We brine our chickens right away. We use pickling salt at a half cup of salt per gallon and the water temp is 43-47 degrees for 24 hours. We find that this method works very well to help the resting/tenderizing process. After brining the birds for 24 hours we rinse them thoroughly and put them in a fresh water bath for another hour. Pull them out dry them and vacuum pack each one. They then go back into the refrigerator for 2 days before freezing. This has worked very well especially with older hens and roo's that you want to roast.
The only time we don't brine for a full day is when we are going to can the chicken meat. We use a pressure cooker for this and add salt and flavoring then.
Hope this helps.
The only time we don't brine for a full day is when we are going to can the chicken meat. We use a pressure cooker for this and add salt and flavoring then.
Hope this helps.