Justin, I always brine my birds over night but reduce the amount of salt in the brine by half and I have never had a salty tasting bird. As far as the amount of wood you are talking about using, 4.15 oz in my opinion is too much. I'm afraid you will have a bitter tasting bird with that amount of smoke. I would suggest 3-3.25 ounces for starters and see how you like it this time. If you still want more smoke then add a little more on your next smoke until you get to what you like. Remember, you can always eat a lightly smoked bird but you can not eat an over smoked bird.