- Jul 12, 2009
- 8
- 10
I just smoked my first brined chicken pieces and Holy crap! They were so good. I brined the pieces for 24 hours using one of the brines I found on this site (sorry I forgot which one of you guys I got it from, maybe TRAVCOM45, I think). I used leg quarter pieces with the spine still attached. These pieces usually have extra skin attached so after I cut off the spine when preparing them I have enough extra skin to wrap around the underside of the thigh and create a fully wrapped leg quarter. I smoked them at 275 for 2.5 hours and then moved them over the direct heat in the smoker box for a couple of minutes (I'm using a CGSP). The skin was very crisp, the meat was juicy and flavorful, the fat was completely rendered out, and it was gone before I could get the camera out to take a picture. My wife, who never eats the skin, had nothing left but bones. That is all the proof I need that it was good. I would probably brine it for less time because I thought it was slightly salty, but otherwise, it was awesome. Definitely a new favorite!