Chicken Brine

[wicz]

I have a newbie question.  What does Brining do to the chicken?  How do you brine?  Does it help with the skin?  Thank you again for the help.

[LilSmoker]

Hi, the brine will help ward off bacteria, and has the added bonus of producing nice moist meat.

I always brine chicken and turkey when doing them BS style, flavoured seasoned brines produce great results too.

I would definately recommend brining poultry, the best way to get crispy skin, is to finish off at a higher heat in a regular oven  ;)

LilSmoker

[Oyènkwara]

Check out the recipe site for some good information on brining as well as some recipes:

general Recipes:
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=180

Brining section:
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=13

I too generally brine my poultry for flavor and moistness.

[Habanero Smoker]

Here are two good introductions to brining. The one on the weber site is a little more organized.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/brining.html

http://www.cookshack.com/barbeque_guide/101/Brining101.htm

[NePaSmoKer]

Hi, the brine will help ward off bacteria, and has the added bonus of producing nice moist meat.

I always brine chicken and turkey when doing them BS style, flavoured seasoned brines produce great results too.

I would definately recommend brining poultry, the best way to get crispy skin, is to finish off at a higher heat in a regular oven  ;)

LilSmoker

Hey Lil

When is dinner done  ;D

Sounds good though my friend.

nepas

[LilSmoker]

Haha! hi Nepas, hope all is good with you?

I'll set you a place at the table just in case you show up  ;)

LilSmoker

[wicz]

Can you brine with boneless skinless chicken breast?

[iceman]

You betcha ;) :)

Can you brine with boneless skinless chicken breast?

[whitetailfan]

My favorite commercial product is Hi-Mtn game bird and poulty brine.
Maple based and I use maple pucks.
It is a cure so when you have pink meat, just trust your thermometer  ;)

[wicz]

iceman, Thank you every much for your help.  I know that may have been a dumb question, just want to make sure.  Also, I am only doing a few breasts.  Maybe like 5.  Do I need this much to make my brine?  Or is that for a whole chicken?

    * 4 gallons water
    * 3 cups salt
    * 2 cups sugar
    * 1 cup dry white wine
    * 4 tablespoons black peppercorns
    * 2 tablespoons granulated garlic
    * 1 tablespoon thyme
    * 1 tablespoon lemon zest

[Tiny Tim]

Looks like that volume is for multiple whole birds (2 anyway)...for boneless/skinless breasts, I'd say enough to cover them would be sufficient...put 'em in your container with clean water to cover, pull the pieces, and that's how much liquid you'd need...adjust recipe amounts to suit.

[iceman]

Divided between two buckets that's enough brine for 4 or 6 whole chickens depending on the size. Cut that at least in half and you can also cut the brine time down to a couple of hours for skinless, boneless breast meat.

iceman, Thank you every much for your help.  I know that may have been a dumb question, just want to make sure.  Also, I am only doing a few breasts.  Maybe like 5.  Do I need this much to make my brine?  Or is that for a whole chicken?

    * 4 gallons water
    * 3 cups salt
    * 2 cups sugar
    * 1 cup dry white wine
    * 4 tablespoons black peppercorns
    * 2 tablespoons granulated garlic
    * 1 tablespoon thyme
    * 1 tablespoon lemon zest