Sunday 30 September 2012

Steve Goodall - Beer Can 'Bacon' Chicken


This is how Steve Goodall tricks bacon into his lair.


I’ve tried roasting chickens to get crispy skin before but I always ended up with a soggy bottomed bird, but any port in a storm, eh?
So when I saw a short advert in between programs on The Food Network Channel showing two of my fave things, meat and beer, well I nearly shit a brick!
The idea was simple, stick a chicken on a can of beer of your choice, I used Stella Artois, so the whole chicken gets elevated off the tray so cooks all the way round, and the beer steams through the meat from the inside.

You need…
1 whole chicken, as cheap as you like, nothing wrong with roasting a cheap bird now and then then, we’ve all been there. No point buying one of these ‘Higher Welfare’ jobbies, after all, you’re only going to shove a metal tin up its arse!
1 can of premium wife beater (optional), opened.
8 rashers of smoked, streaky bacon, I used pancetta, cos life’s good right now…
Just a bit of oil (This is clearly not a Jamie ‘Lets Soak The Bleeding Thing In Extra Virgin’ Oliver recipe!)
Some salt and pepper
A metal roasting tin
How to…
1.       Set your oven to 190°C  (at this point, a proper chef waffles on about fan assisted stuff, but hey-ho!)
2.       Put just one oven shelf in, put it on the bottom rung, this is a tall tray full, you need the headroom!
3.       Take the stupid string off the chicken, it’s not bondage ffs!
4.       With a sharp knife, cut into the thighs and legs, this helps them cook at the same speed as the more delicate breast meat <insert your own pun here>
5.       Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the chicken, then drizzle in the oil and rub it in…’Oi, Chicken, you’ve lived a shitty life, and now I’m going to ram a can up yer ass!’ (Oh, not that kind of ‘rub it in’!)
6.       OPEN THE CAN OF BEER!! Things get explosive if you don’t. Put the can in the middle of the roasting tray (Use a solid tray, not a disposable foil one like I did in the photo, Doh!)
7.       Use your fingers to widen the ‘posterior end’ of the chicken, you may need to take the chicken out for drinks first, whisper sweet nothings to it, and spend 2 hours of foreplay first, I've heard birds prefer this to having it rammed straight in.
8.       Carefully slide the chicken over the can; it will bottom out in its ribcage.

9.       Layer the bacon on the chicken so it covers the breast meat and legs. This will flavour the meat from the outside.
10.   Then, deftly place the balanced tray into the oven and leave for 45 minutes.
11.   After this time, take the bacon off the skin, it’s done its bit, this is now your mid-recipe treat!
12.   Start to baste the chicken using the juices in the tray, repeat every 10 minutes until it’s been cooking for 1hr 20/30 minutes. Then take it out to rest.
13.   Leave it to rest for about 15 minutes, and then use what’s left in the can to make Stella gravy. Enjoy!
Nb. You can of course use the beer of your choice; stout-ier beers would make a better gravy.
@StevieGoodall


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