Brine Recipe Ratio:
1 Qt water. 6 T Morton Kosher Salt. ½-cup sugar. Dissolve all in water. Seal in brining container (I prefer a ziplock bag if it will fit, otherwise I have a large lidded cambro container I use).
Brine Time:
Brine refrigerated about 1 hour per pound - not less than30 minutes, nor more than 8 hours. Brine Time: Brine refrigerated about 1 hour per pound - not less than30 minutes, nor more than 8 hours.
After Brining:
HANGING IT OUT TO DRY (OPTIONAL BUT HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)
Brining does have one negative effect on chicken and turkey: Adding moisture to the skin as well as the flesh can prevent the skin from crisping when cooked. We found that air-drying, a technique used in many Chinese recipes for roast duck, solves this problem. Letting brined chicken and turkey dry uncovered in the refrigerator allows surface moisture to evaporate, making the skin visibly more dry and taut and therefore promoting crispness when cooked. Although this step is optional, if crisp skin is a goal, it’s worth the extra time. For best results, air-dry whole brined birds overnight. Brined chicken parts can be air-dried for several hours.
Transfer the brined bird to a heavy-duty cooling rack set over a rimmed baking sheet, pat the bird dry with paper towels, and refrigerate. The rack lifts the bird off the baking sheet, allowing air to circulate freely under the bird.
Roasting Prep:
Pat bird dry. Season cavity with salt, poultry seasoning and chunks of onion. Tie the legs. Brush outside with olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt, poultry seasoning, Italian Seasoning mix and cracked pepper.
Roasting:
Calculate TOTAL prep time at 20 minutes/pound. Roast at 325 (begin with bird tented with foil) for all but the last 45 minutes of the calculated total time, then the bird is removed from the oven, kept tightly covered with foil and allowed to rest, for those 45 minutes.
Uncover the bird for the last 1 hour of the time it’s to be in the actual oven. That usually gets the skin the right degree of brown. Drizzle allover (don’t brush) with additional olive oil 2-3 times during that last hour. If it’s not getting brown enough, you can always supplement some broiler time to increase browning.