favorite whole chicken brine

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suds1421

Newbie
Original poster
Jun 22, 2012
5
10
What is everyones whole chicken brine? I am smoking my first whole chicken soon and want to try a brine. Help a newbie please...
 
Welcome to the SMF Family...This is what I use for Whole smoked Chicken...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

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.

Good Luck!
 
8 cups water

1/2 cup Kosher salt

1/4 cup Old Bay Garlic and Herb

1/2 cup brown sugar

Heat all above on stove till dissolved let cool before use.
 
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Hi Jimmy, Jim here too. My first smoker experience will be a whole chicken this week end. I've seen your recipies for brine and rub, and I'll probably be using them. My biggest question now is How long to I use smoke in the recipe. I don't mean how long do I cook, but do I supply the wood chips for the whole cooking time, or only the beginning or end ??? I saw something jeff wrote about only smoking for 2 hrs., but cooking for 4 + - . I'm a little nervous about it being too smokey.  As far as the cooking part, I'm going with about 200deg until the chicken reaches 170 internal. I also plan on kicking up the temp for the last 30-40 minutes to give the skin a little crackle.  Tell me where I'm right (if anywhere) and wrong.

    I burn wood for my main source of household and garage heat in upstate NY. I've seen what happens when wood smolders too low, and I'm scared of giving my chicken a nice coating of creasote. How do I avoid that ? Thanks for your time and help Jim. Take a drive up here some weekend and have a few beers with me & my other Jersey buddies .  Seeya, Jim S, Bainbridge NY
 
Welcome to the SMF Family...This is what I use for Whole smoked Chicken...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

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.

Good Luck!

Thanks for this :) I just put my first chicken in your brine recipe to sit overnight. I am attempting my first smoke ever tomorrow.
 
Thanks for this :) I just put my first chicken in your brine recipe to sit overnight. I am attempting my first smoke ever tomorrow.
No problem...I hope you enjoy it as much as all that have eaten my Chicken and Turkey...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

1T Red Pepper Flake Optional

[...]

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)

[...]

Good Luck!
Hi.

What wood do you use with this combination?

Gran Garlic/Onion is Garlic Powder and Onion powder? "Raw Sugar" is "regular" sugar?

Thanks,

Jon
 
Welcome to the SMF Family...This is what I use for Whole smoked Chicken...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

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.

Good Luck!

Hi Chef jimmy, i brine my chicken last night using your recipe, if i decided not to rinse, do you recomended using the same rub of your recipe?
 
I don't usually rinse either. I drain and dry with paper towel. If I have scheduled right I give the bird a night in the refer to dry a bit but that doesn't always happen. I dry it off, apply the Rub, mixed with bacon grease is awesome, and in the smoker or oven. 

If you look at spices in the store, they all say Garlic Powder but some will look like Sand and some like Baby Powder. I look for and use the courser Garlic Powder which in a pro kitchen and spice shops is called Granulated. Raw Sugar aka, Turbinado Sugar, is just a course grain dried Sugar Cane Juice. There is no processing or molasses removal like White Sugar. Raw Sugar has a better taste and does not burn easily at smoking temps. Smoke wise I use A-MAZE-N Pitmasters Choice Pellets in an AMNPS Pellet Smoke Generator. I like any Fruit wood and frequently mix Apple and Hickory. My family thinks straight Hickory is too strong.

I missed your first post and found this by luck. Anytime you post and I don't answer by the next day, PM me. You, or anyone, can also feel free to PM anytime for my help. Good Luck with the bird...JJ
 
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I cooked 2 birds, one with your recipe and the other with another recipe,,, everyone agreed that your recipe was the best!!! I didnt rinse The chicken and came very good!! NeXT time i'm going to Add your Rub! Thanks chef jimmy!!!!!
 
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i found this somewhere on this site a year or so ago and i am very pleased with it .....

I take a standard poultry brine of:

1 Gal Water
2.5 oz Salt - Kosher
2.5 oz Sugar
1 ½  tsp Garlic Powder
1 ½  tsp Onion Powder
1 ½  tsp Cajun Spice (Louisiana Cajun Seasoning)
1 ½  tsp Celery Seed

To that I add a grocery store size bottle of Kraft Catalina Salad Dressing and a bottle of Crystal Hot Sauce.

For the individual pieces I marinate 24 hours.  For the whole bird I go up to 48 hours. 

Once out of the marinade and drained, they get rubbed in:

¾ C. Sugar
1 T Kosher Salt
2T Black Pepper
1T Garlic
1T Onion
2T Old Bay
4T Paprika
2 t dry mustard
½ t ground bay
½ t ground rosemary

Goliath
 
I cooked 2 birds, one with your recipe and the other with another recipe,,, everyone agreed that your recipe was the best!!! I didnt rinse The chicken and came very good!! NeXT time i'm going to Add your Rub! Thanks chef jimmy!!!!!
I'm glad to hear I won the day...
biggrin.gif
 I have been making that Brine 23 years. There are member of my family that will request my Chicken even if I offer to make Steak. Here is another chicken recipe of mine. It is the best chicken I have ever made...JJ

Pit Chicken aka, Roadside Chicken

This Chicken is Grilled/Smoked and sold all across the country at Roadside Stands and at Firehouse Fund Raiser BBQ's. Here is my version...

Pit Chix Basting Sauce

2C Apple Cider Vinegar

1C Olive or other Oil

2T Worcestershire Sauce or more to taste

1/4C Brown Sugar

1T Smoked Paprika

2 tsp Granulated Garlic

2 tsp Granulated Onion

2 tsp Fine Grind Black Pepper

1 tsp Celery Salt

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper or Chipotle powder. Add more if you like Heat.

1/2 tsp Grnd Allspice

2Lrg Egg Yolks

I always Brine my Chicken with my Families Favorite Brine and apply some Bubba Chix Rub. This is then Grill/Smoked over indirect heat at 300-325°F until the Internal Temp (IT) reaches 175°F. If the skin is not Crisp enough, a few minutes, turning frequently, over direct heat will get you there.

This stuff is Tangy with a Sweet and Spicy Finish. If you wish, instead of Brining, you can make a Double batch and add 1T Kosher Salt to half. Marinate the Chix for 4-6 hours with the salted half of the Brine/Basting Sauce then use the rest to baste during the Cook.

I would squirt the Sauce on with a Sports Bottle about every 15-20 minutes and used all but 1/2 cup that I took to the Table to add a fresh Punch of flavor. Great Stuff!...JJ
 
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Chef JJ and all the regular "pit masters" that post on this forum,  THANK YOU for all the great advice.  As a newbie to this smoking game I want to thank you for your time, patience, knowledge, and commitment to this forum.  I've learn a tremendous amount from these posts,
 
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Wow! We just picked up a smoker this week and I am SO glad I found this forum. We brined the chickens 24 with your family favorite brine. I will never do it any other way...THANKS,
 
 
Welcome to the SMF Family...This is what I use for Whole smoked Chicken...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

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.

Good Luck!
Signed up to say I tried this brine this past weekend for the inaugural run of the new smoker and it  was fabulous.
 
 
Welcome to the SMF Family...This is what I use for Whole smoked Chicken...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

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.

Good Luck!
Tried this on Sunday, and by far the best chicken I have had, they are on sale for .69 lb this week going to go by the limit to do more this weekend. Will take photos this time.
 
Glad to hear you liked the brine.The brine makes all the difference...JJ
 
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