Absolutely addicted to your site, thank you, and can totally see the big picture at work here!
I'm really into this equilibrium brining thing, specifically focusing on trying to get that perfect whole (spatchcocked) chicken -- brined, chamber vacuum packed, sous vide, then finished perfectly under the broiler or pan seared. It's just so convenient to brine everything in the bag and drop it into the water, and a bonus is I don't have to worry about the bag being so perfectly sealed.
Several questions here:
- Does anybody have a "perfect brine" beyond just salt and/or sugar they might be willing to share? I've been trying to expand it a bit with some herbs and spices -- I've used the "Keller one" he uses for his famous fried chicken and it's pretty good.
- Which brings me to the "garlic question." I just can't seem to get a resolution if fresh garlic is ok or not to use inside the vacuum bag, (despite the discussions on this and other sites)? I just found my garlic all "lime green" as it was in cooking in the bath along with the chicken tonight and it kind of freaked me out. I'm suspecting it was some weird interaction/oxidation along with the brine I was using tonight-- salt, lemonade (Costco Organic), rosemary, (garlic), black pepper corns, and EVOO. Thoughts?
- Is there any advantage to draining the bag, re-vacuum packing, and then sous vide? Perhaps, more concentration of flavors?
