The bonds that we create with others is what makes life worth living. Food is an integral part of that journey as it simply brings us together. Sunday has always been a special time of gathering for our family. Smoke & Salt would like to encourage all of our readers to create traditions that are unique to their own families & circle of friends.

Begin a day ahead for over night brine. If you are short on time, this chicken roasts up beautifully even without the brine. You still get a wonderful lemon perfumed chicken, rich with brown butter & sage. But the overnight brine really imbues a fantastic texture & flavor throughout.

serves 4

• 1 whole fryer 4-5 lbs. (preferably organic)

Brine

• 2 lemons quartered

• 1/4 cup The Sum of all Smoke (or other smoked salt)

• 1/4 Turbinado sugar

• 3 bay leaf

• 1 tbsp. whole pepper corns

• 1 -2 qts. water

Seasoning

• 3 lemons (1 left whole punctured with a fork, the other two halved)

• 2 bunches of fresh sage

• 1/2 cup brown butter

• THE SUM OF ALL SMOKE (or other smoked salt to taste)

• pepper to taste

1.) Remove giblets & neck from cavity, rinse chicken, pat dry & place in a sturdy gallon size ziplock bag. Combine salt, sugar, bay & pepper corns with 2 cups hot water, whisk until most of the salt is dissolved. Add 1 quart of cold water & pour over chicken, if necessary add enough water to cover chicken & zip the bag closed. Place in shallow dish & brine overnight.

2.) Preheat oven to 350f. Remove chicken from brine, pat dry & place in a roasting pan with a rack. Tuck wing tips under chicken & tie legs together with cooking twine. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Pluck the nicest sage leaves from your bunches (about 10) with a bit of stem for aesthetics, toss into butter & fry until crisp & butter begins to foam up. Remove leaves & drain on paper towel. Continue to cook butter until it turns a a gentle brown color & emits a luscious nutty aroma. Remove from heat, remove froth from top & pour over your chicken.

3.) Place remainder of sage into cavity of chicken along with the whole, punctured lemon. Place halved lemons around chicken in pan. Lightly salt & pepper to taste (remember the brine imparted salt throughout the chicken). Cook chicken until it’s golden brown & registers 170f. Allow chicken to rest 15-20 minutes before cutting into quarters or carving. Place cut pieces back into pan juices, toss each piece to coat. Garnish with crisped sage leaves.

Chef Notes: I found myself without kitchen twine & used a rosemary branch to bind the legs. It worked every bit as well, looked beautiful in the process & gave off the most wonderful aroma while the chicken roasted.