British BBQ Society Forums

Cheers for that, I,ll give it a go, would you recommend brining overnight or for a few hours in the morning before it goes on the grill in time for Sunday dinner

If using a brine at 7.5% you're looking at between four and eight hours but I'd advise you start off closer to 4 hours.

Steve - what's the effect if you go over the time with the brine? Cheers, Simon

It gets too salty if you leave it in brine. Effectively it starts to cure. Sometimes accidentally getting that effect is ok, sometimes it is rank. Trust me with my forgetfulness, I speak from experience.

I keep everything I learn as notes on my phone/tablet/puter. Here's my notes on brining chicken:

(sorry its in brain dump format)

Brining Chicken

Times:
Whole chicken 4 - 8 hours
Half chicken.    3 - 6 hours
Bone in skin on breasts 1 - 2 hours
Boneless skinless breasts 30-60mins
Legs/thighs skin-on 45-90mins
Legs/thighs skinless 30-45mins

Brine recipes

7.5% brine

75g salt
50g sugar
1l water

Dissolve salt & sugar in some of water then transfer to cold container and add rest of water

If using aromatics try

Crushed garlic
Onion
Bay
Lemon
Lime

Ah ok - thanks.

Those notes are really useful - thank you. Will definately try brining on the next chicken then.

Yes found that useful too, chickens brining in salt and sugar. Maybe too late to get a reply but would you apply a rub or baste too, or should the flavours be added to the brine? I'm serving the chicken with regular Sunday lunch roast potatoes, yorkshire etc

Well I was expecting that to be a complete disaster and almost wished I hadn't bothered. It was windy and raining just starting the charcoal chimney was a task lol. I soon realised that more charcoal was needed to bring the temp up to around 350f. And needed to make a makeshift cover using a piece of drainpipe with an umbrella in the top. I banked the coals on both sides. The chicken had been brining for 4 hours, Budweiser can inserted a quick baste using butter, thyme, onion powder and garlic powder.
Then disaster lol I placed the chicken on the grill and found I couldn't get the lid on my first instinct was to try and push the chicken further onto the can but only succeeded in crushing the can meaning chicken wouldn't stand and most of beer poured into chicken and drip tray, should have just placed it on the charcoal grate. So ended up cooking chicken, beer can still inserted but laying down breast side up. At this point was gutted, continued basting about every 30 mins. 1 hour 45 mins later chicken was at 180f. Rested for 15 mins and to my surprise it was the best most succulent chicken I've tasted daughter and wife thought so too. I can only assume the brining saved be day. Wish I had taken a pic it must have looked laughable to any neighbours.

It would only have seemed laughable if your neighbours know BBQ otherise it falls into the catagory of mysticism & magic

Lol Well the chicken certainly was magic.
Had I known the afternoon was going to turn out so good I would have waited a bit. It did make me wonder though about the conditions needed to maintain a good temperature, fitting the umbrella definately made a difference suggesting that the rainfall had more of a cooling effect than the wind chill. Makes me wonder if all that is needed to continue BBQ into the winter is a shelter above the BBQ