Build Your Own Homemade Windshield / Windscreen for the Camp Cast Iron Dutch Oven. When cooking outdoors, this will be both a way to hold in the heat and to show off to passers by at the campsite.
Pork, rosemary, potatoes, bell pepper, and thickened with seasoned bread crumbs. An easy Cast Iron Camp Dutch Oven Recipe with few ingredients. Easy. Delicious.
It was the early 1990s. I had entered my 3rd decade of life at around the time when I started to appreciate family that I had otherwise taken for granted during my teen years and even into my early 20s. Not fully appreciative as many (meaning most) of my kin will likely keep to themselves but most of us 50-somethings know what kind of a snot we were in our 20-somethings…not you…but folks I know.
My Grandaddy lived with Grandma Ellamae on her farm in Franklin Parish, Louisiana. They lived a bit out from Wisner, Louisiana. You’d head down the 425 and turn left (if you’s heading down from West Monroe) just before the veteran’s memorial gazebo. Then, you’d go until you see the sweet potato field on the right. Then look left for the white house down the long drive along rows of cotton. If you end up at Turkey Creek Lake, you went too far. That’s where my Granddaddy lived.
Ellamae’s husband had passed a handful of years before the 90s and my Grandmamma that same year. Granddaddy and Grandma Ellamae married after reuniting at a high school reunion and the two picked up the flame that burned those years before World War II.
After Grandma Ellamae had come down with dementia and she was getting cared for down at the home, I’d visit Granddaddy more often.
He’d call once in a while and ask for a visit. Well, not really ask specifically for a visit. It’d be more like, “Sulae, figs are in on the tree. You’d better get you some picked before the birds get them all.” Or, “the Brat (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaru_BRAT) is full of sweet ‘taters; come get you a box before they’re all gone.”
A day or two later, I’d drive out for a visit. We’d have an iced tea on the carport and in the patio’s shade and talk about the way things were and a bit of how things should be. He’d tell me stories that I ain’t even sure mamma knows about. Then, when the sun dropped low enough to let the heat in under the porch cover, he’d get up and give me a box of sweet potatoes he’d already gathered together. And, I head back home.
He was lonely in that old farmhouse way out there by himself. He really didn’t need to do anything more than just ask for me to come out for a visit. But, that wasn’t Granddaddy’s way. Asking for a visit made it seem like he needed something. He was the kind of fella that wanted to make sure you were taken care of instead of seeming like you were there to take care of him.
I had gotten my own first apartment and furnished it with a nice folding lawn chair and a black and white TV in the early 90s. It was perfect. Granddad found out about my move and called me, “Sulae, when’s the next time you’ll be in Wisner? There’s something I want to give you.”
I drove down for our visit. This time he was giving me all kinds of things: wooden box shoe shine kit, large metal pry bar, and some other stuff. Wasn’t sure at the time why he was giving me all these things. I said the things we say when folks are giving you stuff they really feel you need; it is the polite exchange of talk that we Southerners do. “No, really. You don’t have to give me these things,” quickly morphs into, “This is really nice; I appreciate it so much.”
I filled my car with this and that. Then we sat for a spell, drinking a bit of tea and watching the light “move” from the edge of the carport and slowly up the three painted, concrete steps to the porch as the sun lowered in the sky. That sunlight was like an hourglass of light that would “time” our visits together. Back then it seemed that light moved too slowly. Looking back, I feel that light moved too quickly.
The afternoon heat had picked up there in the sunlight and Granddaddy took my empty tea glass in the house. I got up, stretched a bit in anticipation of the hour-long drive back home. An hour didn’t consider you getting stuck behind a fella on a tractor hauling a loaded cotton trailer.
He came back out of the house with a box. “I want to give you one more thing.”
He handed me a heavy rectangle box, “Wagner’s 1891 Original Cast Iron Cookware. 3 Piece Natural Skillet Set.” This wasn’t something he’d had laying around the house. The box was new. It was a gift. He didn’t let on that it was new; he gave it to me like his other items as if he’d had it all along and no longer had a use for it.
“Sulae, you’ll be cooking with these long after I am gone and in the ground.”
I wasn’t a “cast iron guy” back then; I was a “Chicken Tonight” kinda bachelor. But, I happily took the 3-piece set home and decided I’d make some of that chicken…tonight…that night.
These skillets have been with me ever since. I’ve always re-seasoned these skillets; I’ve never stripped them. And it shows; they are kinda gunky. There’s likely a bit of some of that “Chicken Tonight” there, buried in some of that build up. Heck, there’s a little “something” from thousands of meals over the past 32 years. But, I pay that no never mind. The chicken I cook tonight in that skillet will be just as perfect as the biscuits I made this morning.
Those three skillets are still our go-to users. They sit on our counter near our stove along with a couple of Lodge griddles and 2 quart pocked-but-restored, Asian-made sauce pot. I’ve been cooking with them skillets now long after Granddaddy has been “gone and in the ground.” And, one day I’ll be joining him and my son will “be cooking with these long after I am gone and in the ground.”
The story of my 16-Inch Camp Cast Iron Dutch Oven. What is my cast iron worth? Some of you may ask that question about some of your cookware.
Cook anything in a Camp Cast Iron Dutch Oven with these easy steps. How to heat the oven. How many Briquettes / Coal / Charcoal to use. Baking Frying Roasting.
Here’s what we are going to do today: We are going to learn to create an easy…very easy…loaf of beer bread. We’re going to make this loaf by partially using a bread maker…but…we are going to proof this bread and bake this bread in cast iron. Stick with me…this bread recipe will work with a bread maker, KitchenAid® Stand Mixer, or your own two hands lovingly kneading that dough into life.
Bread is more than just a loaf constructed from grains; bread is more of an experience. I both love bread and I love “to bread.” That blending and kneading…the wait and anticipation…the aromas that fill the home…then…crumbs. The one thing I have learned over the years of cooking for folks was this: I have cooked everything from bread, salt-crusted prime rib, gumbo, to paella…they always remember the bread.
For you all that like bread in camp and fresh baked in your cast iron camp Dutch ovens, you’re in for a treat. I will often mix up the dough and let it proof inside the Dutch oven as we are driving to camp. By the time we get there and set camp up (provided it’s only a couple or four hours away), the dough has proofed and ready for those hot coals. I’ll have an article and video on that coming soon.
Hang on, I’ve got something to show you.
Bread. It’s gotten a bad rap over the past few years. What’s changed? In the 1970’s and 1980’s we would always have a plastic wrapped loaf of soft, white bread in the home for sandwiches and for just eating. I loved that soft crust.
Mamma always said, “don’t eat with your fingers!” I never could figure this out. Why? And, “Clean your plate!” What? How many of my life’s moments were centered around cleaning a dinner plate and trying to herd loose, rolling, little green peas or corn kernels onto a spoon “corral?” Woulda been easier to just pick it up with my fingers! Just sayin’
And what about all that juiciness from a good roast or soup? Woulda been easier just to tip up that bowl or plate and single-slurp it down all at once rather than slurping multiple times from a spoon…”clean your plate,” right?
Who made all these rules? My grade school’s library encyclopedia showed pictures of folks who ate with their fingers and drank from their bowls and plates. All those World Book photos of Nepalese, Arabs, Tanzanians, and Ethiopians…their mammas didn’t slap them silly when they ate with their fingers.
Asking for bread was a planned tactic. You had to be quick, “Mamma, can I have some bread I don’t want to eat with my fingers.” Normally there’d be a semi colon in that sentence but if you paused even for a moment, mamma would say, “No, you’ll get fat!” She may be thinking “no” when we were asking for bread but how could she say “no” to we don’t want to eat with our fingers?”
You all from the South know why we were asking for bread, right? For all the rest of you all: we used that bread to push along food toward our forks and spoons. Then, when we were all done pushing, scooping, and sopping, we’d eat that gravy-soaked piece of bread…with our fingers!!
Bread is more than just a loaf constructed from grains; bread is more of an experience. I both love bread and I love “to bread.” That blending and kneading…the wait and anticipation…the aromas that fill the home…then…crumbs. The one thing I have learned over the years of cooking for folks was this: I have cooked everything from bread, salt-crusted prime rib, gumbo, to paella…they always remember the bread.
I mentioned a bread maker. Used to be that I considered the bread maker a form of cheating. I enjoyed (and still enjoy) the beauty of a hand-kneaded ball of dough (an article and video for another day). Then there came a day where I was “agreeing” with a production baker. He and I both frowned on those using a bread machine. But, boy howdy, was he proud (and I jealous) of his home’s KitchenAid® Stand Mixer that he used to knead his dough. Then…I changed my mind. I’ll leave it up to you to change your mind if you think like I used to.
In this article, we are using a bread maker or a bread machine to create our beer bread loaf. This recipe will work A-OK with your KitchenAid® Stand Mixer or even in a bowl-to-counter, by means of hand kneading. I like my bread maker and consider the bread maker to be the poor man’s KitchenAid® Stand Mixer. The bread maker I have right now was purchased from a friend for 10 bucks. Lots of your friends will have a bread maker that they haven’t used for years. My advice is to share this bread recipe after they give you their bread machine (tongue-in-cheek).
Step 1: Measure out our dry ingredients directly into the bread maker basket or bread bucket.
Step 2: Get the bread machine started and then add our wet ingredients.
Step 3: Wait for the bread machine to finish creating the dough.
Step 4: Butter the cast iron pan you plan to bake your bread in.
Step 5: Remove the dough from the bread bucket and form our loaf.
Step 6: We’ll let the loaf rise a bit and then we’ll bake the loaf in the oven.
Step 7: After the loaf has baked, we’ll remove it and let it cool before enjoying it.
There’s more waiting on this bread to “do its thing” than participating with the loaf itself.
Easy!
Stick with a flavor-neutral beer like an easy-drinking craft lager or AAL (American Adjunct Lager). Now, flavor-neutral does not mean “blah” beer; there are a lot of beautifully crafted flavor-neutral beers that taste AMAZING!
Later, if you want to experiment with different beers, the beer cooler is the limit. But, for your first loaf, stick with an easy-drinker.
A cast iron loaf pan is not essential for making bread. If you don’t have a loaf pan but want to make the bread, then rock on! We can make that happen (I will show you in a bit).
You will need one of these loaf pans (affiliate links):
Lodge 8.5″x4.5″ Cast Iron Loaf Pan 4.69″D x 12″W x 2.88″H: https://amzn.to/3KkBlUq
Camp Chef Home Seasoned Cast Iron Bread Pan 11.75″D x 5.75″W x 3.25″H: https://amzn.to/40LWM68
Navaris Bread Loaf Pan with Lid – Cast Iron Bread Baking Dish for Bulge Top or Flat Top Breads Meat Veg Meatloaf – Baking Tin 13.4″x5.3″x6.7″: https://amzn.to/40IyuK8
WEES-CK Unique Enameled Cast Iron Loaf Pan, Meatloaf Pan, Casserole, and Bread Baking Mold (Cherry, 1 Pound) 10″D x 4.7″W x 3″H: https://amzn.to/40L3LMB
Loaf Pan – Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron 11-3/4 inches By Old Mountain 11.75 x 5.75 x 3 inches: https://amzn.to/3nu95Wq
Measuring Spoons: https://amzn.to/3n8o5J5
Measuring Cups: https://amzn.to/3yWrz41
Bread Knife: https://amzn.to/3KpWIDy
Cutting Board: https://amzn.to/42nIGt4
Baking and Cooling Rack: https://amzn.to/4310Pxa
Dry Ingredients:
2 Cups of White Flour
1 to 1 ½ Teaspoon of Salt
1 Rounded Teaspoon of Yeast
1 Tablespoon of Sugar (that’s yeast food right there)
Wet Ingredients:
¾ Cup of Beer
2-3 Tablespoons of Oil
Also, you’ll need a tablespoon of butter to get the loaf pan ready for the dough.
Step 1: Measure out our dry ingredients directly into the bread maker basket.
I add my dry ingredients to the bread machine’s basket first. I start with the flour and then add the rest of the ingredients on top of the flour. Seems that things mix up a bit better this way.
Make sure your bread machine setting is on “DOUGH.” Truth be known, you can cook this right in the bread machine and make this a one step process. But today, we’re going to use cast iron.
Step 2: Get the bread machine started and then add our wet ingredients.
Once you’ve measured out your dry ingredients, turn the bread machine on. Let the kneading paddle mix the dry ingredients around a bit first. Then add your room-temperature beer and oil to the mix and watch things a bit. DON’T drink or toss the rest of that beer in that bottle or can; we may still need some of it.
Beer is a tricky ingredient; if the beer “heads-up” in the measuring cup, it’ll throw the measurement off. Take note of the foam!
Once the ingredients (dry and wet) are mixed well, what does that dough look like? Too sticky? Too dry or maybe even crumbly?
Too Sticky: Add a little flour to the basket while the kneading paddle is running. We are looking for the dough to knock around a bit and not stick or suction to the side of the basket. We want a semi sticky ball that is being rolled around by the bread maker’s paddle and not a sticky wad that makes a sucking sound as the kneading paddle spins.
Too Dry: If the spinning dough looks crumbly and looks a bit too dry, add a bit of the remaining beer from the bottle or can. Be careful. It will go from dry to a sticky mess with just the smallest amount of extra beer.
Give the machine a bit of time to spin before you add anything (more flour or more beer). It may look too dry or too wet initially but wait about 4-5 minutes and see how the dough is coming along.
Step 3: Wait for the bread machine to finish.
Depending on the bread machine’s settings, the mixing-of-the-ingredients to the-dough-is-ready-to-form state is about an hour or two (this depends on that timer on your specific bread machine).
Enjoy the rest of that beer and maybe another one.
Step 4: Butter the cast iron pan you plan to bake your bread in.
USE BUTTER. Nothing else will work as well…maybe lard. I’ve tried other oils and even bacon grease, but the non-stick nature of butter is unmatched in the bread baking process. It’ll help you get that successful, easy-to-pop-out loaf of bread.
After the bread machine has started working away, pull out between a teaspoon to a tablespoon of butter and put the butter in the bottom of the pan you are going to bake your bread in. Just let it sit there for a bit to soften up at room temperature. We’ll spread it with our fingers in a moment.
You will not preheat your cast iron. Your loaf will proof in the pan you plan to bake the bread in. To clarify, the term “Proof” or “Proofing” identifies the final rise the dough goes through and before you place it in the oven.
Before the bread machine *beeps* to let you know your dough is ready for your attention, use your bare hand and smear the butter all over the inside of the pan you are going to proof your loaf in. If you are using a square loaf pan, watch those corners. The butter needs to be in the edges and the four corners where the edges and the bottom of the pan meet.
Step 5: Remove the dough and form our loaf.
Now we get to handle the dough.
First, notice that the dough in the bread maker’s bread basket has gone through the first rise. There is an upside that is puffy round. When you pull the dough out, the bottom will be a bit more sticky than the top. Flip the dough when you place it on the countertop.
Lay a light dusting of flour on a countertop, reach into the bread machine basket and pull the dough out, and just plop it on the countertop with the sticky side UP. We’ll flip it again when we put it in the cast iron.
Don’t knead the dough.
Forming the loaf is not hard but it’s easy to make things complicated here. Think of the side on the counter that’s face-down as the top (or eventually will become the top) of the loaf. The side that’s up will be the bottom. We want to create a rounded top.
All you must do here is press the dough flat and bring the dough’s edges back around on itself like closing a bag or purse. Then, pinch the bottom of the loaf and create an oval loaf that is even in thickness on the edges as it is thick in the center.
The loaf will want to take the shape of a football with a thick middle and tapering sides. A little football shape is okay, but we really want the loaf to sit evenly in the pan and rise evenly. If it’s not even, don’t sweat it. The pan will restrict its rising upward and often the loaf will even out more during proofing.
Let the loaf rise for about an hour or three or so. Don’t let it rise for too long or it will start to collapse or a weird air pocket will form just under the top of the loaf and create a space between the top and the rest of the bread.
Step 6: We’ll let the loaf proof (or rise) a bit and then we’ll bake the loaf in the oven
The bread needs to rise to the optimum point and then placed in the oven. How long…well, that depends.
The loaf in the video (see above) took 2.5 hours to rise and double in size.
Bread baking is not a skill that can be mastered after watching a video or reading an article. Like any recipe, it must be tried, tried, and tried again. The time it will take for optimum rising or proofing depends on a few factors.
These are just a few variables. Expect your first loaf to have some issues; it will not be perfect. But, after your first loaf, you will be able to identify things that you will do differently next time. Then, make bread again.
Don’t wait until the loaf proofs to the size of the loaf that you expect to come out of the oven. It will rise more in the oven for sure. Not only will it rise as the internal temperature of the loaf rises with the oven, the air pockets that cause the loaf to rise will expand as well. This is what often will cause the top of loaves to burst open or crack like artisan bread cracks. And, it is one of the reasons the loaf collapses on itself in the oven.
Step 7: After the loaf has baked, we’ll remove it and let it cool before enjoying it.
Now! That smells amazing!! But you must be patient here.
Remove the bread from the oven and let it rest in the pan for a minute or two. Then carefully turn it out onto a drying rack.
Optional: Using a basting brush, apply some melted butter or oil on top of the loaf and sprinkle a bit of flaky salt on the top. Let it rest for about 10-15 minutes more and then…well…now it’s time to enjoy.
Well, there you have it; the recipe is yours. Now you know how to bake a loaf of beautiful beer bread in a cast iron loaf pan. I’ll be offering more beer bread recipes soon including the round loaves that are cooked in skillets and Dutch ovens, beer bread hamburger buns and rolls, even buttermilk beer biscuits, and beer cornbread.
We’ll be on a beer bread roll for a bit. ENJOY!
We’re going to make chicken and sausage gumbo also known as Gumbo Ya-Ya and we’re going to make it with BEER! Welcome to Gumbo Ya-Ya à la Bière.
Does making your own broth take time? Sure, it does! So does eating a meal. But, I can “Guar-Ron-Tee” dat eating a bad meal takes longer than eating a good meal. Do you want them plates and bowls to end up at the sink with…
Easy. Simple. Delicious!
The scene is suspenseful; dark and gloomy. The climb down is hard and treacherous. Out of his pocket falls a small box. He reaches out in desperation but to no avail. He calls out to his single companion struggling below to hold on to the rope. They are dangerously exposed on the cliff face. His companion reaches for the small, falling box and loses his grip on the rope. He yells out as he falls back and into the mist below. Luckily, the fall was only a few feet. The companion gathers the box from the ground and examines it. “What’s this?” he asks.
Sam answers Froto: “Nothing. Just a bit of seasonin’. I thought maybe if we was having a roast chicken one night or somethin’.”
Clip from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
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
The next time you go grocery shopping or make an online grocery order, pick up a whole chicken. Most grocery store chickens are about 3-4 pounds (1.5 kilograms). As soon as you get home and settled, set that whole chicken to brine. Yes, that same evening.
Here are two links WITH VIDEOS on brining meats (chickens are in the examples given). Trust me when I say: brine the chicken. It will not disappoint.
The Hot Method: https://beerandiron.com/basic-beer-brine-template-recipe/
The Cold Method: https://beerandiron.com/how-to-beer-brine-whole-chicken/
Here’s another way to Roast Chicken: https://beerandiron.com/roasted-beer-brined-chicken-cast-iron-dutch-oven-on-grass-straw-hay/
And a roasted chicken sure does sound good for tonight. Roasted chicken seems to be a simple thing; yes, it does. Put the chicken in the oven at 350°F / 177°C and cook it for 20 minutes per pound and until the juices run clear. You and I both know it’s not that easy. Naw, it ain’t that easy; and that’s why Costco sells 100 million rotisserie chickens every year out of over 625 million sold each year in the USA. That’s like 2 grocery store-cooked chickens for every person in the USA each year.
Someone ate my two chickens!
I am going to share with you 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. And best of all, it’s going to be easy. But it’s going to take a bit of planning (there’s always a “but”). But, don’t let that bit of planning sway you back to Costco for that plastic-packaged over-cooked rotisserie chicken, this ain’t near the work or planning you think it is.
The secret to the perfect roasted chicken is this: preparation and a bit of planning. Just telling y’all how it is. It’s really not that much preparation. I am just like you: BUSY! BUSY! BUSY! There are times when I don’t have a clue what’s for dinner; and then comes the “where do y’all want to go eat at?” question.
Meal planning seems to be a hassle. And it is. But mealtime experiences are usually the pinnacle of our evenings and time together as a family. I find myself planning out a day or three down the calendar to make sure I’ve got some ideas. And, if you follow this recipe and plan, you’ll have a perfectly roasted chicken and be ready for dinner by the time everyone is ready for their after-work and after-school meal.
Step 1: Brine the Chicken.
2-5 days before you plan to roast your chicken, set the whole chicken in the brine (follow the links for either the cold brine method or the hot brine method). Place that brining chicken in the refrigerator and let it rest there. Move it about each day or so to make sure the salt stays stirred up and the chicken evenly brines.
Start with the cold method of brining. You’ll have that chicken out of the grocery store bag and packing and in the brine in less than 10 minutes. IT’S EASY!
Start your brining journey with a 2-day brine. I can’t “taste” what salty taste like to you. So, start with 2 days and if the chicken tasted perfectly salted and juicy then you have your brine time that works for you. If it was lacking a bit of saltiness and flavor, next time add a day to the brine time and see how things go. Read more about saltiness here: https://beerandiron.com/salt-to-taste/
Step 2: Remove the Chicken from the Brine.
When you are ready to cook your chicken. Pull it down and leave it in the brine about an hour or two before you start your chicken to roasting. When you are about 10 or 15 minutes from ready to put the chicken in the oven, start the following steps.
Chef Tip: I will usually call my wife to pull the chicken down even before I get home from work. Or, I will pull it down as soon as I get home and let it “warm up” as I change and “get the day off of me.”
Step 3: Set your oven to preheat to 350°F / 177°C
When you are ready to get busy and cook this chicken and while your oven is preheating, gather your 5-quart cast iron Dutch oven or skillet. Get your trivets ready.
We are going to cook this without a lid on the Dutch oven.
Step 4: Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry the chicken with paper towels.
Set the dripping chicken on a tray with paper towels underneath the chicken while you pat dry the chicken. Watch the fluid “hiding” in the cavity; it’ll spill out everywhere.
It does not have to be bone dry. All you need is to dry the brine from the chicken and before you apply the oil to the chicken skin.
Step 5: Truss the chicken.
Chicken has so many different “thicknesses.” And, by the time the depths of the breast or the thigh joint has reached doneness, the leg and wing have long since been cooked and has likely reached an over-cooked state. Trussing the chicken draws everything in and keeps the parts-and-pieces dress-right-dress. Trussing promotes an evenly cooked chicken.
How do you truss a chicken you ask? There’s a video of this whole process above; if you still have problems trussing the chicken, let me know. It’s not hard…once you’ve done it a few times…but…it’s hard the first time!
Trussing is optional. Your chicken will roast just fine if you do not. It’ll be less than perfect but it will be AMAZING nonetheless.
Step 6: Oil the outside of the chicken.
You will not need much oil at all. Oiling the chicken skin will help that skin to crisp up and work like a “sack.” That “sack” will hold that moisture better. You will even see that sack-like nature when you pull the roasted chicken from the oven and see the skin “deflate” as the air temperature changes from the oven to the air of your kitchen.
Step 7: Using your 5-quart cast iron Dutch oven, set a trivet in the bottom.
Most all chickens from the grocery store will fit nice and neat in a 5-quart cast iron Dutch oven. You need some air space all around the chicken while it’s in the Dutch oven.
For you fine folks that grow your own chicken, you may need to consider a 7-quart or a 9-quart Dutch oven. The size of the chicken will determine the size of the Dutch oven you will need.
I use a trivet for this recipe. Not too many folks have a good trivet. If you don’t have one, then get one here:
I have two of these and use them all the time. They also work GREAT as bacon presses and don’t let moisture build up under them like most presses causing all that popping and grease stinging.
A trivet is optional. I want the chicken not to be in direct contact with the heat and cook evenly. I usually use TWO trivets like in the video.
Step 8: Set the whole, trussed, oiled chicken on that trivet inside the cast iron Dutch oven.
I don’t use a lid for this recipe. I leave it open to air at the same 350°F / 177°C the whole time. Some will suggest heating up the oven to a very high temperature and letting it “seal” or “sear” in the moisture. But, we do just fine at one constant temperature.
This is where you are free to add anything else to the pot along with that chicken. Sometimes we’ll put spriggles of thyme, rosemary, or whole cloves of garlic. These additional will add to the flavor of the chicken.
If you do add something to the pot with the chicken, make sure it will both tolerate the longer cook time and finish cooking at the same time your chicken is done. If not, add it later in the cook. Most of the time, when we add something to the pot with the chicken, we add those ingredients as flavor ingredients.
Step 9: Set the chicken in the oven without a lid.
Just pick a middle shelf in your oven and set it in there but close enough to the door to reach it with our temperature probe.
Step 10: Insert a meat thermometer temperature probe to the thickest part of the breast.
We set the thermometer probe into the thickest part of the breast, but we don’t go all the way down to the bone. We stick the temperature probe about 2/3rds the thickness of the chicken breast. If you hit the bone, just pull back a bit and you’re A-OK.
The wired thermometer keeps life easy! Trust me on this one. We use this Wireless Meat Thermometer to keep from guessing when the chicken is done. I don’t have to open the oven door but once and that’s to use my other meat thermometer to do a double check.
I am writing this article as my chicken cooks now. I don’t have to do anything while the chicken cooks but wait on that “beeping” from my device.
I also use this with my Camp Chef camp cast iron Dutch ovens when cooking outdoors. It’s something I suggest.
All of my links are affiliate links and I appreciate you all if you chose to click and purchase from these links. Disclaimer: I use each and every item I link you to. And, I try not to fluff up the links. I want this website to be about the food and not a bunch of pop up ads and videos.
Step 11: Roast until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F / 74°C
This is a tricky step. If you have ever cooked a whole, roasted chicken and find that there is still some “pink” in the center, you know the struggle is real. The breast reads “165” and the thigh joint reads “148.” Dang it!!
We are assured the chicken is completely done by the initial breast meat temperature reaching 165°F / 74°C. Then, we pull it from the oven and double check with our other meat thermometer.
Step 12: Remove the chicken from the oven and check the temperature at the inner thigh to make sure the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
You can check with the same temperature probe you cooked with. It’s a little sluggish on quick reads. We have this 2nd meat thermometer to make sure.
If the breast meat and the inner thigh joint are at 165°F / 74°C, we are sure the chicken is completely cooked and ready to eat.
And that’s all there is to it. Now you have a perfectly roasted chicken.
Roasted Chicken is a light-colored meat. So, stick with a light-colored beer. Hey, I ain’t making that up. Try it. But, take some more advice: Stick with a nice Pale Lager, Helles Bock, and Helles Lager; these are excellent choices.
And though a bit darker in color but excellent with roasted chicken: Amber Lager, Vienna Lager, and Märzen are good choices as well. Many ales go well with roasted chicken like the blonde ale, wheat ale, and Kölsch.
Golden Lagers (bottom fermented at cooler temperatures) and Golden Ales have similar characteristics (with lagers always being clear). Golden Ales will be a bit bitter but not too much. Golden Lagers have 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.
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.
This recipe will produce a nice, juicy, roasted chicken that can either be served whole or can be deboned and used in different recipes. It will add so much to any chicken-as-an-ingredient recipe.
There’s not much that will not go well with whole, roasted chicken.
Roasted Carrots
Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Roasted or Mashed Cauliflower
Asparagus
Potatoes au Gratin
Fettuccine Alfredo
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Garlic Baby Potatoes.
Garden Salad
Mac and Cheese
Sweet Potatoes
Corn on the Cob
BREAD!
Scalloped Potatoes
Can you think of anything that does not work as a side with roasted chicken?
Consider getting creative with these sides. Cauliflower, yeah! But what about Roasted Herb & Lemon Cauliflower or Garlic and Rosemary Brussels Sprouts?
Hands down, my favorite herb to use with chicken is sage. I love, love, love the flavor of sage and chicken. Thyme is my next go-to with rosemary being an equal love of mine.
Other herbs and vegetables go well with chicken such as cilantro, oregano, marjoram, tarragon, garlic, and lemon (though lemon is really a fruit).
Marjoram and Tarragon are not my go-to herbs but some recipes call for these two herbs and if I am preparing the whole chicken as an ingredient for other recipes, I will use one or both with my chicken.
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.
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.
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.
Meat Thermometer (Optional): https://amzn.to/3wCnS2o
Butcher’s Twine (Optional if you plan to truss): https://amzn.to/3HDjJBw
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
Chef Tip 1: 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.
Chef Tip 2: The truth be known: it takes the same energy to cook one chicken as it does to cook two. We will cook a chicken in two 5-quart Dutch ovens at the same time. I have a large Fish Fryer Pot that I set the two trivets and chickens in; one on one side and one on the other. They fit perfectly. I found my used, so keep your eye out for one:
Chef Tip 3: Don’t toss the bones, innards, or skin…MAKE A BROTH (How to Coming Soon).
There you go! Now, what do you think? It’s really as easy as brine, roast, and enjoy (with a few days in between).
Yes, there is very little difference between this recipe and our Chicken On Grass Recipe.
We roast chicken all the time mainly for the chicken to be used in an ingredient in Gumbo, Chicken Stew, Chicken Enchiladas, and so much more.
Let me know what you think and how your roasted chicken turned out.
I am always sharing fresh, flavorful, recipes cooked up in well-seasoned cast iron awesomeness with a bit of my liquid, hop-based, happy-maker as an ingredient.
Recent Comments