On Chook

Anthony Bourdain said that chicken (or "chook," in Australian colloquial) is the meat chosen by customers who don't really know what they want. At least, he said something like that; it's been a while since I've read “Kitchen Confidential” and I may have the wording wrong, but the sentiment is spot on.

At any rate, I do not entirely agree. While I may not often order chicken when I go out (I secretly look for both the one: richest, and two: fattiest dishes on the menu and then try to order one of each), I do eat chicken quite frequently. In fact, looking back over my blog, I think chicken features more than any other protein, with the possible exception of pork, but we all know pork is not so much a foodstuff as it is a lifestyle. Livin' the dream, baby, livin' the dream.

Lifestyle choices aside, a good, free range chook is a joy, both to work with, as a chef and to eat, whoever you are. A corn-fed bird is unbelievably moist and flavorful, and the slightly jaundice appearance of its flesh makes me think of happy, fat hens scratching for kernels in the soft sunlight. These types of chickens are delicious and I can't imagine anyone who eats one holding onto the belief that it is a sub-standard, second choice meat. If I ever meet Bourdain, perhaps I'll cook the following for him; I have a feeling the scotch in the recipe will appeal to him. Really, who amongst us doesn't believe this man likes a drink? No hands? No? I thought so.



Scotch Glazed, Slow Roasted Chicken

1.5 k chicken

Brine

3 L water
125 g salt flakes
100 g honey
1 lemon, halved
1 bay leaf
1 cracked clove garlic
6 whole black peppercorns

Scotch Glaze

200 ml scotch
150 g muscavado sugar
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp smoked paprika

Bring all of the brine ingredients to a boil. Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar and then cool to room temperature. Place the chicken in the brine and weigh it down by placing a plate on top of it. Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours. Remove the bird from the brine, discarding the liquid, and pat it dry. Allow it to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 150ºC (300ºF).

In the meantime, bring the ingredients for the glaze to a simmer in a small pot. Simmer gently until the mixture has reduced at least by half. It should be a thick syrup.

Lightly pepper the flesh of the chicken. Place it on a rack over a roasting tray with a cup of water in it. Roast the chicken for ½ hour. Remove the bird from the oven and paint the glaze on with a brush. Return to the oven and roast another ½ hour. Repeat the glazing process. The bird will take about 1 ½ - 2 hours to cook. It is done when the juices run clear when you pierce the thigh at the joint. Glaze once more before carving and serve with the sweet and sticky pan juices.