Chix Smoked on the Stubby DrumPit

Last night I decided I wanted to Brine some whole chickens.
The brine I used was 1/2 cup salt, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce, 1/4 cup Texas Pete, 1 Tablespoon Poultry Seasoning and 1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper. All into a pot with water and on the stove until it boiled. I stirred it a few minutes to allow every thing to dissolve and then added that to a 16 quart pot with ice cubes and enough cold water to fully submerge 4 whole chickens. Into the refrigerator overnite to do it's thing. When I got home from work today I drained and washed the chix and placed them on beer can holders back into the fridge to air dry. Once dry I used Vegetable oil to slick them down and applied Stubb's Rosemary and Ginger Rub....
Ready for the Smoke....


Stubby DrumPit coming to Temp....


Chix in the Smoke...


Looks Cozy....


Sexy,Sexy.......Needs to be a CenterFold.....:biggrin:

And the Verdict is in....Brining is the way to go!!!!
Next time I will definitely step up the Heat Aspect....Two Tablespoons of Cayenne and 1/2 cup of Texas Pete to start....
The heat was there but it fell short of what I was Hoping for...:biggrin:

BobBrisket said:

Could you maybe float some fresh habs in the brine? That will pump the heat up a bit. I need to try my hand at brining.

Click to expand...

Next time I will give that a try, what could it hurt?....:biggrin:

Addendum....Something I have learned from using the Stubby Drumpit...
I use a Disc Harrow blade covered in Aluminum foil as a Heat Shield since the Charcoal is so much closer to the cooking grate than with my Taller Drumpit, and I have found that turning the Chickens 45 degrees every 30 minutes helps to cook the chickens evenly. Also, I start the cooking at 250* and let the Drumpit slowly increase Temp to 325* over the Three hours it takes to finish the Chickens. At the Three Hour Mark the Chickens were 170* in the Breast and 180* in the Thigh, the Brining aided in keeping the Meat Moist and Juicy.