Easy Brine (Grilled Chicken Breasts)

Step 1: Peppercorns ... The easiest way is to put them in a small baggie and hit with a meat mallet or the bag of a pot. You want to lightly crush them.

Step 2: Brining Liquid ... Bring everything up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook 3 minutes until all the salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool. You don't want meat to warm water.It must be room temp.

Step 3: Chicken ... Add the chicken to a large ziplock bag along with the brine and seal. You can do this in a bowl as well, covered with plastic wrap. For chicken breasts, I tend to brine them 2-3 hours, especially large ones. I wouldn't go over 4 hours. After brining, rinse well with cold water and dry off to prepare for cooking.

Step 4: Grill ... Season your chicken with salt and pepper. For this recipe, I didn't add any additional seasoning because I was planning to finish with my BBQ Sauce. I grilled the chicken on medium heat for approximately 25 minutes. I started skin side down. After the first flip, I brushed on my 5 Minute Bourbon and Beer BBQ Sauce (recipe posted here) and continued to brush during cooking. After the chicken is done, make sure you let it rest a few minutes before serving. I like to cut large breasts in 2-3 pieces rather than serving 1 whole breasts to each person.

Step 5: NOTE: Brining Times ... Here are a few brining times - there are many sites out there with charts of brining times - These are just approximate. Whole chicken 4-12 hrs; large breasts 2-3 hrs; smaller pieces or boneless breasts 1-1 1/2 hrs; pork chops 3-4 hrs; tenderloin 4-6; loin 1-2 days; turkey breasts 5-8 hrs; whole turkey 1-2 days.