Open Fire Roasted Chicken

[Mistwalker]

Well, after an hour or so spent cleaning up leaves and debris around the firecircle in the back yard, I gave my oldest daughter another lesson in alternative cooking methods yesterday. We roasted a couple of Cornish hens on a forked stick over a fire in the back yard.


Gathered what I needed from the immediate area. I got both the forked stick and the prop from the broken branch of a tree buy the fire circle.

then debarked the limbs of the fork, and cut notches in the tip for the purpose of tying the limbs together. This knife sure is great to work with on these camp tasks, I may have to buy one for me as I bought this one for her.

then drive the prop stick into the ground by the circle, and get the split oak burning for the hot coals and nice smokey flavor (wish I'd had some hickory chips on hand)

Spitted the hens on the forked stick and then tied the ends of the fork together, added some seasons, salt and a little peeper, started roasting the hens.

It didn’t take them long to start to brown.

This is what the stick looked like afterward, lol, dried in the perfect shape for cooking the rabbitt I am hoping to roast week after next.

And in just under two hours they were done and cooked thoroughly thru. And had a wonderful wood smoked flavor

These served with some mashed potatoes, sweet peas, and some bread made us a very nice Sunday dinner. I hope you all enjoyed yours.

 

[Seoras]

I hope you all enjoyed yours.

Not as much as it seems you enjoyed yours Mistwalker.

Looks like you had a great day cooking.

George

 

[bushcraftbob]

Awesome i would love to try that!

 

[Ozhaggishead]

Kind of cool!

 

[Zammo]

They look really yummy.

Why can't my garden be like that? All I have is a tiny little square with a shed in one corner and neighbours who look out at me like I'm some sort of nutter everytime I attempt anything bushcraft related.

 

[MartinK9]

Looks very appetising and a great way to cook them too

 

[hog]

They look really yummy.

Why can't my garden be like that? All I have is a tiny little square with a shed in one corner and neighbours who look out at me like I'm some sort of nutter everytime I attempt anything bushcraft related.

Walk out into your garden naked, wearing only your knife and start to build a fire, they will soon stop looking.

 

[WolfCub]

Oh dear.....?! Another one to try out !!

Interesting method of spitting the birds, obvious really (as always) when I see it demonstrated !?!

Can see the new fire 'pit' in my Sons den area is going to be getting a lot of use.

Fortunately ( ? ) our nieghbours have long since decided I'm a bit 'daft' but harmless, and they do appreciate seeing our kids having 'old fashioned' ( ? ) fun. so I get away with it.

 

[john scrivy]

Have done that with Chicken a few times Have you tried Lamb that is very taisty

 

[novembeRain]

Mmmm lamb, well, I'm off to coventry this weekend and I absolutely HATE missing my sunday dinner, so, maybe chicken's on the menu for me!

Or maybe I'll to a spot of shooting and see if I can't get a partridge / phesant to bring along, I'm sure it'll keep in this weather!

 

[rik_uk3]

That Chicken looks great

 

[Mistwalker]

Have done that with Chicken a few times Have you tried Lamb that is very taisty

No, haven't tried lamb...I've done venison, rabbitt, squirrel, and small fowl but yet to try lamb. That's interesting as I love lamb. Which cuts do you prefer fo roasting over a fire?


Thanks all of you for your compliments. It's a pretty simple straightfoward method where most of the materials are usually easily found in the woods. It's nothing fancy but with a little patience it gets the job done nicely in the end. The longer, and straighter the handle on the forked stick the better.


My neighbors, who are mostly family who have known me since birth or vice versa, figured out a long time ago that I'm a little different than most people around here. I was born here and then in my teens I just left on foot one night and went on a very interesting adventure all around the southern part country. When I came home five years later I understood how Frodo and company felt upon their return to the shire.

 

[Tadpole]

My neighbors, who are mostly family who have known me since birth or vice versa, figured out a long time ago that I'm a little different than most people around here. I was born here and then in my teens I just left on foot one night and went on a very interesting adventure all around the southern part country. When I came home five years later I understood how Frodo and company felt upon their return to the shire.

On the journey you think you are the same, that you are the same person who left, but when you come back you realise that you are different, and nothing will ever be the same again. The people who stay never understand, can never understand, that wonderlust, that need to look 'down the road' the wistful call of the horizon.

 

[novembeRain]

Blimey Tadpole, that's all a bit too deep for quater past seven in the morning - you nutter!

 

[Zammo]

On the journey you think you are the same, that you are the same person who left, but when you come back you realise that you are different, and nothing will ever be the same again. The people who stay never understand, can never understand, that wonderlust, that need to look 'down the road' the wistful call of the horizon.

Thats the feeling I had when I came back from University, and it was only in Birmingham.

 

[webmuppet]

I'm a bit nervous about cooking meat on an open fire like this. I'm useless at knowing when things are cooked properly, especially when it's dark..

 

[Wallenstein]

I'm a bit nervous about cooking meat on an open fire like this. I'm useless at knowing when things are cooked properly, especially when it's dark..

Slow and steady is the answer - two hours is about right for a small chicken, but as long as there are no pink juices and the meat in the thickest part of the legs is no longer pink you should be ok.

Spit roasting is all about taking your time

 

[john scrivy]

Leg of Lamb for spit eoasting Shoulder for ground oven

 

[Mistwalker]

On the journey you think you are the same, that you are the same person who left, but when you come back you realise that you are different, and nothing will ever be the same again. The people who stay never understand, can never understand, that wonderlust, that need to look 'down the road' the wistful call of the horizon.

However too early or too deep, it is correct and very well said.



Thanks, I was just looking at the selection of leg of lamb at the grocer's last night, they've got some good looking ones, and some great chuck roasts on sale right now...lol, I'd need a dutch oven for the roast and can't find mine....besides it has been raining for two days straight, we've had flash floods, and it's due to rain two more days.

 

[mjk123]

Mistwalker,

I must say your posts are little gems. Plenty of photos in chronological order with a bit of text to draw attention to the details without being overly verbose. It's a pity there's no voting system on the board to bubble these to the top.

cheers,