Soy Honey Brine Food

HONEY BRINED SMOKED TURKEY

Steps:

• Combine the hot water and the salt in a 54-quart cooler. Stir until the salt dissolves. Stir in the vegetable broth and the honey. Add the ice and stir. Place the turkey in the brine, breast side up, and cover with cooler lid.. Brine overnight, up to 12 hours.
• Remove the turkey from the brine and dry thoroughly. Rub the bird thoroughly with the vegetable oil.
• Heat the grill to 400 degrees F.
• Using a double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil, build a smoke bomb. Place a cup of hickory wood chips in the center of the foil and gather up the edges, making a small pouch. Leave the pouch open at the top. Set this directly on the charcoal or on the metal bar over the gas flame. Set the turkey over indirect heat, insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast meat, and set the alarm for 160 degrees F. Close the lid and cook for 1 hour.
• After 1 hour check the bird; if the skin is golden brown, cover with aluminum foil and continue cooking. Also, after 1 hour, replace wood chips with second cup.
• Once the bird reaches 160 degrees F, remove from grill, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 1 hour. Carve and serve.

SPICE-BRINED PORK ROAST WITH ORANGE-SOY GLAZE

Steps:

• Brine the pork: Combine the salt, sugar, ginger, garlic, star anise and chiles in a large pot with 4 cups water. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar and salt. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Squeeze the orange juice into the brine, then add the squeezed orange pieces and 2 cups cold water.
• Place the pork on a cutting board, fat cap-side down and make a few slits between the ribs with a sharp knife; transfer to a large pot or resealable plastic bag. Add the brine, plus up to 2 cups more water if needed to cover the pork. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Remove the pork from the brine and pat very dry. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Set a rack in a roasting pan and place the pork on the rack, fat-side up. Roast until a thermometer inserted into the center registers 115˚ F to 120˚ F, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and increase the temperature to 425˚ F.
• Meanwhile, make the glaze: Combine the orange juice, hoisin sauce, soy sauce and sugar in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Simmer, stirring, until thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside about half of the glaze for serving.
• Brush some of the remaining glaze over the roast. Return to the oven and continue cooking, brushing with more glaze every 5 minutes, until the thermometer registers 135˚ F to 140˚ F, 15 to 25 more minutes. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest 20 to 30 minutes before carving. Serve with the reserved glaze and any collected juices.

THANKSGIVING TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• In a medium pot, bring 3 quarts of the tap water to a boil over medium heat. Put the kosher salt in a large bowl and slowly (and carefully!) pour the boiling water over the salt. Stir to blend.
• Add the molasses, honey, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, sage, thyme and garlic to the salt and water mixture. Stir to blend. Add the remaining 3 quarts of cool water. Add the ice to a cooler or bucket large enough to hold the brine and the turkey. Pour the brine over the ice and use a large whisk to blend all of the ingredients.
• Submerge the turkey, breast side down, in the brine. Make sure the cavity of the bird fills with the liquid as you are submerging it. Cover the cooler and allow the bird to sit in the brine overnight or for about 12 hours.
• Remove the bird from the brine and dry it thoroughly with thick (absorbent) kitchen towels. Take care to wipe inside the cavity as well. Discard the brine. Whisk together the butter and the lemon zest. Gently lift the skin covering 1 breast of the turkey and spread half of the butter right on the meat under the skin. Repeat with the other breast. The butter will add extra moisture and richness as the bird roasts.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Arrange the turkey in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Put on the lower rack of the oven and roast until the internal temperature of the turkey taken from the thickest part of the thigh reads 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 3 1/2 hours. Remove the turkey from the oven to a cutting board or serving platter and tent with foil. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving and serving.

HONEY BRINE

Steps:

• Bring water, salt, and honey to a simmer in a medium-size saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until salt dissolves. Let cool completely.
• Place chicken or pork in a bowl, and pour cooled brine over top. Refrigerate, covered, for 2 to 3 hours. Remove meat from brine, rinse under cold water, and pat dry with a paper towel. Season with pepper before grilling.

MIGHTY DUCK

Steps:

• Combine all brine ingredients in a plastic container with a lid. Place the lid on the container and shake to dissolve the salt.
• Remove the pop-up thermometer, liver, gizzards, and heart. Cut off the wings.
• Using kitchen shears, locate the spine at the base of the neck. Cut up the line of the backbone towards the neck cavity. Turn the duck and cut straight towards the rear cavity. Remove the backbone.
• Turn the duck over and cut straight down the middle of the breast bone, leaving 2 equal duck halves. To separate the legs from the breast, flip your halves over so the flesh side is facing up at you. Using a knife, make a crescent shape cut between the leg and the breast. Lay your knife flat against the skin and make 3 marks in one direction and then in the other, making an X. Make sure that you are cutting through the skin and not the meat.
• Line the inside of a plastic lexan or a pot with a zip-top bag. Place the duck quarters inside the bag, and pour the brine over the duck. Seal the bag, ensuring that all air is removed from the bag. Brine the duck for 2 to 2 1/2 hours in the refrigerator.
• Bring 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches of water to a boil in a large pot. Place a colander into the pot and line the sides of the colander with the duck. Do not stack the duck quarters on each other. Cover and turn the heat to medium low. Steam the duck for 45 minutes. Set oven to 475 degrees F. Place a large cast iron skillet into the oven.
• Remove duck pieces from steamer and place legs, skin side down, into the hot skillet. Place the skillet into the hot oven immediately and cook the leg quarters for 10 minutes. Add the breasts, skin side down, and cook for 7 more minutes or until the duck takes on a deep mahogany color and the skin is very crisp.
• Remove the duck from the skillet and rest under foil. Add the chard and the shallots to the skillet. Toss the chard in the fat until it barely wilts. Season with the sherry or balsamic vinegar.
• Serve the duck with the chard.