It's Sunday afternoon at the campsite, time to start thinking about dinner. Received this cast iron beer can roaster as a birthday gift from the neighbors; been eager to try it out, so here we go...
This is a cool little cast iron unit from Outset, heavy as can be. It is the same concept to the actual beer can chicken, but with this unit you are able to mix your own flavors in the bottom and aren't limited to beer. Today I am feeling a little bit savory.
The unit comes apart to provide a pot-bottom area to infuse the back bone of this roasted chicken dish.
Nifty note, you can even use the bottom part of this unit by itself for bread, biscuits, muffins or to roast garlic, etc.
To start, place the cast iron pan over the fire.
The nice thing here with this unit is that the pan is very durable, perfect for campfires because you don't have to worry about damaging it.
Need to get the temp up on the pan in order to properly cook the vegetables that we will use for the savory; anything around 300 to 350 is great.
I use an infrared thermometer which gives me the surface temp of the pan.
This is a great tool to have. So, if you don't have one you may want to add this nifty device to your wish list.
Side note, it works on foreheads too which could be handy during Covid times.
Here are the basic ingredients that I am using; some mirepoix, little acid, some stock, good quality olive oil and seasoning.
Add some olive oil to the pan.
Olive oil is great; it's a healthy option and has a high smoke point so it works well over high heat.
I rough cut my mirepoix and garlic.
Doesn't really matter about the shape of the veg cut just that it is on the smaller side when it hits the pan.
Add your mirepoix to the hot pan and let it sear. Go ahead and add some salt and pepper at this point too.
Cook the vegetables until nice and brown to bring out the natural flavors and sweetness.
My choice of bird, the Harvestland Free Range Chicken by Perdue.
For this particular bird, I am using a new beer infused mesquite seasoning blend that, again, was a birthday gift.
There are 5 additional beer infused seasonings by Derek Wolf. You can order them in a six-pack. I can't wait to try them all.
Generously coat and rub your chicken inside and out with the seasoning.
Back to the pot...
Add some white wine, in this case 2018 Pinot Grigio.
I snagged this gem from the wife's stash,... but I made sure to save some to pour in a glass for her to enjoy later with our meal.
Let the wine reduce a bit to really concentrate the acidity.
I add the chicken neck for extra flavor.
Once the wine has reduced, you can add the can of chicken stock.
Place the cone top back on the base of the unit.
Then place the chicken bottom down on the cone.
Wrap the bird in foil.
Let it bake.
Watch the temperature around the grate area where the bird is sitting. Don't want it to be too hot.
Move it around if need be.
For sides, I have placed corn, still in the husk, and a few sweet potatoes around the chicken to bake.
I moved the corn and potatoes around the grate and fire to make sure they cooked through (soft to the touch/squeeze). I found a nice spot on a log that worked pretty well to finish off the corn.
Check the chicken in a few different spots.
For bone in chicken we want the temp to be around 180 to 185 degrees internal.
This is to make sure the bone marrow is cooked through so it does not bleed back into the chicken and give an uncooked appearance.
Boneless chicken should be 165 degrees internal.
Not too bad for the first go with this unit.
Chicken browned nicely.
Looks good.
Smells delicious.
Note, you can now rest the whole bird on the grill to brown it more, if you like your outer bird extra crispy.
Now for the savory... we go back to the pot to finish the sauce.
To make the sauce, I put the bottom part of the unit back on a hot area of the grill and bring it back to a boil.
Then, using a potato masher, I mash up the vegetable as much as possible.
To thicken the sauce a bit, I use a little cornstarch slurry. Need to mix this well so that there are no lumps. Add the slurry to the sauce a little at a time.
If you take it too far and it gets a little thick, add a little water until desired consistency.
Let the sauce simmer for a bit, so all the starch gets cooked out.
For service, I cut the meat away from the bones.
Add a little of the sauce over the sliced chicken, to keep the it moist.
There you have it, campfire roasted beer can chicken using a free range bird. Tasty.
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. So many ways to cook-up a bird on the campfire. But I think you will find beer can roasting is fun and easy, especially with this cast iron roasting unit.
Stay tuned... I will walk you through Spatchcock Roasted Chicken soon.
--Chef Chris
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