ancient Chinese clay cooking pot that was later adapted by the
Japanese (who named it Mushikamado) and it finally made it to
the western world in the middle of the last century. Nowadays
the clay has been replaced by high performance ceramic, it still
typically is fuelled by charcoal but the versatility of the
ceramic barbecue grill is pretty amazing. There's a variety of
brands on the market such as the Primo kamado and the Big Green
Egg but it has to be said that trying to find a kamado ceramic
barbecue in Europe is still a thankless task.
The kamado is so versatile in that you can use it as a grill,
smoker or even as an oven. The temperatures you can reach make
it possible to cook pizza and I also like to use mine to mimic
the tandoor and it's great for chicken tikka and naan bread. For
today however I'm going to concentrate on the whole chicken and
use my kamado as a smoker and a traditional oven.
Roast Chicken
A roast chicken dinner has to be one of my favorites and
cooking the chicken in the kamado makes for a fantastically
moist bird and what's more it couldn't be more simple. It's just
a matter of heating the kamado up to the normal roasting
temperature of 180°C and applying the rule of 20 minutes per
pound plus 20 minutes and you'll get it right first time and
every time. Put a drip tray under the bird with about an inch of
water in it for added moisture and really tasty gravy.
Because you're cooking at a normal roasting temperature you can
also do your roast potatoes at the same time and just one final
tip for the chicken:-
Sprinkle the bird with salt and pepper before cooking to give a
simple flavor and the salt with crisp up the skin. Stuff the
cavity with 10 cloves of garlic.
Smoked Chicken
The kamado barbecue is the most economical smoker that I've
ever used. Thinking back to the days of an offset bbq smoker and
tending the coals every hour really doesn't excite me and
thankfully since I bought my Big Green Egg it's now become a
thing of the past. The kamado has to be the most economical
outdoor cooker that I've ever used, load it up with charcoal and
it will happily run at a "normal" smoking temperature for five
or six hours without the need to tend it. Just keep your eye on
the thermometer every hour or so and adjust the vents if
appropriate.
All the flavor for smoked chicken has to come from the smoke
because if you salt the bird then this will make it dry out.
Feel free to season with a little pepper and as an option you
can inject the bird with some olive oil and this will keep it
super moist and add a little flavor. For smoke, try bbq wood
chips from a citrus fruit such as lemon, a subtle flavour for a
subtle meat.
The cooking process for smoked chicken is pretty simple, just
work on 60 minutes per pound of meat at 120°C and you'll be
about right. To test whether it's done you can ether use a
barbecue thermometer or simply skewer the chicken in the thigh
and check that the juices run clear. Once cooked, put the bird
aside to rest for 30 minutes, it will still cook and as the
chicken cools, the juices will be sealed into the meat and this
means that any leftovers will be great cold. Leftover chicken
breast can be dry but not if you follow this smoked chicken
recipe.
About The Author: Sick of seeing cremated burgers at barbecue
parties Paul Yates set about writing recipes, advice and tips to
ensure that the burnt offering becomes a thing of the past. Try
free barbecue grill recipes & meat smoker cooking ideas at
http://www.barbecue-smoker-recipes.com
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