I've been ecstatic about the flavor and texture of my roasted chickens lately. Been doing them at 500 degrees, with a little foil over the breasts for the first few minutes of cooking to get everything just so at the same time. Lately I've been experimenting with brining, which has made a tasty, juicy bird even tastier and juicier. Only issue is that the brining seems to interfere with the even browing of the bird. What had previously been a dark, crisp, perfect brown is now more splotchy and freckled looking, and less crisp. I've tried this: -rinsing the bird after brining -patting it dry with paper towel -rubbing it with olive oil or butter, infused with garlic, and putting some of the infused oil or butter under the breast skin my brine has about 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup salt, 5 crushed garlic cloves, and a bay leaf per quart. I brine for about 2 hours, the first hour in the fridge, the second on the counter to help the bird get to room termp. before going in the oven. any thoughts?
