Belmont Butchery's No-Brine Bird

Richmond, Virginia's premier independent butchery for local meat, poultry, cheeses, wine. Belmont shares their version of a no-brine bird with our Moroccan blend:

Looking for festive cooking ideas? Look no further. We used If & When Preserved Meyer Lemon Paste on our Cornish Cross Local Chicken from Riverbank Farms located in Elkton, Virginia. We did a no-brine bird:

NEED

Fowl: Turkey, duck or chicken 

Moroccan Preserved Meyer Lemon Paste

Seasonal vegetables and herbs of your choice

Lemon compound butter (optional)

DO

The day before you plan to cook the bird, remove it from the package, pat dry, and place it on a sheet tray (ideally with a wire rack underneath to get extra air flow). Return to the refrigerator.

The next day (the day you are roasting), take your bird out of the refrigerator at least 1 hour before baking and preheat your oven to 350°F.

Use 1 TBS of Moroccan Preserved Meyer Lemon Paste per pound of bird. Rub liberally all over the bird, making sure to get the nooks, crannies and cavity.

Set aside the bird and prep your vegetables. I used potatoes, red onion, garlic bulbs, carrots, celery and lemons, all rough chopped.

Optional: Season the vegetables with olive oil, rosemary salt, and Merguez spice blend. Roast in oven for 30 minutes. Rotate pan, cook for another 20 minutes. 

Loosely tent the bird with foil. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Let finish roasting until the internal temperature is 165°F at the thickest point of the breast and thigh. 

Let rest for 15–20 minutes or until warm enough to handle.

Carve and enjoy!

 

Optional: Prepare a lemon garlic compound butter to baste after the bird is out and resting and finish with salt.