So as poorly as it went the first time, you would believe it if we simply gave up and never tried again. However, there were a few bites that were simply fantastic, so we REALLY wanted to make another attempt.
So we opted to buy charcoal for a more controllable temperature, and that forced us to also purchase a charcoal chimney. All of the reference sites I visited recommended he same brand of charcoal, Kingsford, so I grabbed 40 pounds of charcoal. We were following everyone’s recommendations perfectly.
Since we are mostly raising our birds for eggs, not meat, we had nothing that we were willing to take out of production right now, so we purchased a free-range bird. Following the same directions, we did everything to prep the bird the same, except the brining process. This was mostly due to time constraints (we had the afternoon available and wanted to get started ASAP).
We faithfully followed the charcoal heating instruction of 3/4 of the briquettes on top, the other 1/4 on the bottom. This allows for a more even heat distribution into the DO. Also, every 15 minutes, we rotated the bottom 90 degrees clockwise, and the lid back to its original position in order to give everything a more even exposure to the heat.
Due to the breezy conditions, we opted to set the whole shebang in a washtub. The washtub was placed on a 12 inch square paver brick to insulate the DO from the porch we were standing on.
After 2 hours, we checked to chicken to find its was GB&D – “golden, brown and delicious”. We pulled it away from the coals to allow it to coast a bit in temperature, and then went to get our plates ready for the chow!
Here is the chicken being sliced. Juicy, tender, and NOT charcoal! A FAR cry from the previous attempt!
Here we are looking at the browned edges that all ended up on my plate….sometimes it is GOOD to live with a vegetarian, even if she’s a backsliding one.
So I think we made up for the epic fail on the initial attempt, but learned some valuable info in regards to the value of controlled heat.
It went so well, we even made a cake! But that’s for another post.
db
She blinded me with science. Science!
Winner winner chicken dinner! Cake? Coconut flour?
No, not a Paleo-approved recipe…was cake mix from a box we had in storage..I tasted some, it was OK. More of a “prove it can be done” thing. The chickens ended up eatiung most of it, not that it was bad, it was just made with ingredients that I do not consume anymore
Looks good, now i may need to try that.
I have a recipe for cobbler, but it is not Paleo approved either, but it sure is yummy and it usually has homemade ice cream with it!
I wonder if I can find a Paleo cobbler recipe…..hmmmmm…..
Hooray! I’m so happy it worked out this time. You may want to try the hand-over-coals method for checking temperature for firewood instead of briquets. Put your hand about 3 inches above the coals. Count slowly until you have to pull your hand away. About seven equals a slow oven (around 300 degrees). Four or five is moderate–think 350 degrees. Two or three and you’re pushing 400-500 degrees.
Good info to have, thanks! I knew OF the method, just didn’t have the numbers memorized.