roasted chicken

This chicken was brined over night and then, contrary to plan, throughout the day. The brine was kept cold in a bucket with continuous additions of ice so that the brine diluted throughout this process. This brine was different from all preceding brines. The brine had half as much sugar as salt (one cup and one half cup respectively), a metric ton of herbs <--- possible exaggeration, finely ground rosemary, sage, black peppercorn, and a single airline bottle of white Zinfandel wine, which in fact is pink. That's like one glass of wine, and I can still taste a faint hint of it. That's weird. I like it. This convinces me to include wine with all future brines. 

The chicken was trussed. I have no idea how to truss. I tucked in the wings but they kept flopping out. I know I did it wrong but the way I did it worked. I wanted the wings tucked and flat against the body and the legs pulled together to bunch up the breast. The method I used turns out to be strange, the wings are held against the body then both ends meet on the back and then tuck into the cavity through the neck, that was exceedingly weird, exiting out the rear to wrap around the legs. I never heard of doubled string running through the cavity but it works. Had I done this in Boy Scouts I might have gotten a merit badge. 

I fashioned a smart little tent out of two pieces of aluminum foil, not with a pointed top, but rather like a lid of a roasting pan. I roasted the bird breast side down first then turned it at the approximate half way point. This flattened the breast unattractively. I suppose that is what those "V" wire roasting trays are for. If they make a collapsable version I might think about getting one. 

Hey, what do you know, they do make collapsable wire roasting racks, and they're cheap too. 

The carcass will not be wasted, oh no, that would be criminal. Every trace of this bird that is not immediately used or frozen will be pressed into service for chicken stock, as already described many times right here on this humble blog.