Brined Christmas Turkey (or Chicken)

Originally this was our chosen recipe for Thanksgiving turkey.  Even though it would just be me, my husband and his mother, I wanted to go all out and make a traditional Thanksgiving feast which would include a Turkey bigger than necessary.  Left overs?  YES PLEASE!

Our fabulous brined bird just out of the oven

Over the years I have experimented with several brine recipes and they all left me feeling under-whelmed.  All the time and effort in brining a bird and they all tasted the same and a bit boring.  Then I stumbled on to Alton Brown's recipe on Food Network website.  The tables have turned.

This recipe to me screams Christmas and we will be doing this again and again.  My husband has proclaimed it his new favorite way to prepare chicken.  Everything about this recipe has a very homey, comfort food aroma and taste.  One word of caution:  cut way back on all ingredients when brining a chicken vs a turkey.  Our first chicken brined this way was a wee bit heavy on the aromatics but delicious non-the-less.

I must also throw a shout out to the fabulous guys who provided us with the amazing roasting hens. Solace Farms, Home of The Fancy Chicken is a remarkable CSA program offering organic veggies and farm fresh eggs and poultry.  Every time we get a roasting hen from the guys I take extra care in preparing it in healthy, delicious way.  Mark Harrison and Michael Meilak, this recipe is for you guys.  

Ingredients
1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen or fresh young turkey (remember, when using a chicken, cut back on the brine and aromatics ingredients accordingly)

For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup coconut sugar (was brown sugar)
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water


For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Coconut oil (was canola oil)


Directions
2 to 3 days before roasting:
Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, coconut sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Aromatics (minus the allspice berries.  I only had ground allspice on hand)

Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat (we let both birds (turkey & chicken) brine for over 24 hrs:

Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey or chicken (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Our Big Bird taking a dip

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's or chicken's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with coconut oil.

Aromatics being prepared

Aromatics ready for the bird

Our "Fancy Chicken" being stuffed with aromatics

The next set of instructions is for the TURKEY ONLY.  The chicken requires much less time but follow the rule of 161 degrees F.  Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

A beautifully roasted and brined bird

Fresh from our garden green beans and assorted greens from Solace Farms CSA.

Braised Short Ribs

My version of Braised Short Ribs as adapted from Food & Wine "Chef Recipes Made Easy"

Magnificent.  Total and compete deliciousness. Awe-inspiring.  And, I must admit to never before really buying into the "depth of flavor" catch phrase, until now.  There is depth, width, height, multidimensional flavor coursing through this dish.  Try it now.  Don't wait.  Run to the butcher.

That said, before trying this recipe, do not do what I did.  Do not go to the store without a plan, discover short ribs behind the meat counter and then think you will be making them for dinner.  You will be sad.  Very, very sad.  This recipe requires forethought and planning.  It requires patience and time.  Lots of time. Like days of time (Don't panic.  It will all be so worth it)

The beautiful short ribs I thought I would be whipping up for dinner one night.

 Ingredients (six servings)
2 Tbs Coconut Oil
6 short ribs cut about 2 inches thick
Himalayan Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large onion chopped
2 sliced carrots
5 thickly sliced garlic cloves
One 750 Mil bottle dry red wine (We used a Malbec)
4 thyme sprigs
3 C chicken stock

Active time One hour  Total 3 hours 15 min + overnight marinating.

The sizzling ribs browning in my favorite pan.

In a large skillet, heat the oil.  Season the ribs with salt and pepper, add them to the skillet and cook over moderate heat, turning once, until browned and crusty. (Patience is key) Transfer the ribs to a shallow baking dish.  (See photo below which includes marinade)

Almost ready to move to the shallow baking dish.

 On to the marinade (where I got so involved in chopping and cooking that I forgot to photo document).  Add the onion, carrots, and garlic to the same skillet used for cooking the ribs.  Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until soft and lightly browned.  Add the wine and thyme and bring to a boil over high heat.  Pour hot marinade over the ribs and let cool.  Next, cover and  pop in the fridge overnight, turning the ribs once.

Our marinade boiling before pouring over the ribs.

End of day one of cooking frenzy.  The smell in the kitchen is heavenly and these babies are ready for the fridge.

 Day Two
Preheat the oven to 350.  Transfer the ribs and marinade to a large enameled cast-iron casserole.  Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Cover and cook in the lower third of the over for 90 min or until the meet is tender but not falling apart.  Uncover and braise for 45 minutes longer.  Turn the ribs once or twice until the sauce is reduced by half

Almost done!

 Transfer the meat to a clean shallow baking dish and discard any bones if they fall off. Strain the sauce into a a heat proof measuring cup and skim off as much fat as possible.  Pour the sauce over the meat. Quite frankly, this is where I transferred the meat directly to my plate.  (I skipped the next broiler section.  It was late.  We were hungry and the dish smelled so divine we couldn't wait any longer)  If you chose to continue on....Preheat the broiler.  Broil the meat, turning once or twice, until glazed and sizzling, about ten minutes.  Now you patient chefs can transfer the meat to plates and spoon the sauce on top and serve.  Enjoy!

Enjoy the flavors, the aroma and the experience.  Fun and over the top delicious!

Served over grilled Non Gmo sweet corn.