Brining a chicken (updated with pic)

I think you can run a search and pick up a helpful thread or two.

Important tip: if you're brining pieces (not a whole bird) DO NOT brine overnight. Two to three hours, tops.

A must! The results are outstanding...
I use a simple cup of salt and sugar per gallon of water. Find it keeps the yard bird very moist through the smoking process.

I have perhaps one of the most invaluable cooking resources at my disposal at all times called "On Food And Cooking", and thought you folks might like it's take on exactly how a brine works..

quote:

---

The tendency of modern meats to dry out led cooks to rediscover light brining, a traditional method in Scandinavia and elsewhere. The meats, typically poultry or pork, are immersed in a brine containing 3 to 6% salt by weight for anywhere from a few hours to two days (depending on thickness) before being cooked as usual. They come out noticeably juicier.

Brining has two initial effects. First, salt disrupts the structure of the muscle filaments. A 3% salt solution (2 tablespoons per quart/30 gm per liter) dissolves part of the protein structure that supports the contracting filaments, and a 5.5% solution (4 tablespoons per quart/60 gm per liter) partly dissolves the filaments themselves. Second, the interactions of salts and proteins result in a greater water-holding capacity in the muscle cells, which then absorb water from the brine. (The inward movement of salt and water and disruptions of the muscle filaments into the meat also increase it's absorption of aromatic molecules from any herbs and spices in the brine.) The meat's weight increases by 10% or more. When cooked, the meat sill loses around 20% of its weight in moisture, but this loss is counter-balanced by the brine absorbed, so the moisture loss is effectively cut in half. In addition, the dissolved protein filaments can't coagulate into normally dense aggregates, so the cooked meat seems tenderer. Because the brine works it's way in from the outside, it has it's earliest and strongest effects on the meat region most likely to be overcooked, so even a brief, incomplete soaking can make a difference.

The obvious disadvantage of brining is that it makes both the meat and it's drippings quite salty. Some recipes balance the saltiness by including sugar or such ingredients as fruit juice or buttermilk, which provide both sweetness and sourness.

---

Good to know. I hope mine does not come out too salty. I am going to try buttermilk and more spices next time with much less salt.

Salt, fresh thyme sprigs, brown sugar, sliced garlic

quote:

---

I am going to try buttermilk and more spices next time with much less salt.

---

Don't do this - keep with the prescribed ratio (1 cup salt to 1 gallon water / 1/4 cup salt to 1 quart water) along with all the extras - just tweak the time if your chicken comes out salty. Again, cut up chicken should be brined no more than 3 hours.

Nice looking yard bird.