# How long to brine whole chickens?



## brianyzf (Aug 1, 2008)

I'm going to smoke a couple of whole chickens tomorrow and was wondering how long I can brine them for?  THis will be only my second time smoking so I'm very new to this.  My initial smoke was also 2 whole chickens (which turned out excellent, by the way!) and I brined them for about 4 hours the morning of the smoke.  The problem this time is that I have to work tomorrow morning and am not sure when I will be done and therefore may not have the time to get home and brine for the 4 hours and then still be able to smoke too.  I could have my wife do the brining but it would be much easier and better for me to do it.  So the real question is can I brine them overnight for smoking in the afternoon?  I can't get up early to brine because I'm getting up at 3:00 a.m. for work as it is, and I can't see dragging my a** out of bed any earlier than that.  Is it possible to brine for too long?


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## fatback joe (Aug 1, 2008)

Yes it is possible to brine for too long.

How long you can brine depends on the concentration of the brine. The longer you want/need to brine the weaker the concentration needs to be.    How long and how weak will be a matter of personal preference, but you might try taking your 4 hour brine and cut the amount in half (same amount of water). 

Good luck,


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## seboke (Aug 1, 2008)

You'll find arguements on whether a brine is even needed.  If your chicken comes with an added "solution", there is a brine right there.  I have personally brined overnight before.  If you're worried about teh chicken being too salth, just rinse, then soak them in clean water for an hour, changing the water twice


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## dennisdocb (Aug 1, 2008)

I personally don't brine, I perfer to inject them but that's just IMO


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## solar (Aug 1, 2008)

When cooking a turkey I brine, and I'm on the fence about brining a whole chicken, if you're doing smaller fryer chickens I don't brine.  If you're worried about it being to salty, then cut back on your salt or do what Seboke said.  It seems to me that the skin absorbs the majority of the salt in the brine, I don't eat the skin, so it's not a problem for me.  What's most important with poultry is to keep the smoker heat down (225 or less) so you don't dry it out. 

Just my 2¢: I've had great success with slicing a lemon very thin and coating the slices with crushed black pepper. Make a small cut in the skin with a pearing knife and slide the lemon between the meat and the skin. I put about 8 slices in each chicken.


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## pineywoods (Aug 1, 2008)

I usually put my chickens in the brine about 8 or 9 the night before then an hour or so before I go light the smoker I pull them out rinse them and let them dry a little while I prepare the smoker and light it while its coming up to temp and getting the smoke going I rub or season the birds and on they go. I also smoke at about 350* for better skin


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## flash (Aug 1, 2008)

Zero hours. I don't find the need to brine.


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## reddog (Aug 1, 2008)

I brine for 12-24 hrs. I like to boil my brine then cool it down then add the birds. Wash them good and come to room temp and smoke away.
Good Luck


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## geek with fire (Aug 1, 2008)

_(Disclaimer: this is smart a$$ useless information.  Ignore as needed)_

Question: "How long to brine whole chickens?"
Answer: At least until they stop flapping their wings.  
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






I agree with the above post.  I don't find a need to brine whole chickens.  Cooking them to the proper temp will yield juicy results.  I've yet to find a brined bird that didn't taste too salty.


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## brianyzf (Aug 1, 2008)

Well, I brined the first time I did chickens and it was really good.  Of course, since it was my very first time smoking I don't know if it was the brine or the rub or the temp. or the time or the wood chips or the charcoal or all of the above or.....  All I know is that  everyone really liked it and I want to try and duplicate it.  The only thing I will be changing is the charcoal.  I used briquettes last time but this time I managed to find lump charcoal.  I'm leaning toward either getting up a bit earlier or just cutting the amount of salt in half.  Cutting the salt is probably the easiest though.


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## richoso1 (Aug 1, 2008)

I brine chicken parts overnight. Whole chixs just get rubbed and sit overnight in the fridge.


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## Burner76 (Jun 12, 2018)

Here's my 2 cents on the brine topic..
If the birds are purchased from your local grocery store , you don't need to brine . They're allready packaged in a nitrate solution . I agree with the post above mentioning..a rinse and pat dry followed with a nice rub and off to the fridge overnight !! 
 If you purchase your birds from a butcher shop..fresh ..I'd recommend brining for 4 hrs minimum . If planning to use a rub ..i like to add some of that rub to my brine ! 
 Smoking at 225 probably isn't the best temp for chicken.. I'd shoot for 275 to 300 .

Cheers !!


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## nanuk (Jun 12, 2018)

Burner76 said:


> If the birds are purchased from your local grocery store , you don't need to brine . They're already packaged in a nitrate solution .
> 
> Cheers !!



I can honestly say that is the first I have ever heard this.

when I was working in a meat shop, our birds came in waterproof boxes packed in ice.  
I have never read/heard that there was anything but chicken and poop in their with the ice!

is this a USDA thing?
Being Canadian, I think we occasionally have different regulations


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## Burner76 (Jun 12, 2018)

nanuk said:


> I can honestly say that is the first I have ever heard this.
> 
> when I was working in a meat shop, our birds came in waterproof boxes packed in ice.
> I have never read/heard that there was anything but chicken and poop in their with the ice!
> ...


It could be.. Idk if you have " pilgrims" chicken up there ..but if you do , read the package.. It's packaged in chicken broth and a few other ingredients ! Basicly a brine !


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## nanuk (Jun 13, 2018)

I wonder if that is by regulation or brand specific?


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## Burner76 (Jun 13, 2018)

I believe it's just brand specific here in the States . However regulations in Canada may be different than here in the states but I'm going to assume and say they're probably close to or the same as the states . 

  I usualy give the yard birds a rinse and pat/rub ...Chicken parts however , most of the time I'll give a basic brine for 2 or 3 hrs then off to the pit. What i sometimes do to gain a little more flavor with whole birds , I say birds cause I hardly ever smoke just 1 bird at a time.. I'll smoke 3 or 4 and package them up. 

 Throughout the week when cooking dinners every day I'll save all my veggie scraps...the ends of whole onions , left over parts of bell peppers , celery...all veggie scraps i store in a zip lock in the fridge crisper .. 

  I have a medium size cooler i use when i brine.. 
So what i like to do is start out with the basic brine mixture and get that in the cooler ( allowing room for ice and the birds .) Then I'll add the veggie scraps and 5 to 6 chicken broth cubes . I do this while the brine is still hot/warm so the oils from the veggies start releasing and the broth cubes have time to break down . usualy about 30 to 45 mins later the brine has cooled down and I'll then add the ice and birds . 12 to 16 hrs usualy depending on what time i fire up the smoker the next day . 
That's just how i do a basic on hand brine. 
I like to get creative sometimes though ! 

Cheers -


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## Burner76 (Jun 13, 2018)

Pot full of chicken parts and a creative brine from a last year i believe .. 

Cheers -


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## chopsaw (Jun 14, 2018)

Burner76 said:


> They're allready packaged in a nitrate solution .


That's news to me . I buy whole chickens all the time that are not pumped , or enhanced . From the grocery store .


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## foamheart (Jun 14, 2018)

Brined Chicken
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/153699/national-finals-and-smoked-chicken

Nekkid Chicken
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/nekkid-chicken-foamheart.156212/

You can smoke at any temp you like, 220 250 or 275. People say the hotter the better, thats because they don't understand the pellicle. Google it. A good friend here taught me and I have been smoking for awhile. I couldn't believe my Pop never knew about it. Just remember that like all other things, smoking is a never ending evolution and there is never only one way to do something.

If you do 275+ smoking, you'll probably not have problems with rubbery skin. OR if you take the time and form a proper pellicle my skins when smoking at 220 are perfectly delicious. 

I used to recommend to every new member or at least the ones new to smoking that they master the yardbyrd first. Once you can make a perfect chicken, everything else is just simple.

BTW you do realize this is a 10 year old thread?


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