Okay, folks, let’s dive into my little kitchen adventure today – trying to recreate that famous Meat Church Bird Bath brine. I’ve heard so much about it, figured it was time to give it a shot myself.
Getting Started
First things first, I gathered all my ingredients. I didn’t have the actual Bird Bath mix, obviously, since I’m doing a copycat version. So, I looked up a few recipes online and kind of winged it based on what seemed common among them.
Mixing it Up
I grabbed a big bowl – a really big one, because I was planning on brining a whole chicken. Then, I started dumping stuff in. I used about a gallon of water as my base. Then, I added a hefty amount of salt, I’d say like a cup, maybe a bit more. I figure, with brining, you can’t really go wrong with extra salt.
Next, I tossed in some sugar. Probably about half a cup. This is supposed to help with the browning, and, you know, a little sweetness never hurt anybody. I also threw in some garlic powder, onion powder, and a bit of paprika. Just eyeballing it, really. A couple of tablespoons of each, I guess.
For a little extra something, I squeezed in the juice of a lemon. I had some lemons lying around, so why not? I also added a splash of apple cider vinegar. Just a little, maybe a tablespoon or two. Gives it a bit of tang, I think.
Then, I whisked everything together. And whisked. And whisked some more. You really want to make sure all that salt and sugar is dissolved. It took a little while, but I got there.
Brining Time
Once the brine looked good and mixed, I carefully placed my chicken into the bowl. I made sure it was completely submerged. This is key, people! You want every bit of that bird soaking up the flavor.
I made sure it was completly submerged, and into the fridge it went.I left it for about 6 hours, I thought.
The Result
After brining for what felt like forever (but was really just a few hours), I pulled the chicken out. It smelled pretty good, I have to say. I patted it dry with some paper towels, and then I cooked according to my plans – that’s a story for another day!
Overall, I’m pretty happy with how this homemade Bird Bath brine turned out. It’s definitely something I’ll tweak and play around with in the future. Maybe I’ll add some different spices next time, or try using a different kind of citrus. The possibilities are endless!
