How to brine poultry for flavour and tenderness

Can you keep a secret? 

Every modern woman needs a few tricks up her sleeve. Right? Not many home cooks know about brining. So don't tell anybody. Okay? Well...maybe your sister. But definitely not your mother-in-law. Keep her guessing!

Brining is so simple yet so clever. Your family and friends will rave about your chicken if you brine it first. You'll be a legend. I promise.

Brine - How it works and what it does

A seasoning brine is a solution of salt, sugar and water. The chicken (or other poultry) is simply immersed in this solution for a few hours (or overnight) before cooking. The brine draws out the blood and seasons the chicken giving it a full flavour and moist, tender flesh. It's that easy!

Brining - It's as easy as 1, 2, 3 ...er 4

1.  Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add 6 tablespoons of sea salt and 4 tablespoons of unrefined sugar. Stir until dissolved.

2.  Find a container that is large enough to hold your bird snugly. But don't put the bird in yet! Just add the brining solution and 1 1/2 quarts (1.4 litres) of cold water. Cool the solution to room temperature.

3.  Add the chicken and place a dish on top of the container to keep the bird submerged. Place in the refrigerator.

(The bird can be stored safely this way for up to 24 hours. Soak an average sized chicken for around 8-12 hours. I left a chook in brine for almost 24 hours - but it was still amazing. If you have a small bird I suggest soaking it for a shorter period. The worst thing that can happen by 'over-brining' is a slightly salty chicken - but it will still be delicious).

4. Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse under cold water and pat dry. Discard the brine.

Now your chicken is ready for trussing, seasoning and roasting. Or what ever else you had in mind.

Roasting Chicken: Some tips for the uninitated (me not long ago).

• Place plenty of butter under and over the skin to keep the breast tender.
• If you're new to roasting I highly recommend purchasing a thermometer for roasts. Really worth the investment.
• Dry meat browns better - so be sure to pat the chook dry with a clean tea-towel before seasoning.
• A liberal sprinkling of sea salt will also help with browning. The extra salt can be brushed off before carving.
• Personally, I don't add stock to the roasting pan. Brining first takes care of moisture and you'll get a much crispier skin if you dry roast.
• Allow the finished roast to rest before carving (about 10 minutes) for premium juiciness.  

That's all folks! Thanks for visiting! If you've got any questions please ask!

(Ps. 'Chook' is Australian for 'chicken' (or any poultry really). Hope I didn't confuse anyone!)

This post links to Freaky Friday.

Craving sweets? Maybe you're ill?

Sugar addiction may be a sign of an underlying health condition according to Dr Jacob Teitelbaum, a medical practitioner who specialises in treating chronic fatigue.

Dr T describes 'chronic sugar cravings' as the 'canary in the coal mine' - pointing to undiagnosed health problems that may include failing adrenal glands, thyroid dysfunction or even too much 'bad bacteria' in the gut.

Although I'm usually skeptical about new health claims, Dr T's theory has a ring of truth about it.

My Story

Beginning in 2005 panic attacks plagued my life.

I didn't tolerate conventional 'anxiety' medications. There was nothing I could do except endure each panic attack and try to hang onto my sanity. The attacks would usually begin with an overwhelming sensation of dread, followed by intense 'adrenalin rushes' and a racing heart rate. The attacks left me exhausted and seemed to come out of nowhere.

It wasn't long before I became housebound. I couldn't determine when an attack would start so I stayed at home - close to the phone with a bag packed in case I needed to go to hospital. I attempted many treatments, both conventional and unconventional, with very little improvement. It was a miserable time for me and my family.

Then one day I found the answer and have been FREE from panic attacks ever since.

I began recording a detailed journal that included everything I ate, drank, bathed in and washed my clothes with each day. I also carefully noted the time my panic attacks would begin. The journalling was tedious but I was determined to find out if something in my diet or environment was triggering the attacks.

A very interesting pattern emerged. One to two hours after I ate something sweet a panic attack would begin. What? Surely it couldn't be something as simple as sugar? My journal also revealed a large amount of sugar and refined carbohydrate foods in my diet. I hadn't noticed these foods creep into my diet. Two years prior to the onset of the panic attacks I had developed chronic fatigue. The refined carbohydrates provided an energy boost (if somewhat short lived). Sweets slowly began to predominate in my diet as the fatigue progressed.

To test my 'sugar hypothesis' I removed all sweet foods from my diet including any carbohydrate rich foods with a high Glycaemic Index (GI). I replaced these sweet things with whole grain alternatives such as good quality whole-meal bread, brown rice, legumes and oatmeal. I didn't eat anything remotely sweet, not even fruit.

It was like a miracle

The panic attacks stopped. Just like that. Not even the slightest twinge of panic.

During the experiment I was surprised about how difficult it was to omit sweets. My body screamed for sugar. On day 4 of my experiment I actually broke out in perspiration and trembling like a drug addict in rehab! I experienced pronounced gastrointestinal reactions too. I persisted with the diet despite the symptoms and within a few days I felt good for the first time in a long while.

A Googling Discovery

As you can imagine I was madly googling 'sugar' and its health implications at this time. I eventually discovered "Radiant Recovery" a website dedicated to helping people break sugar addiction. I learnt that it is not unusual for people whose metabolism reacts poorly sugar to experience 'sugar withdrawals' (like sweating and trembling) during a 'sugar detox'.

A few months after my life changing discovery I went to see doctor who specialises in nutritional and environmental medicine (his waiting list was that long). He ordered blood tests that confirmed that the panic attacks were probably triggered by hypoglycaemia following a sugar load (Reactive Hypoglycaemia). He also tested my adrenal glands and found that they were hypo-functioning ('burnt out') too.

So were my sugar cravings a symptom of a deeper problem? I believe so.

Dr T, I think you're onto something.

Interesting Links
Dr Jacob Teitelbaum's website
Radiant Recovery
Another testimony linking Sugar to Panic Attacks
Reactive Hypoglycaemia
Dr Jacob Teitelbaum - Beat Sugar Addiction Now

This post links to Real Foods Wednesday hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop

What are Real Foods?

Real foods are nutrient-dense whole foods prepared by traditional methods that nourish the body by optimising the availability of nutrients. Its the kind of food that sustained humanity for centuries before the advent of industrial food processing.

What good is a nutritious bowl of beans if you can't digest them?

Nourishment = good food + good digestion.

The Real Food philosophy recognises that while a modern diet may appear nutritionally adequate on paper it does not automatically follow that the nutrients will be fully digested and assimilated by everybody. Poorly digested foods not only deprive the body of optimum nutrition but can also give rise to food allergies and other health problems.

Food science is catching up with granny.

In grandma's kitchen beans and grains prepared using traditional methods were transformed into highly nourishing foods. Today for example, we understand the science behind soaking grains overnight before cooking. Soaking activates natural enzymes in the grain that work to break down complex starches and proteins yielding a highly nutritious and digestible food. What's more, soaking also neutralizes anti-nutrients (phytates) that bind minerals in the grain. No wonder Granny's breakfast oatmeal provided a great start to the day! It explains why Grandpop didn't need a tractor to plough his fields! He was SO strong. So were his horses (and guess what they had in their feed trough? Oatmeal. I think. Anyway.. just google horses and oats).


The same principles apply to bread making. Modern commercial breads use 'fast yeasts' for quick turnover - the grain is barely prepared for digestion. Is it a coincidence that gluten and wheat intolerance are on the increase? Traditional bread making requires the grain to be was soaked overnight before a starter of wild yeasts and beneficial bacterial is added. The resulting dough is proved for many hours (sometimes days) before baking. The resulting bread is delicious and highly nourishing.

Granny wasn't scared of butter either and she knew the value of a good bone broth and a whole lot of other traditional food lore that I will be exploring on this blog.

Actually my own great-grandmother gave birth to 16 children including 3 sets of twins, helped to run a farm AND lived a long, productive [obviously] life! What was her secret? (Grandpop's Oat-agra?) Stick around and find out!

Amazing Links
Is Cereal Good For You?
Pecan Crusted Apple Crisp
Ruths Real Food-Crunchy Granola
VIDEO: Proper Preparation of Grains and Legumes
Bone Broths 101 (a must read!)
Dark Chocolate Fig Tart
Gluten-Free Flakey Pastry

This post is linked to Monday Mania , Real Food 101 and Fat Tuesday.