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Anyone ever add crab boil to a brine?

Posted on 3/5/17 at 11:01 am
Posted by Glock17
Member since Oct 2007
22390 posts
Posted on 3/5/17 at 11:01 am
I smoked a couple of chickens earlier this week and brined for the first time. They came out really juicy and tasted great even heating up the left overs. Got me to thinking about adding a little crab boil while brining. I figured someone has had to try it before.
This post was edited on 3/5/17 at 12:18 pm
Posted by McVick
Member since Jan 2011
4467 posts
Posted on 3/5/17 at 12:31 pm to
quote:

I smoked a couple of chickens earlier this week and brined for the first time.


Wet or dry brine?
Posted by Twenty 49
Shreveport
Member since Jun 2014
18771 posts
Posted on 3/5/17 at 12:54 pm to
I put crab boil in a can that I used for beer can chicken, and it gave some of the meat a bit of flavor.

Have not used it to brine, but now I'm going to try it with a few pieces and see how it does.
Posted by Jibbajabba
Louisiana
Member since May 2011
3881 posts
Posted on 3/5/17 at 1:25 pm to
I have heard (read never done it before) that dropping a brisket in used crawfish boil water is the end all be all way to prepare a brisket before smoking.
Posted by Glock17
Member since Oct 2007
22390 posts
Posted on 3/5/17 at 1:35 pm to
quote:

Wet or dry brine?


Wet.. a gallon of water and I think 1 cup each of salt and sugar
Posted by KosmoCramer
Member since Dec 2007
76526 posts
Posted on 3/5/17 at 7:42 pm to
The crab boil won't permeate the chicken.
Posted by ruzil
Baton Rouge
Member since Feb 2012
16917 posts
Posted on 3/5/17 at 7:45 pm to
quote:

he crab boil won't permeate the chicken.


Yes it will when you sprinkle it on and put in in an ice chest.
Posted by tigeryat
God's Country
Member since Oct 2005
2912 posts
Posted on 3/5/17 at 7:47 pm to
This is an awesome brine. I use this brine on smoked turkey breasts on my green egg. The crab boil doesn't smell right going into the brine, but it adds to the flavor without overpowering. I'll also apply a dry rub.

My Brine Recipe
2 Gal Water
2 Cups Kosher Salt
3 Cups Sugar
1/4 Cup Zatarains Liquid Crab Boil (optional)
4 TBS Black Pepper
1 TBS Dried Rosemary
1 TBS Thyme
1/4 Cup Molasses
1/4 Cup White Wine (not Cooking Wine)
1/4 Cup Worcestershire
Posted by Matisyeezy
End of the bar, Drunk
Member since Feb 2012
16624 posts
Posted on 3/5/17 at 7:53 pm to
quote:

Yes it will when you sprinkle it on and put in in an ice chest.



Posted by KosmoCramer
Member since Dec 2007
76526 posts
Posted on 3/5/17 at 7:57 pm to
Brines don't force liquid and flavor inside the protein. It creates a chemical reaction of the proteins in the surface of the meat to alter it to retain it's moisture.
Posted by LSUballs
RayVegas LA
Member since Feb 2008
37760 posts
Posted on 3/5/17 at 8:17 pm to
That's hilarious.
Posted by KosmoCramer
Member since Dec 2007
76526 posts
Posted on 3/5/17 at 8:43 pm to
?
Posted by Fratigerguy
Member since Jan 2014
4745 posts
Posted on 3/5/17 at 9:11 pm to
quote:

Brines don't force liquid and flavor inside the protein. It creates a chemical reaction of the proteins in the surface of the meat to alter it to retain it's moisture.


Not doubting you at all, but link? I was severely depressed seeing the brining with dye a week or so back. I would swear that brining totally changes the flavor of grilled and fried chicken to the bone when I've done it, but maybe it was the power of suggestion.
Posted by TH03
Mogadishu
Member since Dec 2008
171037 posts
Posted on 3/5/17 at 9:17 pm to
quote:

Brines don't force liquid and flavor inside the protein. It creates a chemical reaction of the proteins in the surface of the meat to alter it to retain it's moisture.
Posted by GeauxTigers0107
South Louisiana
Member since Oct 2009
9735 posts
Posted on 3/6/17 at 4:30 am to
Da fuk?
Posted by Jones
Member since Oct 2005
90541 posts
Posted on 3/6/17 at 5:32 am to
Just here to pile on you.


I don't know the chemical reaction or food Science behind brining but my chicken or whatever protein I'm brining will take on the flavors that I add to the brine mixture

Dummy!!
Posted by 4WHLN
Drinking at the Cottage Inn
Member since Mar 2013
7581 posts
Posted on 3/6/17 at 6:03 am to
A friend does it quite often when frying Specs actually. It's a game changer
Posted by KosmoCramer
Member since Dec 2007
76526 posts
Posted on 3/6/17 at 1:42 pm to
quote:

Not doubting you at all, but link?


Serious Eats - Brining

quote:

Brining, whether a traditional water-based brine or a dry-brine, improves a turkey's ability to retain moisture. Certain muscle proteins are naturally dissolved by the salt in the brine solution. Once these proteins are dissolved, muscle fibers lose some of their ability to contract when cooking. Less contraction leads to less internal moisture being squeezed out, which in turn leads to juicier meat in the cooked bird.


quote:

SHOULD I USE AROMATICS IN MY BRINE?

There's no need.

Many brining recipes call for bringing a number of aromatics—carrots, celery, onions, spices, herbs, etc—to a boil in your brine before letting it cool completely. While this does a great job of making your brine smell great, it doesn't affect the flavor of the turkey or chicken much beyond the skin. The problem is that because a brine is packed with salt and because salt is much more likely to enter your turkey's cells (due both to its size and its magnetic charge), most of those larger flavorful compounds don't actually make it into the meat.

For the time and effort it takes to make a flavored brine, heat it up, and let it cool completely, you're much better off making an flavorful rub or herb butter. You'll get just as much (if not more) flavor into the bird, use fewer ingredients, and save yourself some time in the process.


Posted by TH03
Mogadishu
Member since Dec 2008
171037 posts
Posted on 3/6/17 at 1:44 pm to
You didn't prove anything, just that herbs don't make it in. The point of a brine is to get salt into the cells of the poultry which is stated in that paragraph.

quote:

The problem is that because a brine is packed with salt and because salt is much more likely to enter your turkey's cells (due both to its size and its magnetic charge),
Posted by KosmoCramer
Member since Dec 2007
76526 posts
Posted on 3/6/17 at 1:53 pm to
A) Show me where I said salt doesn't break the cells? I said it does and that's what a brine does. It breaks down protein molecules to help the bird lose less moisture during cooking.

B) This thread is about crab boil, which won't enter the bird and neither will the flavor of the brine.

You're much better off dry brining, rinsing the bird, and using a rub.
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