Special Equipment: Scale, Chef Knife, Food Processor, Small Pot, or Large Pot, Twine, Roasting Pan, Thermometer
Serves: between 2 – 10
Level: Medium
Shopping List
shopping list is for turkey recipe, scale down accordingly per chicken & cornish game hen recipes.
Produce
3 Each Garlic Heads
1 Each Onion
1 Stalk Celery
½Bunch Parsley
1 ½ Bunch Rosemary
3 Bay leaf
1 Bunch Thyme
2 Each Orange
1 Each Grapefruit
Dry Goods
24 Vol. Oz Kosher Salt
7.2 Vol. Oz Light Brown Sugar
4 Tablespoon Coriander, whole
1 Tablespoon Black Pepper, whole
1 Tablespoon Aleppo
Meat
1 (12-20Lb) Turkey
Dairy
1Lb Unsalted Butter
Other
8 Qt Ice
Garlic Butter
Ingredients
yield: 1 lb
1Lb | 453g Unsalted Butter, room temp
2 Clove | 10g Garlic
½ Bunch | 26g Parsley, chopped
½ Sprig | 5g Rosemary, chopped
- Using a food processor, add in butter & garlic.
- Puree until smooth.
- Fold in chopped parsley & rosemary.
- Refrigerate or slather on bird when ready.
note: if you don’t have a food processor, mince garlic into a bowl & fold in remaining ingredients.
Brine Spices
For those who received the Brine Spices, Add the spices into the pot at step 1.
Turkeys – Use the entire spice kit
Chickens – Use 1/2 of the kit
Game Hens – Use 1/4 of the kit

Turkey
Ingredients
1 Each (12-20 Lbs)
Brine Time: 8-12 hr
24 Vol. Oz | 500g Kosher Salt
7.2 Vol. Oz | 140g Light Brown Sugar
5 ¾ Quart | 5100g Water
8 Qt | 4000g Ice
4 Tablespoon | 18g Coriander, whole
1 Tablespoon | 7g Black Pepper, whole
1 Tablespoon | 5g Aleppo
1 head Garlic
3 Bay Leaf
1 Bunch Thyme
1 Bunch Rosemary
1 Each Orange
1 Each Grapefruit
Compound Butter – as needed
Method
Brining Turkey
- In a Large Pot, add water, salt, sugar, coriander, black pepper, aleppo, garlic, & bay leaf.
- Bring to a boil.
- Turn off the heat & add thyme, & rosemary.
- Let steep for 5 minutes.
- Add ice into pot.
- Add in cleaned bird into pot & cover.
- Place in fridge for 12 hours.
- Take bird out of brine, & pat dry with towels.
Buttering Turkey
- With your hands, smear a thin layer of garlic butter under the skin of the breast & thighs.
- Apply a thin layer to the exterior of the bird, & smooth out any butter bumps below the skin.
- (Optional) Stuff cavity with 1 celery, ½ onion, 1 head of garlic, ½ orange.
Trussing Turkey
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place the bird with legs facing you.
- Fold the wings behind the birds back.
- Cut a piece of twine that is the length of 2 – 2 ½ yards in length. The length all depends on how big the bird is. Cut a large piece of twine to be safe.
- Fold the twine in half, allowing both ends to meet.
- In your left hand grab the “U” shaped end. In your right grab the 2 ends.
- Come from underneath the legs & sling the two ends through the “U” shaped end. Wrap around & tie a knot
- Take the two ends of the twine & hold them in both hands (left & right side of the legs).
- Cross lines underneath the tail of the bird & tie snug. The tail should rise up toward the legs. (When tightening, keep hands angled toward the lower back of the bird. This will prevent the twine from slipping).
- Bring both strings up from the side of the bird to the crown (where the head would be), & cross to come back down the side to the feet & tail.
- Place in a roasting pan with rack.
Cooking Turkey
- Place bird into oven at 425 F for 30 minutes.
- Add water to bottom of the pan. About ¼ high & not touching the bird.
- When timer is up, reduce temperature to 375 F turn & baste with any extra garlic butter.
- Set timer for 30 minutes.
- When timer is up, turn bird, baste, & insert thermometer into the thickest area of the thigh
- Once temperature reaches 165 degrees F, take the bird out and allow to rest for 15-30 minutes before slicing.
note: If the bird isn’t up to temperature & is too brown, place aluminum foil over until it has cooked to temperature .
powered by CrowdcastOther Poultry Options:
Chicken
Ingredients
1 Each (2½-4 Lbs)
Brine Time: 8 hr
18 Vol. Oz | 375g Kosher Salt
5.4 Vol. Oz | 105g Light Brown Sugar
4 ⅓ Quart | 3835g Water
6 Quart |3007g Ice
2 Tablespoon | 9g Coriander, whole
2 Teaspoon | 3g Black Pepper, whole
2 Teaspoon | 4 g Aleppo
¾ Head of Garlic
2 Bay Leaf
¾ Bunch Thyme
¾ Bunch Rosemary
¾ Each Orange
¾ Each Grapefruit
Method
Brining Chicken
- In a Medium Pot, add in water, salt, sugar, coriander, black pepper, aleppo, garlic, & bay leaf.
- Bring to a boil.
- Turn off the heat & add thyme, & rosemary.
- Let steep for 5 minutes.
- Add ice into pot.
- Add in cleaned Chicken in pot & cover.
- Place in fridge for 8 hours.
- Take Chicken out of brine, & place onto a rack to dry in the fridge.
Buttering Chicken
- With your hands, smear a thin layer of garlic butter under the skin of the breast & thighs.
- Apply a thin layer to the exterior of the bird, & smooth out any butter bumps below the skin.
- (Optional) Stuff cavity with 1 celery, ½ onion, 1 head of garlic, ½ orange.
Trussing Chicken
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place the bird with legs facing you.
- Fold the wings behind the birds back.
- Cut a piece of twine that is the length of 2 – 2 ½ yards in length. The length all depends on how big the bird is. Cut a large piece of twine to be safe.
- Fold the twine in half, allowing both ends to meet.
- In your left hand grab the “U” shaped end. In your right grab the 2 ends.
- Come from underneath the legs & sling the two ends through the “U” shaped end. Wrap around & tie a knot.
- Take the two ends of the twine & hold them in both hands (left & right side of the legs).
- Cross lines underneath the tail of the bird & tie snug. The tail should rise up toward the legs. (When tightening, keep hands angled toward the lower back of the bird. This will prevent the twine from slipping).
- Bring both strings up from the side of the bird to the crown (where the head would be), & cross to come back down the side to the feet & tail.
- Place in a roasting pan with rack.
Cooking Chicken
- Place bird into oven at 425 F for 15 minutes.
- Add water to bottom of the pan. About ¼ high & not touching the bird.
- When timer is up, reduce temperature to 375 F turn & baste with any extra garlic butter.
- Set timer for 15 minutes.
- When timer is up, turn bird, baste, & insert thermometer into the thickest area of the thigh.
- Once temperature reaches 165 degrees F, take the bird out and allow to rest for 15-30 minutes before slicing.
note: If the bird isn’t up to temperature & is too brown, place aluminum foil over until it has cooked to temperature .
Cornish Hen
Ingredients
1 Each (½ – 1½ Lbs)
Brine Time: 1 hour
6 Vol. Oz | 125g Kosher Salt
1.8 Vol. Oz | 35g Light Brown Sugar
1 ½ Quart Quart | 1275g Water
2 Qt | 1000g Ice
1 Tablespoon | 4g Coriander, whole
1 Teaspoon | 1g Black Pepper, whole
1 Teaspoon | 2g Aleppo
¼ Head of Garlic
1 Bay Leaf
¼ Bunch Thyme
¼ Bunch Rosemary
¼ Each Orange
¼ Each Grapefruit
Method
Brining Cornish Game Hen
- In a Small Pot, add in water, salt, sugar, coriander, black pepper, aleppo, garlic, & bay leaf.
- Bring to a boil.
- Turn off the heat & add thyme, & rosemary.
- Let steep for 5 minutes.
- Add ice into pot.
- Add in cleaned Cornish Game Hen into pot & cover.
- Place in fridge for 1 hour.
- Take bird out of brine, & pat dry with towels.
Buttering Cornish Game Hen
- With your hands, smear a thin layer of garlic butter under the skin of the breast & thighs.
- Apply a thin layer to the exterior of the bird, & smooth out any butter bumps below the skin.
- (Optional) Stuff cavity with ¼ celery, 1 slice onion, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 slice of orange.
Trussing Cornish Game Hen
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Place the bird with legs facing you.
- Fold the wings behind the birds back.
- Cut a piece of twine that is the length of 2 – 2 ½ yards in length. The length all depends on how big the Hen is. Cut a large piece of twine to be safe.
- Fold the twine in half, allowing both ends to meet.
- In your left hand grab the “U” shaped end. In your right grab the 2 ends.
- Come from underneath the legs & sling the two ends through the “U” shaped end. Wrap around & tie a knot.
- Take the two ends of the twine & hold them in both hands (left & right side of the legs).
- Cross lines underneath the tail of the bird & tie snug. The tail should rise up toward the legs. (When tightening, keep hands angled toward the lower back of the bird. This will prevent the twine from slipping).
- Bring both strings up from the side of the bird to the crown (where the head would be), & cross to come back down the side to the feet & tail.
- Place in a roasting pan with rack.
Cooking Cornish Game Hen
- Place bird into oven at 425 F for 15 minutes.
- Add water to bottom of the pan. About ¼ high & not touching the bird.
- When timer is up, reduce temperature to 375 F turn & baste with any extra garlic butter.
- Set timer for 20 minutes.
- When timer is up, turn hen, baste, & insert thermometer into the thickest area of the thigh.
- Once temperature reaches 165 degrees F, take the bird out & allow to rest for 15-30 minutes before slicing.
note: If the bird isn’t up to temperature & is too brown, place aluminum foil over until it has cooked to temperature.
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