The Ultimate Roast Chicken

[Ranz]

dry brining: not recommended. This method draws moisture out of the chicken and results in a taste and texture resembling cured meat.

Dry brining only draws moisture out initially but it is reabsorbed. I don't think it tastes like cured meat or the texture either but I suppose length has something to do with this. Kenji over at Serious Eat's is a proponent of it over a wet brine.

I don't recall reading about injecton brining or why Modernist Cuisine prefers it but I'll have to go back and read it. That aside, I think brining in general is overrated, especially wet brines.

I agree with this. My favourite method of roasting a chicken in the Zuni Cafe` method, which uses the dry brine. I've never had roast chicken that moist before I tried it, and the chicken doesn't taste cured at all. It's a big hit in my house, it gets requested often.

That dry brine also works perfectly for me when I prepare steaks.

[Ttogull]

I agree with this. My favourite method of roasting a chicken in the Zuni Cafe` method, which uses the dry brine. I've never had roast chicken that moist before I tried it, and the chicken doesn't taste cured at all. It's a big hit in my house, it gets requested often.

That dry brine also works perfectly for me when I prepare steaks.

I am trying the Zuni method for chicken at this moment - the chicken will be dry-brined about 27 hours. How long do you dry brine steaks?

[Martin Fisher]

dry brining: not recommended. This method draws moisture out of the chicken and results in a taste and texture resembling cured meat.

Dry brining only draws moisture out initially but it is reabsorbed. I don't think it tastes like cured meat or the texture either but I suppose length has something to do with this. Kenji over at Serious Eat's is a proponent of it over a wet brine.

I don't recall reading about injecton brining or why Modernist Cuisine prefers it but I'll have to go back and read it. That aside, I think brining in general is overrated, especially wet brines.

I also agree!

A cured taste and texture is a symptom of too much salt.

~Martin

[Ranz]

I agree with this. My favourite method of roasting a chicken in the Zuni Cafe` method, which uses the dry brine. I've never had roast chicken that moist before I tried it, and the chicken doesn't taste cured at all. It's a big hit in my house, it gets requested often.

That dry brine also works perfectly for me when I prepare steaks.

I am trying the Zuni method for chicken at this moment - the chicken will be dry-brined about 27 hours. How long do you dry brine steaks?

It depends on the thickness of the steaks, but usually around 24 hours. The chicken I do for around 48.

[sigma]

So, I don't inject today's chicken with yesterday's, use ice packs or roast on a bed of vegetables. I think these are all ways to unnecessarily complicate the perfectly simple and to create worse results in doing so. I salt a day or two ahead if I have the forethought to do so, roast on a spit, let it rest, make a jus and eat.

Oh, I truss, and my chicken has a message for those of you who do not.

[mm84321]

Great looking bird, sigma. Knife skills could use a little work, but you're getting there!

[Unpopular Poet]

Desired final cooking temperature: From a Fahrenheit point of view, I would go 140ish breast/150ish dark with a nice rest. A bit pink in the dark meat, but delicious. I usually just go by touch though, I find that it really depends on the type of chicken.

- Stuffing: No.

- Trussing: No.

- Cooking position: Spatchcock

- Cooking time: Medium High direct grilling, followed by 400 degree indirect until finished.

- Heat source: the weber or BGE

- Seasoning: I vacuum seal the chicken (99.9%) after it is spatchcocked with a wet marinade of lemon juice, olive oil, pressed garlic cloves, salt, pepper, chili garlic oil, herbs -- sometimes I add a teaspoon or so of champagne vinegar.

As far as the type of chicken, it is usually something from our local farmer's market or butcher -- I can't recall the names presently.

These results are always fantastic -- after a short stay in the bag, the chicken is super moist and flavorful. Perhaps it is not technically a roasted chicken, but I find it to be absolutely phenomenal.

For the roast chicken in the oven, its simply breast side up in a le creuset oval casserole dish, trussed or not, depending on mood, not brined or marinaded, stuffed very gingerly with lemon wedges, garlic cloves and onions, rubbed down with olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs de provence and roasted at 425 (conventional gas oven) for 15 minutes and then 375 until done (145/155ish), rested for 20 minutes. the bottom gets nice and crispy, the top as well, its a fine chicken with little to no prep.

[Hassouni]

So, I don't inject today's chicken with yesterday's, use ice packs or roast on a bed of vegetables. I think these are all ways to unnecessarily complicate the perfectly simple and to create worse results in doing so. I salt a day or two ahead if I have the forethought to do so, roast on a spit, let it rest, make a jus and eat.

Oh, I truss, and my chicken has a message for those of you who do not.

This looks amazing. Don't listen about knife skills, I'd destroy that chicken and that's what counts.

[sigma]

Great looking bird, sigma. Knife skills could use a little work, but you're getting there!

Thanks. The knuckles look a little vulgar, but that is the price of having the feet on.

[patrickamory]

I'd devour your chicken in a second, sigma.

[mm84321]

This looks amazing. Don't listen about knife skills, I'd destroy that chicken and that's what counts.

Some of us just have higher standards when it comes to chicken carving, I suppose.

[Mjx]

. . . .

Oh, I truss, and my chicken has a message for those of you who do not.

Not disagreeing (though I prefer to not truss when I'm not using the rotisserie), the bird looks great and clearly trussing is crucial when you're using a spit, but... I'm not getting the message, please elaborate.

[dcarch]

No Brining

No stuffing

Rubbed

No trussing - I don't get the idea of trussing, leaving large areas of under cooked skin. But I have been criticized that my roasted whole chicken looks too gynecological. LOL!.

Low & slow smoked and roasted is my favorite way (convection smoked 150F - sous vide by hot air).

Butterflied boneless, which makes it easier to serve in four sections.

dcarch

[rotuts]

nice. very nice! and the rub is ....

Im a big fan of appropriate prep improving many dishes, like this one I bet.

Q: left the thigh bone in?

I used to do a deconstructed Turkey a la JuliaChild/JacquesPepin the 20 lbs bird with only the bone in the leg was flopped on two Rx worth of cornbread stuffing and roasted in the oven

this looks a lot easier!

Edited May 14, 2013 by rotuts (log)

[dcarch]

The rub is leftover rubs combined. A little of this and a little of that.

The thigh bones were later removed as well.

Actually I have done stuffed chickens. When I stuff chickens, all bones will be removed. Yes I mean ALL. I don't see having to carve out the stuffing after cooking to enjoy the stuffing and chicken separate.

We all have seen J. Pepin's legendary way of boning a chicken. I decided that it is possible to remove every single bone, including the wing bones without opening the chicken. A better (ultimate?) way to stuff a chicken, IMHO.

dcarch

[sigma]

What purpose does the butterfly serve?

[Toliver]

What purpose does the butterfly serve?

My guess is that butterflying provides a more even thickness meaning all parts get cooked at the same pace.

Besides, knowing how to spatchcock a chicken ups your "cool" factor.

[dcarch]

What purpose does the butterfly serve?

Just my very silly idea "Butterflied" Chicken representation.

What purpose does the butterfly serve?

My guess is that butterflying provides a more even thickness meaning all parts get cooked at the same pace.

Besides, knowing how to spatchcock a chicken ups your "cool" factor.

In addition to even thickness, you can brown most of the skin better. You can also apply dry rub better.

dcarch

[sigma]

What purpose does the butterfly serve?

Just my very silly idea "Butterflied" Chicken representation.

>

What purpose does the butterfly serve?

My guess is that butterflying provides a more even thickness meaning all parts get cooked at the same pace.

Besides, knowing how to spatchcock a chicken ups your "cool" factor.

In addition to even thickness, you can brown most of the skin better. You can also apply dry rub better.

dcarch

Are you sure about that? The skin looks flabby in parts and burnt in others, but brown nowhere.

[dcarch]

What purpose does the butterfly serve?

Just my very silly idea "Butterflied" Chicken representation.

>

What purpose does the butterfly serve?

My guess is that butterflying provides a more even thickness meaning all parts get cooked at the same pace.

Besides, knowing how to spatchcock a chicken ups your "cool" factor.

In addition to even thickness, you can brown most of the skin better. You can also apply dry rub better.

dcarch

Are you sure about that? The skin looks flabby in parts and burnt in others, but brown nowhere.

Am I sure? Sometimes.

That was grilled on charcoal, which is difficult to control.

Most of the time I do it on cast iron pan, which is more predictable, with an IR remote thermometer.

As you can see:

dcarch

[Ttogull]

So I've been working on this, and I've been making the best chicken I've ever eaten. And my honest critics (family) are very happy too. A browse through the preceding posts seems to indicate I do it a bit differently.

I start with a 3.5 lb ish bird. This time Bell and Evans air chilled.

I prefer to dry brine a la Zuni Cafe for 36 hours. But sometimes I just want to eat chicken, and those times I salt about 30 seconds before cooking. Both ways are good, but I prefer brined.

I preheat my Big Green Egg and a 12 inch cast iron skillet (for one chicken, 15 inch for two) for at least an hour at 600-625 degrees farenheit at the skillet. This is about 575 on the built-in thermometer.

I put on an old t-shirt that I can throw away because the grease is gonna fly. When I am done, there are grease splatters several feet away.

I put thin layer of oil on the bird (I explain why in a second). I put the bird back side down in the skillet for 15 minutes with the BGE cover down. By oiling the bird, the breast side up also starts crisping. From experience, I know it will not without the oil.

I then turn the bird over to breast side down for 12 minutes.

I then "spot brown" areas that aren't as brown. Usually this is the back side of the legs (I think). I prop the bird on the side of the skillet so the under browned skin makes contact with the bottom of the skillet. I do this for 4 minutes per spot, and there are usually two spots correponding to the two legs.

Then I take temps of the breast and the thigh. Usually the thigh needs more cooking, so let it finish on its back. Tonight, the breast was under temp, so it finished on the breast side. Usually about 5 minutes or so.

About 40-45 minutes total, and then a rest. Incidentally, naked potatoes seem to require the same amount of time, so I put them on the grill next to the skillet. All that flying chicken fat coats them and makes the skins crispy with a soft inside. (Rotate the potatoes when rotating the chicken.)

The effect of the high heat on the skin is amazing. At the end of the meal, we hunt for bits of skin because we know it does not save well. The best chicken I've eaten. It almost feels more like sautéing a whole chicken rather than roasting it. I get to control where the heat goes.

And the best part is that, after using paper towels to wipe it out, the skillet is gorgeously black and shiny. Perfectly seasoned.

[ChrisTaylor]

The rub is leftover rubs combined. A little of this and a little of that.

The thigh bones were later removed as well.

Actually I have done stuffed chickens. When I stuff chickens, all bones will be removed. Yes I mean ALL. I don't see having to carve out the stuffing after cooking to enjoy the stuffing and chicken separate.

We all have seen J. Pepin's legendary way of boning a chicken. I decided that it is possible to remove every single bone, including the wing bones without opening the chicken. A better (ultimate?) way to stuff a chicken, IMHO.

dcarch

This impresses me.

[davidkeay]

This impresses me.

Well put. Dcarch - do you have any photos of the finished dish?

[rotuts]

dcarch

Soooooooooooo excelent!

now ..... if your situation might allow it:

move to the Turkey.

some time about, there was a cooking show on PBS with Julia Child and Jacque Pepin.

they did a Turkey, that had many bones removed but not all.

back in the Day, I used to to this with an addition: I removed the Breast carcass and put that meat on the stuffing.

also the thigh bone. this was a stunning dish and cooked much quicker for ThanksGiving.

sooo move to the turkey?

[Bojana]

Has anyone used a blow dryer to dry the chicken before roasting? Any reasons why I should not? I have brined and butterflied my chicken, will bake it in few hours...i