I need help I have been smoking salmon for some time with great success but
I now fancy making some hot smoked chicken. I think it will need soaking in
brine first but what strength and for how long and should I add some salt
peter [potassium nitrate]
TIA
Diane


--
Never drive faster than your angel can fly

Diane Epps wrote:
> I need help I have been smoking salmon for some time with great
> success but I now fancy making some hot smoked chicken. I think it
> will need soaking in brine first but what strength and for how long
> and should I add some salt peter [potassium nitrate]
> TIA
> Diane

What temps are you planning on?


--

Diane Epps wrote:
> I need help I have been smoking salmon for some time with great
> success but I now fancy making some hot smoked chicken. I think it
> will need soaking in brine first but what strength and for how long
> and should I add some salt peter [potassium nitrate]
> TIA
> Diane

What temps are you planning on?


--

Diane Epps wrote:

> I need help I have been smoking salmon for some time with great success but
> I now fancy making some hot smoked chicken. I think it will need soaking in
> brine first but what strength and for how long and should I add some salt
> peter [potassium nitrate]

IME, brining is optional. I've never thought of curing chicken, but if
you are going to cold smoke the chicken, I would think you would have
to. I smoke my chickens at ~275 for 4 to 5 hours after a liberal
application of Old Bay Seasoning. It comes out great.

Matthew

--
Thermodynamics and/or Golf for dummies: There is a game
You can't win
You can't break even
You can't get out of the game

Diane Epps wrote:

> I need help I have been smoking salmon for some time with great success but
> I now fancy making some hot smoked chicken. I think it will need soaking in
> brine first but what strength and for how long and should I add some salt
> peter [potassium nitrate]

IME, brining is optional. I've never thought of curing chicken, but if
you are going to cold smoke the chicken, I would think you would have
to. I smoke my chickens at ~275 for 4 to 5 hours after a liberal
application of Old Bay Seasoning. It comes out great.

Matthew

--
Thermodynamics and/or Golf for dummies: There is a game
You can't win
You can't break even
You can't get out of the game

Diane Epps wrote:

> I need help I have been smoking salmon for some time with great success but
> I now fancy making some hot smoked chicken. I think it will need soaking in
> brine first but what strength and for how long and should I add some salt
> peter [potassium nitrate]

IME, brining is optional. I've never thought of curing chicken, but if
you are going to cold smoke the chicken, I would think you would have
to. I smoke my chickens at ~275 for 4 to 5 hours after a liberal
application of Old Bay Seasoning. It comes out great.

Matthew

--
Thermodynamics and/or Golf for dummies: There is a game
You can't win
You can't break even
You can't get out of the game

Any poultry is helped by brining for 4-5 hours or for overnight. The
latter for whole bird. My brine mixture = 1-2oz table salt, noniodized
and 2-4oz sugar per quart of water with whatever seasoning you want, all
by weight. For a very low temp use more salt, though 2oz/quart works.
For just cooking, use 1oz salt/quart H20. In general, for any brining
seasoning to take any effect it should be a strong assertive addition,
like clove, or allspice, etc.
We do this even if we are just grilling. The above ratios I use if I am
going to cook at a lower temp than usual, less than 200F.
What do you do to get successful salmon smoking??? Mine never works! Any
thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks
Kent

Diane Epps wrote:
>
> I need help I have been smoking salmon for some time with great success but
> I now fancy making some hot smoked chicken. I think it will need soaking in
> brine first but what strength and for how long and should I add some salt
> peter [potassium nitrate]
> TIA
> Diane
>
> --
> Never drive faster than your angel can fly

Any poultry is helped by brining for 4-5 hours or for overnight. The
latter for whole bird. My brine mixture = 1-2oz table salt, noniodized
and 2-4oz sugar per quart of water with whatever seasoning you want, all
by weight. For a very low temp use more salt, though 2oz/quart works.
For just cooking, use 1oz salt/quart H20. In general, for any brining
seasoning to take any effect it should be a strong assertive addition,
like clove, or allspice, etc.
We do this even if we are just grilling. The above ratios I use if I am
going to cook at a lower temp than usual, less than 200F.
What do you do to get successful salmon smoking??? Mine never works! Any
thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks
Kent

Diane Epps wrote:
>
> I need help I have been smoking salmon for some time with great success but
> I now fancy making some hot smoked chicken. I think it will need soaking in
> brine first but what strength and for how long and should I add some salt
> peter [potassium nitrate]
> TIA
> Diane
>
> --
> Never drive faster than your angel can fly

Chickens smoke just fine. What is your definition of Smoking? My
definition would include smoking at 175F.

Eddie wrote:
>
> On Thu, 26 Aug 2004 17:06:53 GMT, "Diane Epps" >
> wrote:
>
> >I need help I have been smoking salmon for some time with great success but
> >I now fancy making some hot smoked chicken. I think it will need soaking in
> >brine first but what strength and for how long and should I add some salt
> >peter [potassium nitrate]
> >TIA
> >Diane
> Diane, I think I may have read it on this group, or maybe on ABF. In
> any case iirc someone, and many agreed, that chicken is best not
> smoked. (or words to that effect)
> Seems grilling is the preferred method. I myself did two on my K and
> must say I do prefer grilling.
> But, it's your chicken.
> Eddie

Chickens smoke just fine. What is your definition of Smoking? My
definition would include smoking at 175F.

Eddie wrote:
>
> On Thu, 26 Aug 2004 17:06:53 GMT, "Diane Epps" >
> wrote:
>
> >I need help I have been smoking salmon for some time with great success but
> >I now fancy making some hot smoked chicken. I think it will need soaking in
> >brine first but what strength and for how long and should I add some salt
> >peter [potassium nitrate]
> >TIA
> >Diane
> Diane, I think I may have read it on this group, or maybe on ABF. In
> any case iirc someone, and many agreed, that chicken is best not
> smoked. (or words to that effect)
> Seems grilling is the preferred method. I myself did two on my K and
> must say I do prefer grilling.
> But, it's your chicken.
> Eddie

On Wed, 27 Mar 2002 16:09:07 -0600, "Richard Jones"
> wrote:

>That sounds great. I won't slow cook a bird without a brine - it
adds so
>much. I have one question, though. Is it ok to use those vegetables
from
>the brine to eat? I know you cook them & everything, but they always
say
>never heat up & use your marinade. Is it the same for brine veggies?
>
>rj

>BTW, I forgot to mention the smoked and grilled corn I cooked also
:-)
>As far as the veggies are concerned seeing how they were used in a
>brine that contained chicken I made sure to saute them pretty hard.
>As long as the temp reaches 175 degrees any bacteria should be
killed.
>I ate quite a bit of it and did not have any negative effects. Yes,
>my mouth was on fire, but that is a good thing!

As a poster alreay said cooking at that temp kills the bacteria but
the toxin it has already produced will still be present.

That being said I dont quite understand why the bacteria would grow
any more in the marinade than it would in the piece of chicken unless
the increased amount of liquid present is the cause.

Jesse

On Wed, 27 Mar 2002 16:09:07 -0600, "Richard Jones"
> wrote:

>That sounds great. I won't slow cook a bird without a brine - it
adds so
>much. I have one question, though. Is it ok to use those vegetables
from
>the brine to eat? I know you cook them & everything, but they always
say
>never heat up & use your marinade. Is it the same for brine veggies?
>
>rj

>BTW, I forgot to mention the smoked and grilled corn I cooked also
:-)
>As far as the veggies are concerned seeing how they were used in a
>brine that contained chicken I made sure to saute them pretty hard.
>As long as the temp reaches 175 degrees any bacteria should be
killed.
>I ate quite a bit of it and did not have any negative effects. Yes,
>my mouth was on fire, but that is a good thing!

As a poster alreay said cooking at that temp kills the bacteria but
the toxin it has already produced will still be present.

That being said I dont quite understand why the bacteria would grow
any more in the marinade than it would in the piece of chicken unless
the increased amount of liquid present is the cause.

Jesse

Diane Epps wrote:

> I need help I have been smoking salmon for some time with great success but
> I now fancy making some hot smoked chicken. I think it will need soaking in
> brine first but what strength and for how long and should I add some salt
> peter [potassium nitrate]
> TIA
> Diane
>
>

If your hot smoking, brining is not necessary, but maybe desired. If
your cold smoking, I have no experience. Think Ed has some information
on cold smoking on his web page, IIRC.

Many around here use use a citrus brine developed by Hound. For one
chicken, you can half the recipe.

Hound's Citrus Brined Chicken

Prepare the brine:
1 gallon water
1 cup Kosher salt or 1/2 cup table salt
juice of 3 oranges
juice of three limes
juice of three lemons
rinds from same
1 sliced white onion
1 head of garlic, crushed
stems from a bunch of cilantro, chopped
serranos to taste, minimum of 4
rough ground cumin and coriander 2 Tbsp each
1/4 cup chili powder or any ground chile you prefer
(1/4 cup onion powder is optional)
(1/4cup garlic powder is optional)

Place the bird(s) and plenty of brine solution in a ziploc bag(s) and
leave refrigerated overnight prior to cooking. A cooler works fine also.
I use a 5 gal beverage cooler for all but the biggest turkeys. Frozen
soda bottles, or ice can be used to keep the cold. {8 lbs of ice= 1
gallon of water} An hour before cooking take the bird out and
thoroughly wash it down with cold water for at least 30 seconds. You
can place aromatics like garlic heads, apples, citrus in the cavity of
the bird for the cooking. I like also to place orange slices between
skin and meat. Smoke rear end of chicken toward the fire for 45
minutes/lb @ 225°F until the thigh is about 170°F. You can rotate as
necessary to avoid charring. Cooking this way will result in inedible
skin, but juicy chicken. If you like the crispy skin then place the
chicken near the firebox. This works for either chickens or turkeys.
If you eliminate the brine (salt and water) the rest of the recipe makes
an excellent marinade for grilled chicken.

I cooked a chicken using this brine recipe a couple of months ago. I
was very pleased with the results. I smoked it at about 300° about 3
hours and should have taken it off sooner. But it was still very good
that evening. The next day the breast meat was a little too dry.

Happy Q'en,
BBQ

Diane Epps wrote:

> I need help I have been smoking salmon for some time with great success but
> I now fancy making some hot smoked chicken. I think it will need soaking in
> brine first but what strength and for how long and should I add some salt
> peter [potassium nitrate]
> TIA
> Diane
>
>

If your hot smoking, brining is not necessary, but maybe desired. If
your cold smoking, I have no experience. Think Ed has some information
on cold smoking on his web page, IIRC.

Many around here use use a citrus brine developed by Hound. For one
chicken, you can half the recipe.

Hound's Citrus Brined Chicken

Prepare the brine:
1 gallon water
1 cup Kosher salt or 1/2 cup table salt
juice of 3 oranges
juice of three limes
juice of three lemons
rinds from same
1 sliced white onion
1 head of garlic, crushed
stems from a bunch of cilantro, chopped
serranos to taste, minimum of 4
rough ground cumin and coriander 2 Tbsp each
1/4 cup chili powder or any ground chile you prefer
(1/4 cup onion powder is optional)
(1/4cup garlic powder is optional)

Place the bird(s) and plenty of brine solution in a ziploc bag(s) and
leave refrigerated overnight prior to cooking. A cooler works fine also.
I use a 5 gal beverage cooler for all but the biggest turkeys. Frozen
soda bottles, or ice can be used to keep the cold. {8 lbs of ice= 1
gallon of water} An hour before cooking take the bird out and
thoroughly wash it down with cold water for at least 30 seconds. You
can place aromatics like garlic heads, apples, citrus in the cavity of
the bird for the cooking. I like also to place orange slices between
skin and meat. Smoke rear end of chicken toward the fire for 45
minutes/lb @ 225°F until the thigh is about 170°F. You can rotate as
necessary to avoid charring. Cooking this way will result in inedible
skin, but juicy chicken. If you like the crispy skin then place the
chicken near the firebox. This works for either chickens or turkeys.
If you eliminate the brine (salt and water) the rest of the recipe makes
an excellent marinade for grilled chicken.

I cooked a chicken using this brine recipe a couple of months ago. I
was very pleased with the results. I smoked it at about 300° about 3
hours and should have taken it off sooner. But it was still very good
that evening. The next day the breast meat was a little too dry.

Happy Q'en,
BBQ

Diane: I just smoked two chickens on a WSM and they turned out great
with lots of smoky flavor. I chose not to brine this time altho I've
done that before with good success. It is important to smoke a chicken
to the proper temperature. I used a wireless probe type temperature
device which allows me to monitor the chickens' temp from inside the
house. I found the best way to prepare the chicken is to cut out its
back bone by making two cuts along side the back bone with a kitchen
shear. Lay the chicken out flat after a thorough cleaning and blotting.
With a flat knife like a cleaver, gently whack the chicken to
slightly flatten it so it lays flat on the grill. Trim off excess fat.
Keep the bird in one piece. After you season it (I used a dry rub)for
several hours, smoke the chicken(s) to 180 degrees. I pulled the
chickens out after they attained 175 degrees and then lightly covered
them in foil where they will gain about 5-10 degrees. Do not cut into
them for 10-15 minutes so the juices will be absorbed. Delicious.......

Diane Epps wrote:
> I need help I have been smoking salmon for some time with great success but
> I now fancy making some hot smoked chicken. I think it will need soaking in
> brine first but what strength and for how long and should I add some salt
> peter [potassium nitrate]
> TIA
> Diane
>
>

Diane: I just smoked two chickens on a WSM and they turned out great
with lots of smoky flavor. I chose not to brine this time altho I've
done that before with good success. It is important to smoke a chicken
to the proper temperature. I used a wireless probe type temperature
device which allows me to monitor the chickens' temp from inside the
house. I found the best way to prepare the chicken is to cut out its
back bone by making two cuts along side the back bone with a kitchen
shear. Lay the chicken out flat after a thorough cleaning and blotting.
With a flat knife like a cleaver, gently whack the chicken to
slightly flatten it so it lays flat on the grill. Trim off excess fat.
Keep the bird in one piece. After you season it (I used a dry rub)for
several hours, smoke the chicken(s) to 180 degrees. I pulled the
chickens out after they attained 175 degrees and then lightly covered
them in foil where they will gain about 5-10 degrees. Do not cut into
them for 10-15 minutes so the juices will be absorbed. Delicious.......

Diane Epps wrote:
> I need help I have been smoking salmon for some time with great success but
> I now fancy making some hot smoked chicken. I think it will need soaking in
> brine first but what strength and for how long and should I add some salt
> peter [potassium nitrate]
> TIA
> Diane
>
>