Brined Whole Chicken

[DivotMaker]

OK gang, I'm finally on board with brining poultry!  Better late than never, I say!  So, this morning, I picked up a 4.74 lb "Smart Chicken" whole fryer.  BTW - if you can find Smart Chicken brand in your area, do yourself a favor and try it!

I made up a brine of:

1 gallon cold water
1 cup Kosher salt
1 TBS granulated garlic
1 TBS onion powder
1 TBS rosemary
1 cup orange juice

I placed the chicken in my new "Briner Jr" bucket (which I also used to mix the brine), screwed in the holder plate, and put in the fridge.

After 3 1/2 hours in the soup, I pulled the bird and rinsed thoroughly.  I stuffed her with mirepoix (equal amounts of chopped onion, celery, carrots and apple), rubbed with olive oil and McCormick's Roasting Rub (just for a try), and placed in the smoker with 2 oz of hickory @ 250.

3 1/2 hours total to hit 165, then pulled and wrapped while I heated some cheddar mashed potatoes (8 min).  The bird was oh so moist and tender!  The pic looks a little pink - that's just my camera.  The meat was white and plenty done.  Very nice taste between the brine, mirepoix and rub!  Not too salty, and really juicy.

I am definitely a "brine the poultry" convert!  BTW, the Briner Jr. bucket worked fantastic!

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[shomesmoke]

Tony,  We had the same idea I brined my first chickens and smoked em today as well. Just got up from the table and as you said they were really moist and tender. My brine was the same as yours minus the rosemary and oj. I had 3 chickens in the briner for 8 hours and it does work nice, one thing I dont like I have washed the briner several times with soap and water and also some baking soda and you can still smell the garlic, have you noticed that on the jr. If its a food grade plastic I wouldnt think it would absorb odors I dont really want everything I brine to have a garlic flavor.

[DivotMaker]

Pretty cool, Mark!  I guess great minds think the same!    I didn't use any "strong" garlic in the Briner Jr., just a little garlic powder.  I didn't notice any strong odors after washing it, but I'll let you know when I take it out for the next brine.

[es1025]

Tony
So I am assuming we have the divotmaker seal of approval on the briner jr. I may be ordering one this week.  My brining vessel is a bit too big, if will work for a whole turkey but for smaller cuts of meat.

 

[DivotMaker]

I like the Briner Jr, Ed, but know it has its size limitation.  Sure fits in the fridge nicely, though!  It easily fit a 5 lb chicken.  I think you could fit a good-size turkey breast in it, but not sure about a whole bird (unless it's pretty small).  I got this size mainly for pork butts and chickens, which it's fine for.  I may end up ordering the large one to do whole turkeys in.

[es1025]

Tony
I ordered the briner jr. this afternoon.  I figured the my brining bucket is too big and the flavors are not concentrated enough for a small bird. I thought 12.50 was bit much for shipping but what can you do. 

[DivotMaker]

I agree on the shipping, Ed, but you're right - what can you do? (Besides not order one).  I think it's a quality product, and the adjustable hold down works fantastic.  I see a lot of use in the future.  Let me know what you think!

[Smokster]

Tony, that chicken looks really moist and juicy.  Your results look fantastic.  Did you find that 2 Oz was too much or too little?  And what size was the chicken.

[DivotMaker]

The chicken was 4.75 lbs, and 2 oz of wood was perfect!  I use the hickory dowels, but split them down the middle, so I can put the flat side down.  Both halves turned to ash, so I know I got all the smoke they'd give. 

[McSev2010]

If your briner still smells like garlic, mix water and concentrated lemon juice (gallon of water, 2 cups of lemon juice) and let it sit for about an hour.  Should take most of the garlic smell away.

[shomesmoke]

If your briner still smells like garlic, mix water and concentrated lemon juice (gallon of water, 2 cups of lemon juice) and let it sit for about an hour.  Should take most of the garlic smell away.

Thanks, I have about 15 pounds of pork loin in it now, but I will give this a try when its empty!

[gloksrule]

Great idea, brined chicken last night, gonna smoke it tonight,  first smoke with chicken in the #1, thanks again for the method

[DivotMaker]

Thanks, Glok!  Good luck with the yard bird tonight!

[DiggingDogFarm]

Nice looking chicken!

[DivotMaker]

Thanks Martin!