Grandpa grew up in an age where ya smoked er canned yer meat ta preserve it, he always brined chicken er fowl, Learned from him so I brine, great way to add extra flavor to yer birds. Do ya have ta? No, but then again we don't have ta smoke our meat either. There are so many ways to learn an use this craft, it boils down ta what yall like. That be the neat thin bout it, I prefer old school traditional smokin, there are folks here pushin the edge of the envelope, that is great, gotta have diversity ta survive.