Chicken Legs/Thighs with Q-View

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misterdk

Fire Starter
Original poster
Dec 12, 2010
42
10
Apopka, FL
Smoked chicken on the menue today. As usual, we brined it with a mix of Kosher salt, garlic powder, brown sugar, and poultry seasoning. We decided to throw the leg/thigh pieces in the brine around midnight last night thinking that it would take a little longer since they were still a little frozen. Probably not one of our better Ideas.

I pulled them from the brine and rinsed them good around 10:30 this morning. We then covered them with a rub of powdered honey, paprika, poultry seasoning, and a little garlic powder and threw them back in the fridge for while.

Around 12:30 I fired up the smoker and got it up to 250 degrees. Once up to temp the chicken and some Jack Daniels chips went in. It was hard to not open it to check on the chicken, but I did it. It stayed closed for the next three hours. I would estimate that the smoke lasted roughly 1.5 hours.

At about 4:00 we pulled the chicken and let it rest for about 15 minutes while we finished up some taters and peas to go with it. it looked great and smelled fantastic. Now comes the part that I was worried about. Remember how long I said it was in the brine? Well that was just a little bit too long. Even though it was rinsed well, 10+ hours in the brine was too much. It was just a tad bit too salty for my wife and one of the kids. For myself and the other kid it, was great tasting but super salty.

So I guess it is a lesson learned and NEVER brine legs/thighs for that long again. I think three or four hours at the MOST.


 
 
Hello Misterdk,

little too salty,  I have done that myself.  I did use just salt to brine all my chicken, wings, legs and whole until I came across this website which is all about brining with brine recipes, check it out http://www.deejayssmokepit.net/Downloads_files/DJsSmokingBook.pdf

somebody here at SMF pointed me toward it.

I use this basic chick brine all the time: we love it.

Basic Chicken Brine

1 gallon water

1/3 cup salt

1/3 sugar

2 bay leaves

3 tablespoons black peppercorns

2 cloves garlic smashed

1 tablespoon Cajun spice

1/2 onion sliced

1 lemon or orange sliced and squeezed

Times for brining are as follows:

Meat                                                    Time in hours

Chicken Breast Bone in                           2-1/2

Chicken Breast Boneless                        2

Chicken Whole Small                             6 to 12

Chicken Whole Large                            12 to 24

Turkey Breast Bone in                             12 to 18

Turkey Breast Boneless                           6 to 12

Turkey Whole 15 lbs.                               24

Turkey Whole over 15 lbs                       24 to 36

Pork Loin                                                 12

Pork Shoulder                                        12 to 36

Pork Butt                                              12 to 36

Pork Chops                                          2

Hope this helps, probably some one else can give you tip,

Al
 
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That sounds great. I will definitly give it a try as soon as I get back on my feet from the hip replacement. The brining time chart is excelent also.

Thanks
 
The Brine time is not an issue at all! It is your Brine Recipe. I just made Thighs the other day I use 1/2C Kosher per Gallon of Water. I put them in the Brine Sunday night for Monday dinner. Wife called and said she had to work late so make the Chix in Tuesday. Tuesday comes and my Daughter get sick and couldn't hold down food so we decided to cook them on Wednesday. Wednesday comes and nobody felt like Chicken so middle Daughter brought home Pizza. Finally got to cook the Thighs on Thursday so now the Chix were in Brine 4 Days. They were totally Awesome! Great flavor, perfect Salt level and great taste to the Bone. I never use more than 1/2C per Gallon and they are always great. Here is what I use...JJ

Families Favorite Brine

1/2C Kosher Salt

2T Paprika

2T Gran. Garlic

2T Gran. Onion

2T Dry Thyme

2T Black Pepper

1C Vinegar (Any)

1-11/2Gal Cold Water to cover Chix

1/2C Brown Sugar, Optional

1T Red Pepper Flake Optional

Mix well and Soak the Bird over night or up to 24 Hours.

Remove the Chix, rinse if desired and pat dry with paper towels.

Place in an open container in the refrigerator overnight or up to 24 hours for the Skin to dry.

This will give a crispier skin when Smokng or Roasting...

Bubba Chix Rub

1/2C Raw Sugar

2T Paprika (I use Smoked if I'm just Grilling)

1T Cayenne

1T Gran. Garlic

1T Gran. Onion

1tsp Black Pepper

1tsp Wht Pepper

1tsp Allspice

1tsp Bell's Poultry Seasoning (optional)

Mix well and rub on Oil or Butter coated Chicken.

Reduce Cayenne to 1teaspoon if less heat is desired.
 
That brine sounds great also. So now I have two new ones to try out. It is also good to know that the time is not an issue. It almost sounds like the brine that I used just plain had too much salt in it.

This is what I love about this site. Eveyone is so willing to help out the other members. I am so glad that I found it.

Thanks everyone!
 
i usually let chicken ( whole or pieces) brine 1-2 days ... i never measure ingredients . but use a little less salt than sugar ...Ive never ran into salty situation yet , and without rinsing ...The rest of the brine seasoning  just depends on the flavor profile im going after ... Just cooked some thighs and drumsticks last night... 
 
The Brine time is not an issue at all! It is your Brine Recipe. I just made Thighs the other day I use 1/2C Kosher per Gallon of Water. I put them in the Brine Sunday night for Monday dinner. Wife called and said she had to work late so make the Chix in Tuesday. Tuesday comes and my Daughter get sick and couldn't hold down food so we decided to cook them on Wednesday. Wednesday comes and nobody felt like Chicken so middle Daughter brought home Pizza. Finally got to cook the Thighs on Thursday so now the Chix were in Brine 4 Days. They were totally Awesome! Great flavor, perfect Salt level and great taste to the Bone. I never use more than 1/2C per Gallon and they are always great. Here is what I use...JJ
Yep Osmosis, there comes a point where the salts equalize that's why we sometimes soak in ice water to draw the salt out and have to drain the water and repeat because the salt has equalized in the water and product.

Jimmy did I say that right, could you clean that up for me?  Thanks.
 
Yep,you hit it ,Squib
icon14.gif
. also, if you have the 'I don't know situation' as JJ did, it holds off spoilage - increasing longevity. A good practice for all Poultry , however you are to prepare the meal.

Just sayin'...

Have fun and...
 
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