Bag Of Skinless Boneless Breasts

[fzxdoc]

And???

Kathryn

[zzdocxx]

Haha glad you asked, after 4 hours marinating, it was ~830p here and I put it off. Just now popped them into the SV at 140F to cook a few hours. (Kept in marinade ziplocks--easy.) Then smoke+sear.

Ref. graph of temp/times . . . recognize inside of chix needs to reach target temp before clock starts, must I open the bag and stick the Thermopen in there?

https://amazingribs.com/files/styles/default_style/public/pasteurization.jpg?itok=x3nr7sNa

BBQ addiction as a vice? Pretty boring!

[zzdocxx]

SV pic.

It was originally in two ziplocks but I made it three, which I think will make it come up to temp faster. Judging from the time it took to thaw.

On a related note, when vac packing meat, I have figured out that if I pack a thinner even layer, it will thaw more readily. As compared to just glumping it all down in the bottom of the bag.

[zzdocxx]

Why not wrap them in bacon. And finish with a glaze.

BTW I do want to hear all about the ham in Spain, it was one of the highlights of my stay in Madrid !

[zzdocxx]

Eeks, I think I overcooked them in the SV at 141, they are practically falling apart when I pick them up with tongs. Also could be too long marinating? But I think the cooking mostly.

Anyway, put a layer of that basting sauce on them and then on the smoker grill. I'll give them 25min or so of smoke then up the temp. Hoping I can get the outside layer to firm up a bit, maybe if I can dry it out ? ? Ie. what I have been trying to avoid.

Doh !

The basting sauce did give them a lovely orangey color.

[zzdocxx]

Smoked for ~30min, then seared with torch and flipped them over, seared the other side.

Going to cook them at 350F for just a little bit, still trying to dry them out just a little more. They want to fall apart when I try to turn them over, I used a spatula along with the tongs.

[Jerod Broussard]

Gotta love torch induced Maillard.

[zzdocxx]

Epilogue:

After ~30min smoke and then searing with el torcho, the inside of mine was --wait for it-- a little dry. I took one of the thicker pieces.

Seriously, handling this stuff on the grill was like trying to pick up a piece of fish in terms of wanting to fall apart.

Mom's caretaker said it was delicious. She is a good cook and I gave her a smaller piece. She is also very charitable.

I had set aside a good portion of the Inasal marinade and used that on the chicken I was eating. It is quite flavorful, I might even say intensely so.

We rice and green salad with our chix.

Verdict: Room for improvement. I would like the chicken to be moist inside. Next time I think I'll just try it at 350F, no SV.

Thanks for listening ! ! !

[fzxdoc]

Thanks for all of the cook details, zzdocxx . I really enjoy following along with your cooks. A lot of people marinate chicken overnight, but I try to stick to 4 hours if it's a marinade with high acid, since marinade ingredients, except for salt, don't really penetrate and the acid in some marinades can start to cook the chicken. Mostly I marinate overnight for convenience if it's a low-acid marinade.

I never SV chicken with anything else in the bag, using 158° for 1.5 to 2 hours so it just needs a bit of sear to look pretty and be safe to eat. Next comes the oil, the rub, and the searing afterwards (perhaps brushing with a sauce at the very end, nudging the chicken over towards the cooler side of the grill for a minute or two while the sauce sets) for the flavor. Some folks use marinades in the SV bag, but others say it just dilutes the chicken flavor. Me, I just go for easy with having more control over what actually flavors the chicken.

I'm loving that torch action. It's a real "git 'er done" approach to grilling. Plus it's fun.
And thanks too for all the photos.

Kathryn

[zzdocxx]

Made up a new batch of marinade, put the chicken in earlier and will grill 'em later today.

I think I will go straight to 350F and hope for the best. I'll put some rub or some of their achiote oil mixture on them possibly.

Seriously though, I kind of miss having just a regular old charcoal grill. I really like the Weber with an added shield eg SNS for indirect heat. I do have a Smokey Joe, it is pretty small though.

Thing is I have to say the pellet grill is perfect for tri-tip.

[zzdocxx]

Update: Cooked the remaining 6 BS breasts, ~6 hours marinade in Inasal, then it occurred to me that perhaps I ought to give them a dusting with something. And some salt.

So I put them in a big bowl and threw in some Diamond Kosher salt. I was pretty liberal with it. My dear mom who is 95 was sitting there watching me and she said you know sometimes when you are cooking it is a good idea to measure the ingredients so that you don't put in too much. Pretty sure she was trying to give me a hint.

Then I figured why don't I also hit it with some ground pepper and she said the same thing again.

Then I remembered that with my $700 Traeger grill purchase, I was given a small bottle of orange colored chicken rub, which is pretty salty. So I used it sparingly.

I made up the basting sauce with spices (paprika, cumin etc.), tablespoon of vinegar, but instead of butter I used some olive oil You are supposed to use achiote or anatto oil but I didn't have either so I used an achiote subsitute recipe. This stuff actually imparts a lovely orange color to the chix.

I smoked at 165 for 15 minutes, then turned it up to 350. When the temps got over 150, to the 155+ range, I took them off, since they had been holding around 155 for 10-15min.

To my surprise, they were pretty moist.

But guess what, a couple of the pieces were a little salty, oops ! ! !

Pics
#1 Inasal marinade
#2 Filipino spiced vinegar, found it in a local Filipino grocery store. Some recipes said to use the Samanik for dipping the chix while eating.
#3 Last two cooking, forgot to take pic of full grill.
#4 Cooked chix
#5 Sliced cooked chix
#6 More cooked chix

Bonus riddles:

Q: What do you call a deer with no eyes ?
A: No idear.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Q: What do you call a deer with no eyes and no legs?
A: Still no idear.


PS no torchy this time, just the Treager at 350F.

[fzxdoc]

I'd say you did that chicken proud. Juicy chicken breasts with a pop of flavor are a great centerpiece to a meal. Nicely done.

Kathryn

[zzdocxx]

I was left with one piece for myself and I had a little this morning. It was moist and not too salty. Funny how often stuff tastes better the next day.

I opened the bottle of Sinimak and had the chix with a little of that, it is pretty tasty. Just as it says, spiced vinegar.

[zzdocxx]

Here is what's in it:

[fzxdoc]

I'm going to look for that vinegar the next time I go to the ethnic grocery (Asian and Middle Eastern produce and products). Thanks for the recommendation.

K.

[zzdocxx]

The Sinimak I bought is just the teeeeeensiest bit spicy, FYI.

[fzxdoc]

I really like spicy, zzdocxx , the spicier the better. I draw the line at ghost pepper spicy, though.

K.

[PuraLena]

Ever tried whole deboned chicken? WHole chicken without wingtips deboned from inside.