“Live fire cooking” always sounds good to me, but for now we will discuss rotisserie cooking instead.
Chicken, pork and beef are all popular to twirl and today we will take a chicken for a spin.
“Rotisserie cooking” is really just fancy wording for roasting something. “Roasting” means cooking something uncovered in the oven, which is boring and nowhere near as fun as cooking on the grill.
Two of the big advantages of a rotisserie are the even cooking and the self-basting, which in turn result in a moister bird than a roasted one. Place a drip tray beneath the chicken to catch fat draining off, which is good if you or someone you know is watching their waistline.
The drip tray will also help prevent “flare ups”. Flare ups, while always a crowd pleaser, tend to lead to burnt food and a big mess for someone to clean up later.
Cooking a fresh whole chicken as opposed to a frozen bird will make a tasty difference. Use free-range if possible. Wash the chicken well, inside and out and pat dry with a towel.
A simple but tasty recipe is to season the bird with ¼ teaspoon salt mixed with ¼ teaspoon pepper. Place two cloves of garlic, half of a fresh lemon and a quartered onion into the cavity. Just before cooking, brush with a quarter cup of soya sauce.
Marinades, bastes and dry rubs all work with rotisserie cooking, but in order to ensure tasty meat, make certain your rubs are worked into the skin cavity and under the skin; otherwise only the skin will be tasty.
Balance the chicken on the skewer properly to facilitate even cooking and ensure correct operation and turning of the rotisserie. There’s nothing much worse than a tasty free-ranger, charred on one side and raw on the other.
Rotisserie cooking a chicken should be done over indirect medium to medium-high heat. A three to five-pound bird takes about 90 minutes to two hours or when the breast reads 175 degrees on your meat thermometer.
Keep the barbecue lid down to reduce the cooking time (and fuel consumption) and cut out drying airflow.
While you’re waiting, remember to thoroughly wash everything that came in contact with the raw bird.
After cooking, let the bird rest on a platter for 10 to 15 minutes before carving with a flourish. As meat rests, some of the moisture that was driven toward the centre by the heat of cooking is reabsorbed into the meat and less juice runs onto the plate when you cut into it. This helps stop the meat from becoming dry after all your efforts to keep it moist.
Grilling up peppers is a great idea to make it look as if you are concerned about something other than meat. Even I can do this. Just heat up your grill and throw on whole green, yellow, orange or red peppers, turning with tongs until the skin is charred on all sides.
Remove the peppers from the grill, place them in a baking dish and cover the whole thing with plastic wrap. Once everything cools to room temperature after about 20 minutes, uncover the peppers and remove the skins, inside flesh and seeds with a paring knife.
For a dressing with a bit of a difference, use a wooden spoon to mash a chopped garlic clove and a half teaspoon of salt together in a non-reactive bowl. Add a tablespoon each of balsamic vinegar and lemon juice, whisking until the salt dissolves. Working yourself into a whisking frenzy, add four tablespoons of olive oil and a couple of tablespoons of freshly chopped basil and/or parsley. Pour this concoction over your beautifully grilled peppers and wow the crowd.
Remember to buy locally when in season.
