What are yall guys doing to chicken......

[Southern Pride BBQ]

Chicken has got to be my worst category at a competition hands down. Are yall brining or injecting the birds, if so what might yall be using if yall care to share to a fellow competitor...... maybe one of these days ill figure out the the ol yard bird !!!

[Swamp Donkeyz BBQ]

I spathcock and brine. But chicken is my worst category too. Looking forwars to some input on this one.

[Big Ed]

I brine with half gallon water
Half cup salt
Half cup sugar
Half cup same rub you put on it!!
I've hit a couple 1st with it.

[TXLNGHRN]

You can search on here for different brine recipes. There's lots you can do to it.
Basic idea is as Big Ed said.
I do 1 gallon of liquid. 1 cup of kosher salt, 1 cup of white sugar, 1 cup of brown sugar and a heaping mix of my chicken rub.
Truth be told, I can never really taste the seasoning, but it is juicy as all get out.
I grill indirect at 350 -400 until I hit 165 and then I pull it, sauce it and cook it for a few more minutes to let the sauce set up.

[bruno994]

Brine is similiar to mine Big Ed, but how are you cooking it? Slow n low or over charcoals? I have been cooking mine for 3 hours at 250, 2 1/2 hours then the last 30 minutes to set the sauce, thighs are around 180 and breasts are above 170 IT by the time I sauce. Brine keeps them nice and juicy even with the long cook. I played with a couple of trials this past weekend, one with a marinade of italian dressing, didn't care for it, another with injecting some good ol' creole butter, neither had the juiciness that brining does, but I did like the butter injection. Maybe a brine, followed by an injection prior to hitting the pit?

[Big Ed]

Brine is similiar to mine Big Ed, but how are you cooking it? Slow n low or over charcoals? I have been cooking mine for 3 hours at 250, 2 1/2 hours then the last 30 minutes to set the sauce, thighs are around 180 and breasts are above 170 IT by the time I sauce. Brine keeps them nice and juicy even with the long cook. I played with a couple of trials this past weekend, one with a marinade of italian dressing, didn't care for it, another with injecting some good ol' creole butter, neither had the juiciness that brining does, but I did like the butter injection. Maybe a brine, followed by an injection prior to hitting the pit?

Bank coals on one side of the weber and cook around 350 for around 2 hrs indirect.

[Mr. Orange]

I've been using mojo cruillo and Dr. Pepper as a brine/marinade.

[3 star redneck]

I spatchcock, brine, inject, rub, massage, cook til done, turn in , get throphy and check..... ...any more questions Aron

[CrazyD]

I spatchcock, brine, inject, rub, massage, cook til done, turn in , get throphy and check..... ...any more questions Aron

Haha sorry, just struck me funny the way you laid that out.

[atcNick]

I spatchcock, brine, inject, rub, massage, cook til done, turn in , get throphy and check..... ...any more questions Aron

And then wake up and realize its Saturday morning still!! Bwahaha!!

[erbeman]

Ed and Redneck are awesome about helping folks out. I have watched Ed do his chicken and he keeps it simple just like he posted. I've not tasted it, but I know he won GC at Irving Elks Lodge this year,so it must be amazing.

[Southern Pride BBQ]

I know the great Harvey Gebhard always said you gotta make chicken taste like chicken, when you can do that you got it going on, hahahaha !!!

[jtilk]

Funny how we all seem to have our own niche' ... Chicken is actually my most reliable category. After struggling for years, I hit it hard with LOTS of expiermenting and if I walk away from a comp with no call these days I'm disappointed.

- I inject a hr or so before throwing on the grill as I seem to think if I do it overnight a lot leaks out
- Rub and throw on the grill @ 325 for about an hr and a half to 2
- Glaze final 10-15 mins and in the box it goes

** Not saying I do OR don't use it but Butcher's just came out with 3 different flavors of a chicken injection you may want to give a shot... Honey, Chipotle and Herb

[k.a.m.]

We brine our halves and grill them indirect with the grill at around 325°.
Southern Pride BBQ, it may be easier for us to spot problems if you explain how you prepare and cook yours.

[BigDave]

Well I assure y'all I have tried most every chicken molestation cookin technique known to mankind! Brining, marinading, injectin, rubbin, combinations of aforementioned and making brine a week in advance so it really melds all the flavors.

For you briners here is a test, weigh yer brine before adding yardbird and weigh after removing yardbird! There ain't gonna be much difference I assure ya! Not much difference means not much went into that bird. Don't take my word for it, do the test yerself.

Only way to get stuff into a bird well is injectin the CORRECT way. Yes, there are different ways to inject that don't work well. And, as someone said, chicken still needs to taste like chicken! You need to use the correct needles. I recommend a 14 gauge needle. Can get em at vet supply, feed stores, Tractor Supply, etc. Most anywhere they sell livestock meds. These are surgical needles rasor sharp just like the doc uses to give you a shot only larger. They cut into the flesh instead of pushing into the flesh. Don't leave no injection tracts.

Most injections being sold use xantham gum as a thickener so the injection is less likely to come out when the needle is removed. Well if it is too thick to come out of a needle tract it is too thick to absorb into the flesh very far either. Make yer own injection folks! OK, I be giving up a secret. Take all that fat, excess skin, backbone, breast keel, etc & cut it into small pieces. Yes the bone, especially the bones! Place into a sauce pan on medium high heat and start rendering out that chicken fat. Once you start seeing a lot of liquid, add water and boil the heck out of that for 10 to 15 minutes, turn off heat & add whatever spices you use. Let that steep until the liquid is just warm. Strain with fine strainer, discard bones & stuff and you is left with pure chicken flavored greatness that came from yer bird!

Now, while just warm enuf to keep fat in liquid form, stirr quickly to mix fat to water, draw into needle and inject into COLD bird. The cold bird will solidify the fat in the bird. I guarantee that bird will be juicy two hours after it is first cut open if not over cooked. Very improtante as if yer bird advances to finals table, it needs to have some moisture left and not be dry. 2 ounces to a breast and 1.5 ounces to leg/thigh quarter is plenty for large bird. Less if smaller. Once that scrawny chicken plumps up to a thing of beauty it has enuf.

Oh, I use Big Country BBQ, "Simply Unique" rub too. Just an fyi! Yes, a shameless plug for me rub. But it is good and a proven winner by us and some other teams too!