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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Aromatics being prepared |
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| Aromatics ready for the bird |
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| 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.
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| A beautifully roasted and brined bird |
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| Fresh from our garden green beans and assorted greens from Solace Farms CSA. |
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