Spit Roasting

[jonnno]

And now for my next trick

I'd like to spit roast a chicken! I'm camping at the weekend with the kids and I want to spit roast a chicken over an open fire. They'd think it was a bit cool and old worldy and will hopefully interest them a bit in the outdoors.

I've no real idea where to start - I don't do much (any) cooking.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

 

[FerlasDave]

Try this?

http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/513971

 

[Toddy]

Look up spatchcock. Much better for making sure the bird is properly cooked right through, and it's still roasted over the fire.

Spit roasting is an art. All too often the beast is just given a suntan (quote Warthog1981 on seeing a lamb being badly done at a reenactment fayre) and turns out to be a disappointment.
You want the kids enthused so make it good

cheers,
Toddy

 

[dwardo]

All too often the beast is just given a suntan

cheers,
Toddy

very good.

 

[Biker]

I've never done it but seen it done here at the annual village meal. Roger our resident pyromaniac, bastes his chickens regularly with a mix of oil and herbs, he also slices the skin so the meat absorbs the oil. No idea for cooking times or heat setting but slow and sure is the way to go rather than flash cooking it and hoping for a good result.

There's alway pot noodle, they do a chicken flavour I believe. Not that it actaully contains any chicken in it but you can't have everything.

Good luck. Hope it goes well

 

[Martyn]

I tried this many years ago and it was a disaster. My fire was too hot and I had the spit too close to it, the result was a charred and blackened bird that was raw beneath the charring. It was inedible. It takes a looooong time to do it properly and your coals have to be just right and kept that way. I daresay, I'd do a better job of it these days, but it's not as easy as you'd think.

 

[jonnno]

So if I decide to either spit or spatchcock how do I organise the spit etc - I'm was intending to use whatever was handy. I understand green, stripped wood is the way to go for the spit mounted on a set of Y forked sticks? How would that work for spatchcock?

 

[drewdunnrespect]

use a metal set of two tri pods if u can and a metal bar with spreader bars attached
cos it will be easier but love the idea

 

[jonnno]

Should mention, this is at a couple of hundred metres of altitude and we have to carry all our gubbins up so I'm wanting to be as light as poss and would rather use wood for spits etc!

use a metal set of two tri pods if u can and a metal bar with spreader bars attached
cos it will be easier but love the idea

 

[MartinK9]

At a Rough Close Meet in May last year we did them slowly like this:

 

[Night Phoenix]

Just dont google it!

 

[Martyn]

Should mention, this is at a couple of hundred metres of altitude and we have to carry all our gubbins up so I'm wanting to be as light as poss and would rather use wood for spits etc!

You need to make sure you have an ample supply of good quality, dry wood to burn and take a good amount of time setting the fire and burning it in. You want a hot fire, with low flames. When the fire is right, then you can build the spit and set the height to the fire. To be honest, if I were you, I do a practice spit in the garden or something first.

 

[Toddy]

Here you go. This way about 20 minutes per side ought to do it.
Shove a fine sharp skewer into the meaty bits to be sure it's cooked, if the juices don't run clear, it's not done.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/videos/1041/spatchcocking-a-chicken

cheers,
Toddy

 

[treadlightly]

Years ago I cooked for 14 on an open fire and spit roast two chickens. Amazingly it went well. Use dry wood and make sure you have a mature fire with plenty of heat and not too much flame or smoke. Then set the spit roast up as in the pic posted below. You could also do baked potatoes and carrots by wrapping them in tin foil and placing them in the outer embers.

 

[phill_ue]

Can they e grass and mud coated and just thrown in the fire like with fish? I know fish can also be cooked in layers of wet newspaper, would this work with chickun?

 

[Mesquite]

Have a look at Mistwalkers Open Fire Roast Chicken for some ideas

 

[Miyagi]

Is it wise to choose a chicken as first attempt at spit roasting over the coals?

Any chance you could have a trial run before you set off?

I only ask as I'm a Chef to trade.

I've Japanese friends who've done this with chicken, but they boiled and then chilled the chicken first. They've done this before BBQ'ing it as well.

Hope this helps.

All the best, and I hope you all have a great time.

Liam

 

[jdlenton]

spatchcocking is the way forward here light, easy ,good results fast.

but i doo like the boiled (precooked idea) then brown them off on the fire

good results, impressed friends, short cooking time.

 

[Celt_Ginger]

Try this Jonnno. You can also remove the carcas from the chicken and cook it like a Ponassed fish, similar to this....

if you want, I can post a tutorial on how to bone a chicken.

 

[Miyagi]

spatchcocking is the way forward here light, easy ,good results fast.

but i doo like the boiled (precooked idea) then brown them off on the fire

good results, impressed friends, short cooking time.

It's a trick a lot of Chef's use when you have 100plus folk to feed at a BBQ etc., pre cooked, chilled then reheated (and coloured) to 83 degs. You're right, it's quicker and safer.

Chef's get fined for each individual case of food poisoning, in the region of a max' of £20K per case. I've known Chef's to go bankrupt overnight doing that. John Barr the Butcher from Aberdeenshire etc.

Imagine we make a BBQ party ill? The mere thought makes us ill.

I'm away for a lie down now...

Liam