Brine for chicken...

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rings44

Newbie
Original poster
Hey everybody,

Well i finally completed all my ECB mods this weekend, and am going for my 3rd smoke this weekend if weather permits.

i bought a small whole chicken that i figured would be perfect for me and my girlfriend, so i'm posting looking for excellent chicken brine recommendations.

this is a payday week, so i'm probably going to be picking up jeff's rub recipe as well and use that on the chicken

wish me luck and a temperature above 180 degrees!!!
 
Hi Rings Try this brine on your chic.

1 gal water
1/2 cup Kosher salt
1 cup orange juice
1 cup Apple cider vinegar
1 cup Yoshidas (if no Yoshidas, use Worcestershire)

put it all in a 2 gal storage bag with chic and then store in the frige over night. YUM YUM good.

Good luck an Good smoken.

Bill
 
I usually use this one:


Slaughterhouse Poultry Brine By Tip Piper of Hillbilly Vittles
1 ½ Gal Water
½ C Salt - Kosher
½ C Dark Brown Sugar
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Cajun Spice (Louisiana Cajun Seasoning)
2 tsp Celery Seed

Good luck with your smoke.
 
If this is your first time brining, I'd keep it simple. Salt, sugar, water and maybe a little garlic or maybe onion powder or something.
Be sure to get it fully submerged, keep it cold and give it time.
 
Thats the one I use most of the time too
 
I've never brined a whole bird, but for parts I use a shrimp/crab broil mix in the water. Really nice flavoring.
 
Rings,
Here's a brine that I use all the time whenever I smoke whole chickens. I normally brine my birds 24 hours before. Just make sure you keep it submerged while it sits in the frige. Also, I normally stuff the chicken cavity with some lemon and orange wedges while I smoke it. Hope this helps!

(Yields 2 Birds)
1 Gal. water
2 cups kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
corriander
1 whole orange
1 whole lemon
thyme
rosemary
sage
2 garlic cloves
cajun seasoning
whole peppercorns
juniper berries (Whole Foods or Fresh Market)

* Mix all together in a pot and bring to a boil. Let cool before putting the chicken in. I normally put a bunch of ice in to cool it down quicker.
 
I tried brining but didn't care for the texture of the meat. tried brining for a couple of hours, which to me had no affect on taste and tried a 12 hr brine. Didn't care for the texture and didn't find the meat tasted any different than not brining.

So I only inject or do a spatchcock bird. IMO, injecting gets the flavor into the meat. the good thing about injecting is you don't have to let it sit for hours. I've injected and it sat while my lump lit and it was ready for the grill in less than 30 min. It was probably one of the most tender and flavorful bird i have ever cooked.

Just my .02.
 
I use the following brine and brine it for just a few hours, makes a huge difference.

Ingredients
7 c water (cold, filtered, non-chlorinated)
3 tbsp salt
3tbsp dark brown sugar
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp cajun spice (I used Penzey’s Cajun Spice)
3/4 tsp celery seed
Fresh sage, Basil, Cayenne to taste
Instruction
Mix until all salt and sugar has dissolved. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.


You can find more details on my blog http://www.nateelston.com/wordpress/...turkey-breast/ the blog entry is for turkey but I use the same brine for chicken here http://www.nateelston.com/wordpress/...moked-chicken/
 
I usually use this one:


Slaughterhouse Poultry Brine By Tip Piper of Hillbilly Vittles
1 ½ Gal Water
½ C Salt - Kosher
½ C Dark Brown Sugar
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Cajun Spice (Louisiana Cajun Seasoning)
2 tsp Celery Seed

Good luck with your smoke.
How long would you leave breasts in this brine?
 
In the morning before smoking do you rince the chicken off after brining or do you leave the brine on when cooking. Sorry have never brined poultry before.
 
In the morning before smoking do you rince the chicken off after brining or do you leave the brine on when cooking. Sorry have never brined poultry before.

I put my bird in brine about 6 AM... take out at 2 and rinse,rinse,rinse, then I rub it up and let it sit till I'm ready to smoke.. I do put the rub under the skin directly on the meat tho
 
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