Bird Brine & Garlic Butter

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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.

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Garlic Butter

Ingredients
yield: 1 lb

note: if you don’t have a food processor, mince garlic into a bowl & fold in remaining ingredients.

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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

Brining Turkey

1. In a Large Pot, add water, salt, sugar, coriander, black pepper, aleppo, garlic, & bay leaf.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Turn off the heat & add thyme, & rosemary.
4. Let steep for 5 minutes.
5. Add ice into pot.
6. Add in cleaned bird into pot & cover.
7. Place in fridge for 12 hours.
8. Take bird out of brine, & pat dry with towels.

Buttering Turkey

1. With your hands, smear a thin layer of garlic butter under the skin of the breast & thighs.
2. Apply a thin layer to the exterior of the bird, & smooth out any butter bumps below the skin.
3. (Optional) Stuff cavity with 1 celery, ½ onion, 1 head of garlic, ½ orange.

Trussing Turkey

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place the bird with legs facing you.
3. Fold the wings behind the birds back.
4. 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.
5. Fold the twine in half, allowing both ends to meet.
6. In your left hand grab the “U” shaped end. In your right grab the 2 ends.
7. Come from underneath the legs & sling the two ends through the “U” shaped end. Wrap around & tie a knot
8. Take the two ends of the twine & hold them in both hands (left & right side of the legs).
9. 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).
10. 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.
11. Place in a roasting pan with rack.

Cooking Turkey

1. Place bird into oven at 425 F for 30 minutes.
2. Add water to bottom of the pan. About ¼ high & not touching the bird.
3. When timer is up, reduce temperature to 375 F turn & baste with any extra garlic butter.
4. Set timer for 30 minutes.
5. When timer is up, turn bird, baste, & insert thermometer into the thickest area of the thigh
6. 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 .

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Other 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 

Brining Chicken

1. In a Medium Pot, add in water, salt, sugar, coriander, black pepper, aleppo, garlic, & bay leaf.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Turn off the heat & add thyme, & rosemary.
4. Let steep for 5 minutes.
5. Add ice into pot.
6. Add in cleaned Chicken in pot & cover.
7. Place in fridge for 8 hours.
8. Take Chicken out of brine, & place onto a rack to dry in the fridge.

Buttering Chicken

1. With your hands, smear a thin layer of garlic butter under the skin of the breast & thighs.
2. Apply a thin layer to the exterior of the bird, & smooth out any butter bumps below the skin.
3. (Optional) Stuff cavity with 1 celery, ½ onion, 1 head of garlic, ½ orange.

Trussing Chicken

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place the bird with legs facing you.
3. Fold the wings behind the birds back.
4. 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.
5. Fold the twine in half, allowing both ends to meet.
6. In your left hand grab the “U” shaped end. In your right grab the 2 ends.
7. Come from underneath the legs & sling the two ends through the “U” shaped end. Wrap around & tie a knot.
8. Take the two ends of the twine & hold them in both hands (left & right side of the legs).
9. 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).
10. 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.
11. Place in a roasting pan with rack.

Cooking Chicken

1. Place bird into oven at 425 F for 15 minutes.
2. Add water to bottom of the pan. About ¼ high & not touching the bird.
3. When timer is up, reduce temperature to 375 F turn & baste with any extra garlic butter.
4. Set timer for 15 minutes.
5. When timer is up, turn bird, baste, & insert thermometer into the thickest area of the thigh.
6. 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 .

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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 

Brining Cornish Game Hen

1. In a Small Pot, add in water, salt, sugar, coriander, black pepper, aleppo, garlic, & bay leaf.
2. Bring to a boil.
3. Turn off the heat & add thyme, & rosemary.
4. Let steep for 5 minutes.
5. Add ice into pot.
6. Add in cleaned Cornish Game Hen into pot & cover.
7. Place in fridge for 1 hour.
8. Take bird out of brine, & pat dry with towels.

Buttering Cornish Game Hen

1. With your hands, smear a thin layer of garlic butter under the skin of the breast & thighs.
2. Apply a thin layer to the exterior of the bird, & smooth out any butter bumps below the skin.
3. (Optional) Stuff cavity with ¼ celery, 1 slice onion, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 slice of orange.

Trussing Cornish Game Hen

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place the bird with legs facing you.
3. Fold the wings behind the birds back.
4. 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.
5. Fold the twine in half, allowing both ends to meet.
6. In your left hand grab the “U” shaped end. In your right grab the 2 ends.
7. Come from underneath the legs & sling the two ends through the “U” shaped end. Wrap around & tie a knot.
8. Take the two ends of the twine & hold them in both hands (left & right side of the legs).
9. 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).
10. 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.
11. Place in a roasting pan with rack.

Cooking Cornish Game Hen

1. Place bird into oven at 425 F for 15 minutes.
2. Add water to bottom of the pan. About ¼ high & not touching the bird.
3. When timer is up, reduce temperature to 375 F turn & baste with any extra garlic butter.
4. Set timer for 20 minutes.
5. When timer is up, turn hen, baste, & insert thermometer into the thickest area of the thigh.
6. 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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