The art of smoking - part 3

1 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
Birds are easy to smoke. They require little preparation, and
There is no difficulty in judging when they are ready to eat.
They are delicious eaten hot from the oven or, with minimal care,
They can be refrigerated or frozen and kept in perfect condition
Until required.

Directions

SMOKED POULTRY AND GAME BIRD

CHICKEN

For those who can raise their own chickens, the ideal size for smoke-roasting is 4 to 6 pounds dressed weight. If chickens are purchased, whole-bodied or split fryers are best, although cut-up chicken can be used. Splitting: Stand the fryer on the cutting block, head-end down, tail in the air, with its breast turned away from the cutting hand. With a heavy knife, cut right down the back, and spread the carcass open. Do not turn the bird around. Cut right down the breastbone, splitting the fryer cleanly in halves. This cut is easy with a strong, really sharp knife. Seasoning: Liberally sprinkle both sides of each half with Basic seasoning. If the skin is so dry that the seasoning will not adhere, moisten it with water before applying the seasoning. Smoking: The smoke oven should be heated to a temperture between 200 F and 225 F before the chicken is inserted.

Lay the halves skin-side down on the racks. Examine the skin from time to time. When it is light amber, baste the chicken halves with butter and turn them over. Leave the halves skin-side up, and baste twice more with butter until the skin is a rich, golden amber color.

Towards the end of the smoking process, occasionally give the leg bone a gentle twist. When the bone turns easily in its socket, the chicken is properly cooked. This is an infallible test. Even if there is still a slight redness in the joint, the bird is now in ideal condition for eating. Use of an Ordinary Oven: Some smoke ovens may not get hot enough to cook chicken properly. Then leave the fryers in the smoke oven, basting and turning as already described, until the skin is fully colored, by which time the meat is partially cooked, and the smoke flavor is absorbed. Transfer the birds to the kitchen oven, set it at 350 F and cook until the leg bone turns easily in the socket. For this finishing-off process, the bird should be enclosed in a covered roaster, or carefully wrapped in metal foil with the edges well crimped. These precautions will help to conserve moisture++an advantage of smoke cooking that should not be thrown away. As an additional precaution against drying out, a tablespoon of water may be added to the foil package or roaster. A covered roaster is the more convenient, since foil wrapping hinders use of the leg-twisting test for doneness. Serving and Storage: Smoked chicken may be served hot or cold. Allow at least one pound per serving.

Smoked chicken, like all other poultry and game birds, keeps well when frozen-as long as 6 or 8 months with proper methods. Place each piece in a plastic bag, or wrap in aluminum foil and freeze at 0 F.

Frozen, foil-wrapped chicken will keep several days after removal from the freezer, even in warm weather. It makes an excellent food to take on picnics or hunting parties. Reheating: To rehat frozen smoked chicken, put about a tablespoon of water in the foil package, double the edges of the foil over and crimp them tightly with the fingers. Thus the steam is kept in, the warming process is pseeded, and the chicken emerges moist and succulent. Alternatively, the chicken may be reheated in a dutch oven or covered roaster, with a tablespoon of water added to ensure ample moisture. There are some other suggestions applicable to fixing delicious chicken. For a stronger smoke flavor, start with the smoke oven at 85 to 95 F and leave the chicken halves until they are nicely colored on both sides, then raise the oven temperature to 200 to 225 F and complete the cooking described above. The half-chicken makes a convenient portion for one person. But whole chicken can be smoked just as well. So can the pieces, legs, thighs, breasts, now sold in many markets.

Procedure is the same. Apply Basic Seasoning, baste several times while smoking. Here too, a preheated oven produces medium smoke flavor. For stronger flavor, give a preliminary cold-smoking. As with the half-birds, guard against letting the meat get dry during cooking in an ordinary oven, during cold storage, or while reheating.

Especially fine for smoking is the capon. It is more tender than other fowl; its fat is distributed throughout the lean tissues instead of being concentrated in pockets. Good capons may weigh from 6 to 8 pounds. With home-raised chickens, it is very important to chill them promptly after killing. They are very hot-blooded birds and, if not rapidly cooled, will soon start to deteriorate. From Jack Sleight and Raymond Hull's "Home Book of Smoke Cooking Meat, Fish & Game." ISBN 0-8117-2195-7

TO ALL Submitted By DENISE LANGLOIS SUBJ HELP! - NEW SMOKER GRILL On

07-10-95

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