Basic poultry brine
Grundlag för fågel
Five per cent salt, six hours, one chicken
You need
- 2 L cold water
- 100 g coarse salt (five per cent)
- 50 g sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 msk black peppercorns
Cold before the bird goes near it. Dissolve the salt and sugar in 5 dl of hot water, then top up with 1.5 L of cold. Warm brine on raw chicken is the one mistake here that is a safety problem and not a cooking one.
Submerge the bird completely; a plate on top will hold it under. Six hours for a 1.5 kg chicken, eight for a 2 kg one. Past ten hours the breast crosses from seasoned to spongy and there is no coming back from it.
Rinse, pat dry, then leave it uncovered in the fridge for an hour. A wet skin steams; it will not crisp, however good the fire is.
Brine in the fridge at 4 °C or below, never on the counter. Throw the brine away afterwards. Do not reuse it, and do not baste with it.Livsmedelsverket