Brining

An important part to Barbecuing is the Brining of the meat.


A little science for you here. Brining adds moisture to the meat and keeps it moist and juicy during the cooking process. A Brine is a combination of water and Salt. About one cup of salt to every gallon of water. The salt is added to the water because it breaks down the proteins and therefore tenderizes the meat. If you weigh a chicken or just the pieces before you put them in a brine and then weigh them afterwards, you will see that it is heavier.
Ok, now we have that out of the way we can get on with the Brining. Measure the water you need by placing the chicken in a container and then covering it with water completely and adding 2 or 3 inches more. Take out the bird and now you know how much water you need. Dissolve the salt in boiling water and then add to the ice cold water then place the chicken back into the container. Congratulations, You are now brining.
When you take the Chicken out of the brine remember to thoroughly rinse off the chicken and let it drain. Also give what ever containers you are using a really good wash and discard the brine.
So, How Long do I need to Brine for?
Brining for to long or with to much salt can be bad so add a little caution when doing this Not enough time brining or to little salt is better than to much. The rule of thumb here is 1 hour of brining for every pound of Poultry. A whole chicken should be left in the brine for 5 to 8 hours and a whole chicken cut into pieces should be in for no longer than 4 hours. If you are brave and are doing a whole turkey you should allow for 24 hours for the bird to brine. Believe me you will thank me later.
Remember that like all cooking it may take a little bit of playing with to get it just how you like it. Start of cautiously and slowly get braver each time you brine.

Simple BBQ Salmon

Ingredients


18 oz salmon filet w/ skin
3 oz lemon juice
4 slices butter
2 good pinches of Dill weed
dash of lemon pepper
a few pinches of garlic salt
 
Cooking Instructions
 
Lay out some tin foil, (you want it to be about 4 inches longer at both ends than the filet) rub some butter on the foil to stop the filet from sticking to it and then place the Salmon (skin side down) in the middle of the foil. Place the 4 cubes of butter evenly spaced accross the filet then pour on the lemon juice and sprinkle your spices evenly over the filet. Place another sheet of tin foil over the fish the same size and then just fold over all the edges making a parcel. Set the BBQ on low heat watch for that perfect pink color and your done.
You can also do this in a regular oven but what is the fun in that.