Should i brine a capon

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Skip to content. For small birds like poussin, brining is easy. This is step one of our simple grilled poussin recipe. Turkeys require large vessels for brining. Dry brining a turkey.

Separate the skin from the meat and rub some brine in there, too. Plan for 3 days of dry-brine time for optimal results. Let that salt really penetrate into the meat.

If your turkey is sharing shelf space with other items, loosely cover the bird with plastic wrap, but be sure it gets at least 12 hours uncovered before roasting. Like this: Like Loading November 4, at pm. Ben Hammer says:. November 6, at am.

D'Artagnan says:. You know that your brine is right if it will float a raw egg. Another way to measure this is to use 1 tablespoon of salt per cup of water. Take the poultry you intend to brine and place it in an appropriately sized container. Add enough water to completely cover the poultry, plus three more inches. Measure the water to determine the amount of salt needed. Place that salt in a bowl and pour in enough boiling water pre-measured to dissolve the salt. Pour this into your container and add the remaining water ice cold and then the poultry.

Now you are brining. When the poultry is ready to come out of the brine, remove it, rinse and drain. It is now ready to cook. The brine must be discarded and everything washed thoroughly. Brining too long can be a bad thing too much salt, etc. So, it is best to err on the side of too little than too much. In general, poultry brines for an hour per pound, but the thickness or mass of the poultry is more important than the weight.

A whole chicken should be brined somewhere between 6 and 10 hours, but a whole chicken cut up, should be brined no more than 4 hours. A Cornish game hen will be ready to cook in about an hour or two, while a whole, large turkey will need at least 24 hours. Like all cooking, brining is something you should experiment with and adjust to your own tastes, and speaking of which, throw in some herbs, spices, and vegetables to give your brine flavor. Capon is usually only stocked for the holidays.

The secret is in the brine. Capon is already tender and juicy, but our citrus brine adds nuanced flavor. This recipe will serve 8 and makes for wonderful leftovers if your group is smaller. Heat over high flame, stirring, until salt and sugar are fully dissolved.

Remove from heat and stir in the ice. Once the mixture is completely cooled to room temperature, add the capon to the brine, cover and refrigerate for hours. Drain and discard brine.

Rinse the capon under cold water and pat dry. Place the capon on a rack set in a shallow roasting pan and pat outside dry again, if needed. Brush the bird all over with duck fat. Preheat oven to degrees F.