Beer and Iron’s Simple Roasted Chicken
How I create the perfect roasted chicken each and every time. It’s going to be crispy, it’s going to be juicy, and it’s going to be evenly roasted.
Month: February 2023
Now We’re Cooking With Grass
Now We’re Cooking With Grass
BEER-BRINED, Roasted CHICKEN COOKED IN A CAST IRON DUTCH OVEN ON AN “ORGANIC” TRIVET
It’s likely that the title first caught your eye. Cooking chicken on grass. Then came the “What tha’s!” What tha tarnation! What tha deuce! And finally, what tha hay!
And “what the hay” indeed. We’re going to take a beer-brined whole chicken and roast it on a bed of grass, straw, or hay as an organic…meaning derived from something once living…trivet. We’re looking for a flavor that only cooking with grass, straw, or hay can give. A nice, earthy and nutty flavor.
It’s funny how we sometimes say that it’s “Earthy.” That’s like saying it smells like dirt, musty, or like mushrooms picked fresh from the worm bin. But, no…not at all. “Earthy” is the only way I know how to describe it. What do you think? Comment below if you have a flavor profile for this chicken using this cooked-on-grass method.
Folks are going to have mixed messages when I say “organic.” No, not you; but folks I know. During my lifetime of almost 53 years, the word “organic” has all but changed in regard to its definition.
My suggestion is to make sure your grass is organic in both ways…that it’s really derived from something living (Easter basket grass is probably not a good substitute) and that it’s organic meaning that there’s no chemicals on the grass (and we ain’t about to venture into that territory). Basically, get some hay, straw, or grass that hasn’t been sprayed with anything you wouldn’t want to eat.
Plan Ahead
Plan a bit ahead with this recipe. As always, we brine our chicken before roasting. There’s an article on Beer and Iron as well as a video that shows you how to brine a whole chicken: WATCH IT HERE
Let’s Get Started
First of all, let me tell you a quick story. I was cooking some gumbo for a few friends. I’m at the pot and am focused on moving that wooden spatula this way and that…when I heard my name in a question tone,
“Sulae?”
“Yeah, what it is?” Roux-making is a quick task but one I prefer to do without another thing to think about.
“Can you not put the bay leaves in the gumbo? I don’t like the bay leaf.”
“But, why don’t you like the bay leaf?” I asked.
“Dey too hard to chew.” My friend said.
Poor fella. Later, I gave him a couple of nickels for that dime he’d been carrying around; and he’d thought he done won the lottery.
So, I am going to say, don’t eat the grass or the bay leaves, and don’t eat the grass you use in this recipe. It’s not food; it’s a way to add flavor (and a bit of culinary intrigue) to our chicken. There are a lot of things we use in our recipes that are only for adding flavor or extracting flavor from.
Afterwards, we remove it before serving.
But, you know that. We’ll leave that there. Let’s get started.
If you can find an organic straw or hay in bales then you can use that! But, you’ll likely do better with a smaller bag of rabbit feed alfalfa or hay (note: some feed varieties have marigolds as an additive…I am not sure what “flavor” that would render).
You will start this recipe 3-5 days before you are ready to cook your chicken by starting the brining process. We have two ways we create our brine:
- The Hot Method – This is where we take beer and add salt in a ratio of 1 tablespoon of salt to 12 ounces of beer. We add spices and herbs and heat the solution for a bit. After letting it cool completely, we add the meat to the brine and let it “brine” for a period of time.
- The Cold Method – This method is much more simple. 1 tablespoon of salt to 12 ounces of beer. Mix them together and put the meat in the brine to let it “brine” for a period of time.
The cold method seems easier. However, the hot method works best for more complicated brines with more than just the salt and beer. The heat will allow the flavors and essences of the herbs and spices to blend better with the brine liquid and thereby promote their flavors into the depths of the meat along with the beer and salt.
Maybe a Southwestern Motif is what you’re shooting for by adding peppers in the chicken’s cavity rather than the lemon (see this recipe). Throw in some chili powder, cumin, and sage in the brine.
A nice Indian dinner-flavor is what you are craving? Add a bit of coriander, cumin, and turmeric. If you really want to live on the edge, add a small amount of cardamom to that brine as well.
The beer brine template is 1 Tablespoon of Salt to 12-Ounces of Beer. From this ratio, you can add herbs and spices to give the brine different flavors.
Here’s the link to the cold brine recipe: https://beerandiron.com/2023/01/how-to-beer-brine-whole-chicken
Here’s the link to the hot brine recipe: COMING SOON.
For reference only, whole chicken cooking time is 20 minutes per Pound (or 450 grams). This is only a guide. Your meat thermometer needs to read 165°F / 74°C before it’s considered done. With that being said, the chicken will continue to cook once you pull it from the oven and while it “rests.” The best places on the chicken to check for doneness is the inner thigh area near the joint and the breast (but don’t push the thermometer probe down to the breast bone).
Most all resources, including FoodSafety.gov say that chicken is safe to eat at 165°F / 74°C. (LINK: https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/safe-minimum-cooking-temperature). Some resources say the whole chicken should be at 185°F / 85°C and only the pieces when cooked should be 165°F / 74°C. We shoot for 165°F / 74°C.
For those of y’all that ain’t cooked too many whole chickens in your lives, it’s a really tricky thing. You’ll read 165°F / 74°C at both the breast and the thigh joint. Then, while deboning the chicken, you realize how difficult it is to remove the meat from the bone. Then…you’ll see that bright white joint and that redness! It ain’t done! Expletives follow.
Worse is when you serve a whole chicken at the table and after serving the carved meat and everyone has enjoyed about half their meal, there’s a red tinge to the settling broth in the bottom of the serving tray. Again, expletives follow.
A whole chicken has so many different parts of thicknesses that it’s really hard to tell what the actual internal temperature is. By the time you get finished sticking the thermometer probe into the chicken, it’ll end up with more holes than Lead Cenobite’s face.
What are you preparing this chicken for? Answering that question will determine how done you really need it to be.
If you are using the meat in another recipe that you will be cooking, then the temperature is not a crucial issue. As a matter of fact, an under-done chicken is best for soups and stews where it will “finish” cooking.
If you are planning to eat the chicken fresh and hot from the oven, then the temperature is more crucial and reaching that 165°F / 74°C is essential.
The often-used phrase, “cook until the juices flow clear” is not a real good way to determine doneness…just sayin’.
Beer Pairing
With this light-colored meat should come a light-colored beer. Nope, not making that up. You’ll be amazed how well a nice golden or pale lager or maybe even blonds will go with a meal of roasted chicken. That crisp, dry, clean flavor will really complement the meal.
Golden Lagers (bottom fermented at cooler temperatures) and Golden Ales have similar characteristics (with lagers always being clear). Golden lagers will be a bit bitter but not too much. There’s a tad bit of sweetness that definitely will not overwhelm nor will it linger.
And if a not-too-bitter golden ale “calls” you from your beer fridge, then a golden ale will not disappoint with this meal. If a Pilsner is all you have, it will not disappoint either.
Chilled and right out of the refrigerator golden and even pale lagers pair with roasted chicken very well as it does with many other light-colored foods like seafood.
A bit of trivia: Where did lagers get their name? Going back to the 1600’s, lagers were brewed during the colder months and lagered for the summer months. Lager beers were lagered…meaning stored.
It’s BOTH! An entrée and an ingredient
This recipe will produce a nice, juicy, roasted chicken that can either be served whole or can be deboned and used in different recipes. The flavor it takes from that grass is very subtle and yet distinctive. It will add so much to any chicken-as-an-ingredient recipe.
There’s not much that will not pair well with whole, roasted chicken.
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Carrots
Brussel Sprouts
Broccoli
Asparagus
Cauliflower
Consider getting creative with these sides. Cauliflower, yeah! But what about Roasted Herb & Lemon Cauliflower or Garlic and Rosemary Brussels Sprouts?
Beer To Use In This Recipe
The beer ingredient in this recipe is added during the brine. Most any light-colored, easy-on-the-bitterness beer will work. When you start out brining for this recipe, or any chicken that you plan to brine, use a lighter-colored, easy-to-drink beer and then experiment from there.
I often use a nice citrusy beer with this recipe.
I love craft beer and appreciate the craft beer’s value. They are more expensive than big-brewery beers. And, truth be known, many of them big-brewery beers ain’t too bad to drink. If that’s all I have or have been offered, I’ll enjoy that big-brewery beer and the friends I am enjoying it with.
Less expensive, easy-to-drink beer works very, very well for brining chicken. Consider Corona, Modelo, or even a DosXX. You will not be disappointed in how this chicken will turn out. Not to mention, that brine will not deplete your craft beer stock nor break the bank.
24 12-ounce Coronas at my local market right now costs about $26.88. I venture to say that 24 12-ounce craft beers would be 3 times that much.
Lastly, don’t think that using a beer that you consider inferior as a drinking beer will be a bad brining beer. Not in the least. They actually make for BETTER brining beers. Craft beer takes brewing to new flavor heights and we love craft beer and the brewers who toil over perfection.
However, these delicious flavor notes may cause the chicken to taste a bit off. Stick with a plain-Jane brew (sorry you Janes…I ain’t talking about you but other Janes).
Avoid dark beers, sweet beers, and beers with a high IBU. The IBU is the International Bitters Unit which is a measurement of how bitter or hoppy the beer will taste.
The Cast Iron
5 or 7-Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven (a 5-quart will work for most every chicken you pick up from the market).
The size of the Dutch oven depends on the size of your chicken. I have a Vintage Cast Iron 10-quart Sportsman Fish Fryer with the Griddle cast iron lid that I use when I want to roast two chickens at the same time. After all, the energy and time it takes to cook one chicken in the oven is the same if you put two in the oven.
Most ovens will accommodate two 5-quart cast iron Dutch ovens and even a 5-quart and a 7-quart at the same time.
The Supplies
I have included some affiliate links:
Larger Zipper Storage Bag: https://amzn.to/3wCz6Ek
Bowl to hold the brining chicken while it’s in the refrigerator.
Knife to poke holes in the Lemon
Meat Thermometer (Optional): https://amzn.to/3wCnS2o
Butcher’s Twine (Optional if you plan to truss): https://amzn.to/3HDjJBw
Ingredients:
36 Ounces of Beer (for the brine)
3 Tablespoons of Salt (for the brine)
NOTE: This is the basic brine. You can create a brine either using the cold method or the hot method. Yes! I do have a how-to article and video for both!
4 Pound Whole Chicken give or take a few ounces (or even a pound).
2-3 Tablespoons of Oil to Coat the Chicken Before Roasting
1-3 Handfuls of Organic, Non-Sprayed Timothy Hay, Straw, Alfalfa, or another Straw or Hay
1 Lemon Whole and Uncut
Ready to Cook
To brine or not to brine; that’s the first question to ask yourself. Me? Oh, it’s hands down; I’m brining every time. And, I will present this recipe with the brine time built in.
Like any recipe you follow, modify as per your preferences. This recipe, like any recipe you get from any book, Internet site, or even from Aunt Annie at the church potluck, is a template. A little bit more of this and a little bit less of that is how you and I roll when we are following recipes. This recipe is presented as a template; a place to start.
The flavor is what we are looking for and the two places in this recipe that flavor will come from are the grass we use as the trivet and the details we put into our brine.
The brine we’ll use for this recipe can be as simple as just salt and beer or it can be as elaborate as your flavor chasing journey takes you. I will present this recipe as a template and a place to get started.
The Brine
Two or three days before you are ready to cook this recipe. Prepare your brine. The Beer and Iron Beer Brine ratio is:
1 Tablespoon of Salt to 12-Ounces of Beer.
A chicken takes up a lot of space and will need to remain submerged in and under the brine. 36-Ounces should do the trick (you may need more for larger chickens and larger chickens usually need more brine time).
We have a recipe / article on how to brine a whole chicken here: https://beerandiron.com/2023/01/how-to-beer-brine-whole-chicken
Step 1: Create your brine.
Step 2: Remove the chicken from the market packaging and remember to remove anything from the cavity of the chicken.
Step 3: Place the chicken in the brine. Do not truss your chicken yet. Just the whole, raw chicken into the beer brine.
Step 4: Store the brining chicken in the refrigerator for two or three days. I sometimes will go a bit longer.
Chef Tip: Keep notes on how long the chicken brined for. Was it two, three, or even five days? The time in the brine will influence the saltiness of the meat. If you have notes that remind you that a 2-day brine worked very good and you let the next chicken go for 3-days and it turned out GREAT, those notes will keep you on track. But, if you let it go for 6-days and the chicken tasted like it’d just walked out of the ocean, then you’ll have those notes to remind you as well.
Things that influence the saltiness in brined meat:
- The amount of salt to liquid ratio (and the kind of salt you used)
- The thickness of the meat.
- The time the meat spent in the brine.
- The temperature while brining
I can’t taste what too-salty or not-salty-enough tastes like to you. Salting is a very subjective process. Will you get it right following this recipe? I hope so. If something is not perfect, then you’ll have your notes to adjust the process by.
To learn more about salting: https://beerandiron.com/2022/11/salt-to-taste
Time to Cook
After a few days, we’ll remove the chicken from the brine and place it to drain; there’s all kinds of brine hiding spots in the cavity of that chicken. Set the chicken on a small stack of paper towels.
Step 5: Preheat your oven to 350°F / 177°C.
Step 6: Pat dry the chicken’s outside. We often will pat dry the inside as well. It only needs to be pat dry and not made bone-dry. A little moisture is okay. We just don’t want brine dripping out of it if we hold it up.
Step 7: Take the knife and the lemon and poke many small slits in the lemon’s skin. Then shove the lemon into the cavity of the chicken.
You’ll notice how the lemon will “lift up” the chicken breast and give it a “plump” look. The lemon will add flavor to the chicken and also keep the chicken’s shape during cooking.
Step 8: Truss the chicken. We use the butcher’s twine. Cut a section from the butcher’s twine about an arm’s length (we’ll snip off the excess)
- Have the chicken legs facing you.
- Take the ends of the twine in each hand.
- With the middle of the twine, make a figure eight around the chicken legs with the loop of the eight around each end of each leg.
- Turn the bird around to where the neck end is facing you.
- Make a half-knot at the neck end and cinch the string to bring the legs together on the other side of the chicken.
- Have someone help you finish off the knot with their finger like when tying a bow on a Christmas gift.
- Snip off the loose ends of the twine
Step 9: Use the oil to coat the outside of the chicken. This will help crisp up the chicken and the crispy skin will hold in that moisture.
Step 10: Take your 5-quart Dutch oven and place a bit of grass, straw, or hay into the bottom of the Dutch oven. Use just enough to cover the bottom of the Dutch oven (only about 1/4th full). Here are some pointers:
- The chicken will be resting on the surface of the grass, hay, or straw and off the bottom of the pot.
- Don’t use grass clippings from your yard. Only use the kinds of grass, hay, or straw that is sold in bales or as feed for animals.
Step 11: If you are using a skewer thermometer, place the probe into the chicken breast at the thickest part and not all the way to the bone.
Step 12: Make sure there are no tips or ends of the grass, hay, or straw sticking out above or over the edge of the cast iron Dutch oven’s rim or brim. If so, snip them off. Everything should be snug and on the inside of that Dutch oven.
Step 13: Place the Dutch oven with the chicken and the grass into the preheated oven. The chicken will cook for a bit of time (sometimes an hour or longer). Cook until the internal temperature reaches 165°F / 74°C.
Step 14: When the thermometer reads 165°F / 74°C, remove the chicken from the oven and check the chicken at a few other spots to make sure it’s done.
Chef Tip 1: Don’t eat the hay, straw, or grass when you are done with cooking the chicken.
Chef Tip 2: Don’t let your animals eat the straw, grass, or hay when you are done with it. Dogs will think it’s a treat; it’s not. We always remove the used grass right away and tie it up in the garbage bag. We don’t give our dogs chicken bones either no matter how pathetic those puppy dog eyes look.
Chef Tip 3: Don’t use a skillet for this recipe. Use the Dutch oven to keep the grass in and away from direct heat. Dutch ovens are deeper and they keep everything dress-right-dress.
Chef Tip 4: Chicken is considered “done” at 165°F / 74°C. Because chicken has different parts with varying thickness, be sure to check the chicken at a few other spots to make sure it’s done.
Summary
There you go! Now, what do you think? I know that later in the cooking process you could smell that grassy, earthy, nutty aroma in the home. The real test will be the flavor; how does it taste? Be sure to let me know in the comments below.
Yes, there is very little difference between this recipe and our roasted chicken recipe. And the cooked chicken itself is used much like any other roasted or baked chicken is used. There will be a flavor difference; that’s for sure.
When we bake a chicken in the camp Dutch oven when we are out and about cooking in the great outdoors, we’ll often take some this and that to cook with as an organic trivet. I’ve used spruce tips, stems and branches, and many other things that add flavor. You will need to use (and be responsible) for your own know-how and common sense when cooking this or any recipe suggestions here on Beer and Iron.
Now, y’all go on out and give this recipe a try. And when you invite folks over and they see what your are cooking up, they’ll shout, “WHAT THA HAY!?”
And you’ll say, “Hay indeed.”
Now We’re Cooking On Grass – Beer Brined Roasted Chicken
BEER-BRINED, Roasted CHICKEN COOKED IN A CAST IRON DUTCH OVEN ON AN “ORGANIC” TRIVET
Equipment
- 5 or 7 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven Depends on the size of your chicken
- Larger Zipper Storage Bag To Brine In
- Larger Bowl To hold the brining chicken while it’s in the refrigerator.
- Knife To poke holes in the Lemon
- Meat Thermometer Optional
- Butcher's Twine
Ingredients
The Brine
- 36 Ounces Beer Light colored lager or ale with less bitterness
- 3 TBLS Salt Kosher is best
The Chicken Roast
- 1 Whole Chicken 4 Pound (Give or Take)
- 2 TBLS Oil Any oil will do. Use this to coat the chicken.
- 3 Handfuls Organic Straw, Grass, Hay 1-3 Handfuls of Organic, Non-Sprayed Timothy Hay, Straw, Alfalfa, or another Straw or Hay
- 1 Whole Lemon
Instructions
Brine The Chicken 2-5 Days Before Roasting
- Create your brine – In The Zipper Bag, add the 32 ounces of beer and then add the 3 Tablespoons of Salt. It will foam up!
- Remove the chicken from the market packaging and remember to remove anything from the cavity of the chicken.
- Place the chicken in the brine. Do not truss your chicken yet. Just the whole, raw chicken into the beer brine.
- Store the brining chicken in the refrigerator for two or three days. I sometimes will go a bit longer.
Ready To Cook
- Preheat your oven to 350°F / 177°C.
- Pat dry the chicken’s outside (and inside if you prefer)
- Take the knife and the lemon and poke many small slits in the lemon’s skin. Then shove the lemon into the cavity of the chicken.
- Truss the chicken with the butcher’s twine.
- Use the oil to coat the outside of the chicken.
- Take your 5-quart Dutch oven and place a bit of grass, straw, or hay into the bottom of the Dutch oven.
- If you are using a skewer thermometer, place the probe into the chicken breast at the thickest part and not all the way to the bone.
- Make sure there are no tips or ends of the grass, hay, or straw sticking out above or over the edge of the cast iron Dutch oven’s rim or brim. If so, snip them off.
- Place the Dutch oven with the chicken and the grass into the preheated oven.
- When the thermometer reads 165°F / 74°C, remove the chicken from the oven and check the chicken at a few other spots to make sure it’s done.
Notes
Chef Tip 1: Don’t eat the hay, straw, or grass when you are done with cooking the chicken.
Chef Tip 2: Don’t let your animals eat the straw, grass, or hay when you are done with it. Dogs will think it’s a treat; it’s not. We always remove the used grass right away and tie it up in the garbage bag. We don’t give our dogs chicken bones either no matter how pathetic those puppy dog eyes look.
Chef Tip 3: Don’t use a skillet for this recipe. Use the Dutch oven to keep the grass in and away from direct heat. Dutch ovens are deeper and they keep everything dress-right-dress.
Chef Tip 4: Chicken is considered “done” at 165°F / 74°C. Because chicken has different parts with varying thickness, be sure to check the chicken at a few other spots to make sure it’s done.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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