Is there a secret to getting a marinade to penetrate the meat (I can't wait to see how many google hits I get for the phrase "penetrate the meat" btw the google hits for "cameltoe contest" are still going strong)? I marinated some chicken thighs for 24 hours with pureed olive oil, lots of garlic, lime juice, mint, cilantro, and thai basil and although they were good when grilled, they didn't have the intense herbiness and spiciness that I wanted them to have. My peach and apricot pies were pretty good, but I still have crust problems. This time it was way thick and tough. Damn. I tried to go to the Real Pie Company on 12th and F the other day but they were all sold out of fruit pies. I have a daydream of watching the lady make pies for a day to learn.
On the fourth I didn't partake of any additional grilling, but we did go to a spot on 49 near Lake Clementine, as did everyone else in Auburn. We heard a veritable tower of Babel of languages around us, well really just Russian and Spanish, which just goes to show how multiculti this country is, and we also heard the work "loooooouuiieeeeee" bellowed 5,678 times as some drunk kids played with their dumb dog. The croc came in handy once again.
There's a show on friday. The pizzas are playing the Distillery.
"Crust problems" might get you a few extra hits as well.
ReplyDelete-miller
I've found a good stabbing with the fork all over works for my chicken to soak in the marinade.
ReplyDeletevinegar is the secret, but you gotta be careful, because its acids can really take a childen apart. If you use straight vinegar (in concert with other stuff, of course, limit the soak to 2 hrs or so. But you can cut it with less potent red or white wine vinegar and let it soak for a little longer. I find it cuts through pretty well.
ReplyDeleteJim E
umm, chicken ... not children.
ReplyDeleteEl Cheapo white wine mixed with juice of fresh lime, and a hint of balsamic. Add garlic, fresh chilis, mint, basil and honey.
ReplyDeleteAt least that's how I used to do it before I went vegetarian.
Grwffydd
Those crusts were perfect!!!
ReplyDelete-H. Conway esq
How much salt did you add? The secret to osmosis is salt.
ReplyDeleteBen
I just went to the Real Pie company. They have a beautiful Apricot Blueberry upside down cake. They close at 6pm.
ReplyDeleteI second Ben on the salt.
Anna
or flavor injectors. but brine is the way to go for poultry. there are as many brine recipes as people, but any of them will work :)
ReplyDelete-lily
i probably used 2 tsp of salt in a really big batch of marinade, so probably not enough. i knew that i wanted it to be salty, but then when it came down to putting the salt in i chickened out.
ReplyDeletespeaking of meat... Kobayashi the hotdog eating champ went down yesterday killing a 6 year winning streak and almost puked:
ReplyDeletehttp://gothamist.com/2007/07/05/chestnut_wins_b.php
The pic of the new champion is pretty great... what better way to celebrate our nation's independence than with competitve eating.
freedom!
Pie-wise, brush egg white on the crust, prick it all over and pre-bake for ten minutes--resists sogginess, and brush the rest on the top to make a nice golden brown sheen.
ReplyDeleteooooh; i said "Prick" and wasn't referring to a certain wannabe Bee columnist!
ReplyDelete--Condrie
my problem isn't sogginess, it's tough dryness (although some would disagree). i'm just afraid to roll out my pie dough. i can't overcome this fear.
ReplyDeleteTry the Silpat (TM) via France--it's this neato oblong-thingy of glass-infused rubber which makes rolling a cinch! I use a Teflon (also TM) coated rolling pin and make sure you put the dough in the freezer for a few minutes before--tres simple!
ReplyDelete--Condrie
the salt won't make the meat more salty, it will draw the juices out of the chicken, replacing them with the marinade or brine. that's why you use a lot of it :)
ReplyDelete-lily
you talked me into it! i'll try again next week and report back.
ReplyDelete