good part of the skin didn't come off in the judge's mouth if your score is less than 9? You got a secret camera hidden in your entry box? You pretaste EVERY piece that goes in?
Answer: you DON'T know because it's impossible to know for sure but you trust in the process and practiced and turned enough in that you're fairly sure each judge is gonna get a thigh with bite thru skin that won't slap 'em in the face. Meat glue is simply insurance for that odd 1-10% piece where the skin DOES slide all the way off when a judge bites into it despite all your best efforts.
Sheesh.

 

[Firefighter]

To brine, or not brine, meat glue, no meat glue, like everything else is each cooks personal opinion. Myself, I don't brine and I don't use meat glue, I don't scrape skins either and I've had a little success in chicken. That having been said that doesn't mean I never will. Just because the process or flavor profile you're using now is working doesn't mean you become complacent.

 

[Cmikes]

I disagree. I used Kosmo's injection for legs and only injected a max of 2 hour before. Why do you say 6 hours?

Ask anyone that produces injections. Butcher, kosmo, both of them will say you need to inj 6 hours prior to cooking for the phosphates and other ingredients to do their job to their maximum potential. They know more about it than I do lol. If 2 hrs works for you though, stay with it.

 

[tduffy]

You're absolutely right in that it's the meat tenderness AND the bite thru skin that will get you a 9, but how can you be SURE that the whole or a good part of the skin didn't come off in the judge's mouth if your score is less than 9? You got a secret camera hidden in your entry box? You pretaste EVERY piece that goes in?
Answer: you DON'T know because it's impossible to know for sure but you trust in the process and practiced and turned enough in that you're fairly sure each judge is gonna get a thigh with bite thru skin that won't slap 'em in the face. Meat glue is simply insurance for that odd 1-10% piece where the skin DOES slide all the way off when a judge bites into it despite all your best efforts.
Sheesh.

The way my skin is wrapped around my pieces and the tenderness I am cooking my skin AND meat to, it ain't sliding off when anyone bites into it. Ever.

 

[Burnt at Both Endz]

Ask anyone that produces injections. Butcher, kosmo, both of them will say you need to inj 6 hours prior to cooking for the phosphates and other ingredients to do their job to their maximum potential. They know more about it than I do lol. If 2 hrs works for you though, stay with it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-goldwyn/brining-a-turkey_b_1093300.html

If you look in this article towards the bottom under "injecting" it states that injecting works faster than just brining?

 

[gettinbasted]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-goldwyn/brining-a-turkey_b_1093300.html

If you look in this article towards the bottom under "injecting" it states that injecting works faster than just brining?

We are using the Huffington Post to cook BBQ now? Come on Cal, you're better than that!

The only thing I know for certain is there are no wrong ways to cook BBQ. Trust me, I cook next to Tim Scheer most weekends. You can't deal in absolutes. Your way isn't the right way, it's just the way that is working for you (currently).

 

[dirtydingus]

We are using the Huffington Post to cook BBQ now? Come on Cal, you're better than that!

The only thing I know for certain is there are no wrong ways to cook BBQ. Trust me, I cook next to Tim Scheer most weekends. You can't deal in absolutes. Your way isn't the right way, it's just the way that is working for you (currently).

Now that post, by far, makes the most sense. Thanx, Bradley.