Citrus & Sage Brine

Everyone has their own method of keeping their poultry or pork moist while cooking it. From high temperature to low temperature, and vice versa, I have heard it all. In restaurants however, nothing reigns more supreme than a brine. Stripped down to the basics a brine is nothing more than a combination of water and salt that allows the the meat to absorb and retain the moisture even while cooking for a prolonged amount of time. So naturally its perfect for lean meats such as white meat on poultry and pork. A great baseline that I keep in mind when brining is 1 cup of kosher salt to every gallon of water, and 1 hour per pound. Also keep in mind that the weight is in reference to the unit as a whole. One 15 lb. bird will take 15 hours but 15 individual 1 pound chicken breasts will only need an hour in the brine. Here is my recipe for for this years turkey.

Citrus and Sage Brine Recipe

- 1.5 gall. Water
- 1.5 c. Kosher salt
- 3/4 c. Brown Sugar
- 2 lemon peels (using a peeler)
- 1 orange peel (using peeler)
- 1 bunch Sage
- 1 bunch Parsley
- 1 tbs Black Peppercorn
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 2 inch piece Ginger, sliced
- 2 Onions peeled and quartered
- 3 Garlic cloves

Procedure

- Place all ingredients except salt and herbs in a pot, bring to a simmer for 10 min.Remove and let cool.

- In your brine container place herbs and salt and bruise the herbs by rubbing the salt into them

- Mix the two together and stir until all of the salt dissolves

- Refrigerate and then add your meat