Brine time

The Girl and I had a little too much fun making pies and brine the day before Thanksgiving.  

We set everything out on the kitchen table, make a couple of Rum Chata cocktails, and got to work! (The Girl has decided she likes playing bartender)

 I read the recipe out to her and she did all the mixing and such.

 Things got silly.

But the brine was fabulous, as always, and the bird was sooo good.  We did a small bird for Thanksgiving, so we might buy another that we can brine and smoke for meals over the holidays.  Here is my tried and true brine recipe:

Camp Rustown Brine
*for a 12-18 pound bird

2 c. kosher salt (NOT iodized table salt)
3 T black peppercorns
1 c. bourbon
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
2 T dried rosemary
3-5 dried bay leaves (depending on their size)
the peel of an orange
2 gallons warm water

 We added the water to the ingredients just before brining, stirring to dissolve the salt.  Then Hubby loaded the bird and brine into a small cooler, added a bag of ice to the top, and set it in the garage overnight.  The next day we "spatchcocked" the bird and roasted it - took about two hours at 325 for our 13 pound bird.It came out moist, seasoned, and fabulous!

Oh yeah - and we also made three pies!

Next year...I am so looking forward to next year and trying new recipes, doing my own shopping and cooking, enjoying the holiday that much more!