I love brined food especially chickens and turkey. Beef does well also (that's how they make corned beef). I don't often do seafood or pork except whole fish and fresh hams.
My brine is a little different. No liquid smoke.
For every gallon of water you need:
1/2 cup salt (salt lesson: kosher salt weighs less per cup than box salt. When using kosher salt in brines add 1/4 cup salt for every 1/2 cup used totaling 3/4 cup. Sea salt is one of the more expensive salts you can use and it has no flavor benefit, none, nada, zilch. Buy Morton's Kosher salt it is cheap)
1/2 cup brown sugar - light or dark packed
To this I like to add - for chicken and turkey:
couple of quartered oranges
couple of quartered lemons
and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme.
(instead of the lemon and orange, try some apple juice - unsweetened juice)
For beef add to the salt and sugar:
2 tbsp peppercorns
2 tbsp whole corriander
For Pork:
same as for chicken and turkey but as a twist try substituting molasses for the sugar add sliced fresh ginger or some other asian spices. Also try the apple juice. Do try to get unsweetened juice.
For fish and seafood:
same as chicken. Try spices like dill or tarragon in moderation. Tarragon is strong.
Brine has a lot of sugar which can burn on the meat turing it black. If this bothers you, don't brine.
To dry or not to dry? I suggest rinsing and drying the meat before cooking. Wet chicken and turkey can leave the skin rubbery. Sounds strange but dry the bird with a hair dryer works miracles for a good crispy skin.
You HAVE to refrigerate the meat while it brines. I had the benefit of an old refrigerator in the garage mostly used to keep beer in that I could remove a shelf and put a 5 gallon plastic bucket full of chickens or turkey in. You HAVE to use a non reactive container (non-metal) DO NOT use galvanized buckets. I have seen people use garbage bags in metal containers. I say do this at your own risk, at least double bag them. When brining using large zip lock bags use a ice chest full of ice for refrigeration. Open the drain to let the water out and keep the ice replaced.
How long does brine take?
Whole Chicken 3-8 hrs
Chicken Pieces 1-2 hrs
Whole Turkey 12 hrs-2 days
Turkey Breast 4-8 hrs
Cornish Game Hens 1-2 hrs
Shrimp & fish 1-2 hrs
Pork Chops 2-6 hrs
Pork Tenderloin 2-8 hrs
Fresh Ham 12 hrs-2 days
Pork Ribs 3-5 hours
Beef Ribs 4-6 hours
Beef Brisket 12-24 hours
Whole Pork Loin 1-3 days
That's probably all I know about brine.
No it isn't. Brined food cooks faster than non-brined food. Reduce cooking time by about 1/4 to 1/3.
