Brine and Rub?

[wordsandwords]

Hello everyone,

I got #1 for Christmas and plan on starting the new year off with smoking a whole chicken. I've never smoked a chicken before, but have also been a fan of brine when I cook it in different preparations.

My question is whether it makes sense to do a brine and rub, just a brine, or just a rub.

Thanks for your opinions and happy new year!

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[swthorpe]

Welcome!   I am assuming that you have already seasoned the smoker as per instructions.,

For poultry, I always brine first and then apply a rub.    For a whole chicken, I would brine for at least 3 hours (depending on weight) or longer if possible, and then apply a rub for overnight. 

Good luck ... let us know how it turns out.  Cheers

[rickne]

I think you will find most brine and rub, although, I know some that have a pretty tasty brine that will skip the rub all together.

This is just based on what I've heard.  I've not brined anything yet, but plan to brine some poultry in the future.

[DivotMaker]

Hi Words!  Welcome to the family!  Chicken is always great in a Smokin-It!  I like to brine and rub.  Here's a link to one I did recently.  Hope it helps!

http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=1054.0

[wordsandwords]

Thanks for the responses.

The first smoke was definitely a success. I used a variation on DivotMaker's brine and rub and it was delicious. I did 2 oz. hickory chunks, starting at 200 for 2 hours, then 225 for one hour, then 250 for close to another hour.

Next time I'll crisp the skin under the broiler, but being my first smoke I wanted to get a sense for what it's like straight out of the smoker.

Here's to many more ... 

[swthorpe]

Congratulations on the first of many successes!   With the first smoke under your belt, the fun of experimenting with different approaches begins!  Cheers

[DivotMaker]

Congrats, Words!

[es1025]

Welcome.
I am a fan of using higher temps. Get yourself a maverick thermometer and smoke the bird until the breast reads 170. I smoke my birds at 240.
Cover the bird in foil and let rest for an hour. I have found that a little olive oil on the skin promotes browning.

[DivotMaker]

That might be the key to browner skin, Ed.  I always coat in olive oil before the rub, and always have nice brown skin.  Never made the connection, though!