My First Meal! The 14-cent chicken

[Fio]

I am impatient. After my seventh curing fire, I wanted to cook something. The oven had reached about 500 near the floor and I wanted to use some of that heat to roast something I could eat. I went to the grocery store and found a 4 pound chicken. The weighing scale/price marker had malfunctioned, giving the chicken a measured weight of .11 pounds. The chicken cost .14 cents. I brought this to the attention of the manager, and he let me have it for the marked price. What a coup!

I constructed a makeshift oven door using a hunk of firewood, cut from the edge of the tree, and screwed two handles on it. It left a gap of half an inch on either side, which was not perfect, but it allowed the coals to smoulder for a while.

I dusted the chicken with Goya Adobo seasoning (con pimienta), and put a probe thermometer in the breast. It started at 51 degrees and ended up at 170 about an hour later. It was one of the juiciest, tastiest chickens I've ever had.

[Fio]

Here's the finished chicken.

It was the best 14 cents I've ever spent on a meal.

[james]

Congratulations!

There is nothing better than the first meal out of your own brick oven. I can remember the first things I have cooked in new ovens. It's like the first record you play on your new stereo (when we were all a lot younger). Excellent. And a $.14 chicken at that. Hmmm. Free oven plans, free chicken. You must be doing something right.
James

[enz]

Re: My First Meal! The 14-cent chicken

Amen to that James.

After my fifth pizza effort at lunch last Saturday, I put in a chicken for dinner. Alright it wasn't $ 0.14, but we can't all be that lucky. It was tremendous, juicy, tender and crisp, with just a bit of smoke.

I was surprised to see how much heat the chicken could take without burning. I might even put it in at a higher temperature next time, as I had to feed the fire to really crisp it.

These ovens really are incredibly versatile.

Enz

[Bacterium]

Re: My First Meal! The 14-cent chicken

Fio.....I like your door

[nissanneill]

Re: My First Meal! The 14-cent chicken

Good stuff Fio,
great to see that you have good tastes in your beer as well. Yet another good product that we make here down under eh!
Keep up the good work. Now you'll use the forum for cooking help and ideas instead of construction help.

Neill