After discovered the amazing, delicious juiciness of pork and chicken that have been brined, there’s no going back. Sure you have to plan ahead a bit but the amount of work is minimal. Both the chicken and the pork benefit hugely from being roasted on a barbecue, either on a rack or if you have a rotisserie that would be perfect.
For Brining Chicken (enough for one 4 lb. or two 2 1/2 lb. chickens
4 quarts water
5 oz. Kosher salt
1 tsp. black peppercorns
1/4 cup white sugar
¼ bay leaf & 1/2 a lemon
Combine the salt and peppercorns in a large pot. Squeeze in the juice from the lemon and add to lemon to the pot along with the water. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar. Remove pot from the heat and stir in 2 quarts ice water.
Submerge the chicken in a large, deep pot or food-safe bucket. Weight with a plate if necessary. Cover and chill for approximately 12 hours.
Remove chicken from the brine, pat dry. Place in a large baking dish and chill, uncovered 3-12 hours longer, longer is better, to dry skin which results in a crispier bird.
For Brining Pork
Especially good for brining either a bone-in or boneless pork loin roast
4 lb. pork roast
1 cup hot water
8 cups water + more as needed
4 oz. Kosher salt
2-4 Tbsp. white sugar
12 juniper berries, bruised with back of a knife
6 allspice berries, bruised with back of a knife
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. dried thyme
12 Coriander seeds
2 tsp, white or black peppercorns
1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves
4 cloves garlic, bruised with back of a knife
Use a deep, non-reactive pan or a food-safe bucket large enough to hold the pork. Combine the hot water with the sugar and salt, stirring to dissolve. Add all the spices, herbs and garlic and the 8 cups of water. Stir well and allow to cool completely. Submerge the pork in the cold brine, adding more water as needed, to cover and chill for 24 hours. Remove the meat from the brine, dry off, place on a rimmed baking sheet that has a baking cooling rack placed inside it. Set the pork on the rack, place in the fridge without covering until approximately 1 hour before roasting.
Helpful tip: If you wish you can stuff chopped garlic and rosemary into slits made in the meat before roasting and rub the outside down with a few pinches of cloves, ground black pepper and EVO.
