This has been my poultry brine long before I purchased my SI and has always worked for me. Feel free to make your own adjustments.
Poultry Brine
Brine
• 2 Quarts Water
• 1/2 Cup Kosher Salt
• 1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
• 2 TBSP Montreal Chicken Seasoning
• 1 TBSP Minced Garlic
Brine Prep
1. Heat ingredients in 1 Quart of water until sugar and salt were dissolved.
2. Pour brine mixture into brining container.
3. Fill measuring vessel with 1 Quart of ice, and then add water up to the 1 Quart line.
4. Pour Ice/Water into brining container and stir until ice is dissolved.
5. Place in fridge until brine if fully cooled.
6. Add Poultry.
• I have occasionally spatch-cocked my chickens, but find more often that I just do them whole and stuff them with equal parts Carrots, Onion, and Celery (mire poix).
7. I typically brine my poultry overnight. Others will tell you that this is way too long for poultry and that you should only do 4-6 hours. But, this has always worked for me and I haven’t had any salt complaints. If you are sensitive to salt, you may want to shorten the brining time.
Smoke Prep
1. Drain brine.
2. Rinse chicken to remove brine. (Don’t worry about removing the spices as they have given their all and are no longer needed.)
3. Place Poultry on smoker racks and pat dry with paper towels.
4. Add your choice of oil for a binder (I usually just use Canola), and then apply your poultry rub of choice. I usually just use the same Montreal Chicken Seasoning that I used in the brine.
5. Smoke with 2-3 ounces of your choice of wood.
a. Set smoker at 140 degrees for 45 minutes.
b. Increase Smoker temperature to 250 for 3-4 hours until breast reaches 160 degrees.
c. Finish to 165 on a grill or broiler to crisp up the skin.
d. Let chicken rest for 30 minutes. I normally just place some foil loosely over the top of the bird. I don’t really bother to wrap it tight for a short 30 minute rest. I just place it on my serving platter and place a sheet of foil over the top and press it around to fit.
e. Remove Mire Poix if used and serve.