Chez Panisse Brine for Pork, Chicken and Turkey

By: UnknownChef86
Jul 29, 2005

This is a recipe I got from my brother. I haven't tried it yet, but he absolutely raved about it. Preparation time does not include brining time. Author's notes: Leave it to Alice Waters and her crew at Chez Panisse to come up with a recipe that's so simple and so brilliant it brings out the best in chicken, pork, or turkey. They've created a brine with sugar, salt, and just a few seasonings that infuse loads of flavor into the meats. To test how well the brine worked, I cooked two chickens side by side. One had been soaked in the brine for 24 hours, the other was simply roasted. Both cavities were filled with Italian parsley, preserved lemons, and onions, and cooked in a 400-degree oven. The difference was remarkable. While the regular roasted chicken had a deeper, richer skin color, the brined chicken was plump and juicy, albeit a little anemic in color. But the flavor was amazing and it was the moistest chicken I can ever remember eating. The next day I warmed the leftovers and the regular chicken was even drier and had that typical day-old taste, but the brined chicken still tasted moist and fresh. To achieve the browned skin you'll have to leave the chicken in the oven a little longer, but the meat will still be moist. We also tried a pork roast, brined for three days, and it came out fabulous, too. The leftovers were particularly good for sandwiches the next day. The recipe makes enough brine for a large turkey. If brining only one chicken or a pork roast, cut the recipe in half. Source: The Secrets of Success Cookbook by Michael Bauer