For the Brined & Roasted Chicken:
Cornbread (Serves 8)
Preheat oven to 450°F. In a large, oven-safe pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add sausage and cook five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper and cook until beginning to soften, about five minutes. Add next 11 ingredients. Stir to combine. When mixture comes to a simmer, add rice, cover, and place pot in oven. Cook for about one hour, or until rice has absorbed all liquid and is tender. Remove from oven. Add green onions and stir to thoroughly combine. Add more seasoning to taste. For the Brined & Roasted Chicken: Combine one cup salt and water in a large pot and simmer until salt dissolves. Remove from heat, allow to cool. Add chicken. Refrigerate for at least four hours, or up to one day. Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove chicken from brine. Pat dry and season. Place in roasting pan and cook on middle rack for 90 minutes, or until instant-read thermometer inserted in thigh reads 165°F. Cool, then pull meat from bones, discarding fat and skin Cornbread Preheat oven to 400°F. Add bacon fat to a nine- or 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Heat skillet in oven while preparing batter. (Alternatively, you can use a nine-inch square baking pan—grease the pan with butter, but do not heat in oven.) Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk eggs, melted butter, and buttermilk together in another large bowl. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Remove skillet from oven, pour batter into skillet, and bake until golden brown and tester comes out clean, about one hour.
