first time brining today


 
P

Phil R.

TVWBB All-Star
Well seems like everyone's doing it (or done it) so I thought I'd try brining today. I'm using Chris' recipe in the "Perfect Chicken Skin" page. I'm brining a 4 lb. bird in 1 cup diamond crystal salt, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 gal water. I'm going to cook it at high heat (well, high for the WSM) 350ish.

Any advice? Should I rinse the bird after I take it out of the brine? I was just planning on patting it dry and then into the fridge uncovered for 1 hr to dry out the skin.
 
For a 'standard' brine (1/4 c salt/qt) there's no need to rinse normally. I make a slight exception for whole fowl. I don't make a big deal of rinsing the outside but I do rinse the cavities, then dry the entire bird inside and out with paper towels. Occasionally salt collects inside. It's optional though. For stronger/shorter brines (1/2 c salt/qt) I rinse briefly.

Separating the skin from the breast (gently, with your fingers) can help the crisp factor. Leave it attached in a spot or two on the bottom of the breast (nearest the main cavity) so that it doesn't shrink and expose the breast meat when cooking..
 
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