I'm considering brining some chicken thighs for a day or

>>9214760
Two days is overkill.
but brining makes poultry delicious.

Chicken thighs don't need brining. They are fatty enough by themselves.

Do you own a smoker?

Brining makes things more moist....what are you doing wrong?????

>>9214802
Wat

>>9214760
brine them for 12 hours max imo, in a strong brine. it's not breasts so there's no real need to brine them longer. skip fresh herbs and cayenne, stick to dry spices like pepper, coriander, cumin, bay leaf, cinnamon, etc. i usually toast them first and leave them in whole

my typical chicken brine is:
salt/water ofc proportional to your batch and container
whole garlic cloves
black peppercorns
celery seeds
red pepper flakes if it really needs spice
a bay leaf
a pinch of sugar or two

I go minimal as well with chicken brine. Usually just salt, brown sugar and a few crushed cloves of garlic. For a whole roasting chicken I sometimes add a few sprigs of thyme or tarragon. I like to pepper it after the brining.

>>9214760
Why? Thighs don't need it. The fat makes them tender and moist. Brining will make them weird, rubbery and tough. Just marinate them with the spices and herbs you want + some kind of acid for 2 hours tops. Brining is for big old tough chicken or turkey breasts. Big old tough birds like that rarely even go to market, but when they do, they've usually already been brined, so to speak with a saline solution injection. But whatever. I had to learn the cause and effect of brining dark poultry meat firsthand, myself.

>>9214794
>brining raises fat content

>>9214813
>>9214822
Fair enough. I realize I totally blanked on garlic (I had planned to incorporate some into the cooking anyhow), but that works. Why no cayeene though? In my experience it's worked to give a little kick.

>>9214760
Putting spices in a brine is kind of pointless. They don't penetrate the meat or even adhere very well. Just oil up the meat and spice it before cooking.

>>9214802
What did he mean by this?

>>9214839
I think he meant they stay moist because, unlike breasts, they have high enough fat content.

>>9214844
basically
>>9214852
what this guy says. you'll be using more in the brine than you'd use to season right before cooking, so it's kind of a waste unless you have like a dried pepper to throw in.

i did forget that in my experience thyme is probably the only herb that flavors the brine noticeably when it's fresh. i'm not sure why but i haven't had much luck with others so i don't waste my time anymore

>>9214822
brown sugar is great too. but i despise tarragon. it just tastes like tea to me. never really understood why people like it

>>9214781
This. Two days is too long, even for a whole chicken. 5% salt, 4% sugar brine for 6-8 hours is plenty.

>>9214852
>They don't penetrate the meat

Absolutely false.

>>9214844
I usually add the cayenne and black pepper after brining but it would certainly work in the brine.

>>9214794
You don't cook much do ya?

Salt toughens protein