The Road to a Perfect Bird: Brining

Easter has come and gone and my oh my was the turkey delicious. I would love to say that it was my artful basting but...nope. Was it the extra few dollars I spent on a free range, local, heritage bird...Nope. I cheap-ed out on the bird and got a (still fresh not frozen) free range classic supermarket bird. To tell you the truth it was all due to the brine.

I learned about brine a few years ago and gave it a try with some pork chops I had. It worked and it was good but the work wasn’t equal to the payoff. Pork done right is naturally juicy. I called it a good theory and then packed it away in my bag of tricks. It wasn’t until recently I got my hands on Thomas Keller’s Brine recipe from Bouchon. It’s not difficult to do; the chicken and turkey it makes are unbelievable and stay moist.

If you’re going to roast a bird or have people over for dinner, put a little thought into it and make it something unbelievable with a good brining.

Bird Brine (adapted, played with and changed from Bouchon)

1 cup kosher salt

½ cup honey

15 bay leaves

1 head of garlic, smashed with skin left on

2 Tbsp peppercorns

3 sprigs rosemary

4-5 sprigs thyme

1 half bunch parsley sprigs

(Really any selection of herbage will do for the bird but I strongly suggest these three, good markets usually have a “poultry bag” of fresh herbs and it is usually the perfect mix)

Grated zest and juice of 2 lemons (if brining a chicken) or 2 oranges (if turkey)

Method:

• Combine all the ingredients in a large pot with 2 litres of water, bring to a boil and stir for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat, pour into a clean bowl and add 1 more litre of cold water.
• COMPLETELY chill before using. Accomplish this by either making the brine the night before or by using multiple ice baths to cool it down quickly.
• Place your turkey or chicken in a large pot and pour the brine over. It should completely cover the bird. If not, add water to cover. (My friend Josh recommends using a good clean new garbage bag, he places the bird and brine inside and then seals the bag tight to surround the whole bird with liquid)
• Place the pot (or bag) in the fridge and refrigerate for 6 hours for chicken or 8 hours for turkey.
• Remove the bird from the brine, rinse, pat dry and cook. See the article on the humble roast chicken.