To brine or not to brine, that is the question

Chicken before a 2.5 hour slow cook

When you cook poultry for long periods of time, the general recommendation is to soak the bird for a while in a solution of water, salt, sugar or honey, and other spices to help maintain juiciness and impart flavor when cooking it for long periods of time. The science of it is that when you soak poultry in a mixture of salt and liquid, the liquid will go through the cell walls into the poultry which adds moisture. As a test, if you weigh your chicken/turkey before you begin the brine and after you pull it from the brine, you will see that it weighs more after the soak. Salt also has a way of breaking down proteins which also helps tenderize the poultry. In a discussion a few months ago with my brother in law, the question came up as to whether I should brine chicken before putting it on the grill/smoker for long periods of time?  After going back and forth with this and debating the issue a little longer, I decided to pose the question to Chef JeffNathan of Abigaels Restaurant in the city. Accord to Chef Nathan, since kosher poultry is Kashered in salt and water (AKA a brine), in essence it has already been brined and does not need to be brined again. However, if you want to brine the chicken to add flavor, just make sure it is done without salt.