What can I say. I was waiting for the wife. I was hungry. And she hates the skin.

Will be cooking up some Rib Eye steaks tonight thanks to a cash and carry visit....$6.88lb 16.62 pounds of boneless...cut to my desired thickness

What time?

A friend just moved back to the area and as a "welcome back" and since our birthdays are just 2 days apart, we decided to have a party on the day between them. And then he got sick, then my kid got sick, then I got sick, etc, etc. Anyway, several weeks later, it happened last night.

Over the last couple of days I made Josh Weissman's MSG pickles, Alton Brown's pickled watermelon rind, Food Wishes black-eyed pea salad (from the New Years Belly and Beans), and prepped brisket the night before. On the day, I spiced the brisket while the smoker got up to temp, and then put the meat on there. Made cornbread (Basics with Babish brown butter cornbread), cooked corn, and made a caramelized-honey butter.

It came out okay...







I also served up Mezcal Sours and Rum Manhattans, as drinks.

Dayum.

My birfday was Sunday so....local steaks, tater salad and zukes from garden. My wife makes the best damned pickle juice potato salad and with Yukon golds from the garden. Wow. Herb butter, all herbs from the garden. Unbelievable good on ribeye. Cake was modern twist on a grandma old timey fresh berry jam swizzzle cake made with 50% almond flour. I had a yuge piece.

Didn't actually cook today.... but I pulled a turkey breast out of the freezer yesterday that was smoked sometime in .... March? I think? Made a sammy with it today..... wow.... just wow.... I had forgotten just how good that turkey was! I was 'almost' convinced that the smoked chicken was as good as the turkey, but no - it just isn't. I'm almost gonna say the flavor actually improved over the 4 months in the freezer --- it definitely didn't hurt it one bit. Kinda glad I had left the skin on it - the rub from the outside has worked its way into the meat. Looking forward to a sammy a day into next week!

Interesting!

I brined and hot smoked 3 fat chicken breasts. Cooling now for cold chicken farro salad.

Yeah --- I was pretty surprised myself..... Not only was the flavor just waaaay better, but the texture too - 'stringier' meat - with a grain --- it even cut easier than the chicken. I'm thinking the flavor was probably due to the turkey being pre-brined.... Dammit - I told myself I'd never brine a whole bird, but I think I'm destined to due one now.... Its got me thinking about doing the 'apple brined' turkey recipe thats been on the Virtual Webber Board forever..... I've got a bottle of apple juice in the pantry....

Wishing I would've picked up some of the split breasts from FM last week now....

So -- school me on brining.....
I'm willing to give it a try on a whole chicken --- wanting to try some variant of this recipe that has got rave reviews over on VWB...

https://www.virtualweberbullet.com/whol ... ple-brine/

Obviously I don't need 1+ gallon of brine for a chicken.... I don't have any suitable container to hold one completely submerged.... I'm thinking a plastic bag with 2-3 cups worth of liquid to brine it ?...?...? Should work okay with some tending/flipping/massaging ??? Proper final salt concentration?

Advice appreciated.... I fear a repeat of my huli-huli chicken marinade fiasco....

I made a bologna sandwich. Too hot to cook outdoors and don't want to add heat indoors.

Buy yourself a nice 4-5 gallon stock pot (stainless). You can use it for all kinds of stuff (surprised you don't have one). We have 3. Even a low cost SS pot is fine for wet brining.

Really the world is your oyster, google a recipe for a brine solution. Water, salt, sugar. The rest is just flavor. Boil. Let it cool.

Throw meat in overnight. Rinse a bit - if brine is supersaturated with salt, rinse well or meat WILL BE too salty. Let meat sit on rack in fridge to form a pelicle then smoke or cook.

It really is that basic.

I have always heard not to use a metal pot for brining. Supposed to use glass or ceramic due to a reaction from the metal?
Well, the only thing I have brined is Salmon, so I'm no expert though.

I guess my biggest question/hang up is do you really NEED such large volume of liquid when brining? Sure you do if you put it in a hard walled container and want it submerged..... But if you put it in a bag, mush less is needed to 'float' the meat.... and your not wasting alot of seasonings/spices/juices to occupy wasted space. Just being frugal... but I don't want that to negatively impact the outcome (too much).

Yeah --- I know about diffusion theory and concentration dependency.... But I don't see that playing too much of a role here.... I see the massive overage of liquid as more of a 'buffer solution' concept.

Stainless is fine. No cast iron or aluminum or copper

Yeah I know, watch out for fake stainless steel!

A bag will work, never tried. Never worried too much.

BTW I try not to use as much sugar as many recipes call for. But it actually does play a role in the Aw of the meat after complete.