Salt Rub or No-Salt Rub after brining?

[ljroller]

Okay, I'm new at smoking meat. What I need to know is:
If I'm brining my chicken should I use a salt free rub or a rub that includes salt, and if so how much?
Any help would sure be appreciated...

 

[noboundaries]

It really depends on how much salt you are using in your brine.  I've seen brine recipes that call for 2 cups of salt in a gallon of water.  When I first brined a turkey many, many years ago, I used a store-bought brine that had about 2 cups of salt in it.  That birds was almost inedible because it was so salty. 

Personally, I only use 1/2 cup of salt per gallon.  It doesn't make the meat salty or mushy, and I can rub it with any of my normal rubs that contain salt. 

 

[daveomak]

LJ, afternoon....    When brining, an excellent method is to weigh the chicken and weigh 50% water (weight of the chicken)..  add the 2 weights and add 2% salt and any spices and herbs you like...  Zip bag it and refer for 2-3 days....   rinse... and season (no salt) for additional flavor and cook normal...   chicken or vegetable stock (no salt) can be substituted for the water....

Using this method, the meat never has too much salt and comes out moist and tender....

 

[noboundaries]

 
LJ, afternoon....    When brining, an excellent method is to weigh the chicken and weigh 50% water (weight of the chicken)..  add the 2 weights and add 2% salt and any spices and herbs you like...  Zip bag it and refer for 2-3 days....   rinse... and season (no salt) for additional flavor and cook normal...   chicken or vegetable stock (no salt) can be substituted for the water....

Using this method, the meat never has too much salt and comes out moist and tender....

That's great advice, Dave. 

I just brined and smoked two 6 lb chickens last weekend.  I did the rough math and came up with 6.5 oz of salt.  I poured 6.5 oz of table salt into a container zeroed out on a scale.  Roughly it was 2/3rds of a cup, not much more than what I used. 

 

[daveomak]

 

 
LJ, afternoon....    When brining, an excellent method is to weigh the chicken and weigh 50% water (weight of the chicken)..  add the 2 weights and add 2% salt and any spices and herbs you like...  Zip bag it and refer for 2-3 days....   rinse... and season (no salt) for additional flavor and cook normal...   chicken or vegetable stock (no salt) can be substituted for the water....

Using this method, the meat never has too much salt and comes out moist and tender....

That's great advice, Dave. 

I just brined and smoked two 6 lb chickens last weekend.  I did the rough math and came up with 6.5 oz of salt.  I poured 6.5 oz of table salt into a container zeroed out on a scale.  Roughly it was 2/3rds of a cup, not much more than what I used. 

I use that method for all my poultry.....  It can even be injected on big birds...   filter the brine so you don't plug up your injector......  1% sugar can be added for great flavor also...

 

[Rings Я Us]

Good to know. So you don't have to worry about compensating either way with normal rub volume.

 

[ljroller]

Thanks to all that responded, some really good advice in there.

I'm making my own rubs from assorted spices so, after hearing from you guys, I'll use half the salt that I normally use in my rubs.

As far as brining, I'll use 1/2 cup kosher salt & 1/2 cup of raw sugar per gallon of water. Should work...

 

[foamheart]

On a personal note rubbing a skin, I have found to be mostly a waste of time. Rubbing muscle on the other hand is great. I have yet to find a spice or herb which can permeate to the meat. IT maybe because I nearly always allow any meat to form a pellicle before smoking/grilling. I do salt and pepper the inside of a bird, but if I want internal flavor modifiers I either brine or inject. I injected all my life and came here to learn about brining.

Try it some time when you have a good cross section of folks. Because everyone will say it makes a difference if they now there is no rub. But you really only taste the rub when eating the skin.  

 

[3montes]

When i made my own brines I always used a low salt brine so I could go with longer brineing times. I now have been using Oak Ridge BBQ's  Game Changer Brine mix and I can mix it either full or half strength and then follow their recommended brineing times. Since I have been using their mix I have made some of the best chicken and pork I've ever made.

I use whatever rub I like after brineing and have never had a over salt problem. Also I usually mix the brine in mostly apple juice and some water. Probably 75% juice 25% water. The sugars in the juice will give you a crispier skin and a beautiful mahogany color on your poultry.

 

[troutman]

I usually let the salt in the brine stand alone and use a salt free rub/seasoning so there's no risk of over salting.  In my brining I generally do an average chicken in a pot that holds one gallon of water.  To that I add one cup of sugar then take a 2 cup measuring cup and add one cup of warm water and as much salt as it takes to raise the level to 1 1/2 cups.  That's then added to the brine along with my aromatics.  The yield on slat is about 8 oz. to the gallon.

You might also try dry brining which adds half teaspoon of salt per pound of poultry rubbing it under and on the skin.  Gives good results without all the wet mixing., although wet brining has the advantages of the aromatics and slightly better saturation.  I posted a comparison thread with smoked chicken.