Stoneware Beer Can-Chicken Baked with an Italian Rub
Instructions:
Tom Wirt of Clay Coyote Potters makes a great, beautifully glazed ceramic “beer can”
roaster—his clay, oven-proof, takeoff on the popular method of cooking a chicken over an open half-filled
beer can is, in my opinion, far superior. In this recipe,
the large quantity of juniper berries used to rub the chicken adds a complex flavor.
Preferred Clay Pot:
A stoneware beer can–style chicken roaster
1 frying chicken (3. to 4 pounds), preferably
organic
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon juniper berries
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
2 cloves
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, rendered
duck fat, or clarifi ed butt er
1 small lemon, sliced
- Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry with paper towels. Place on a rack over paper towels and refrigerate, uncovered.
- Use a heavy pestle to pound the garlic, juniper berries, salt, oregano, peppercorns, cloves, and bay leaves to a paste in a mortar. Or blend to a puree in an electric grinder. Blend in the olive oil. Slip your fi ngers under the skin of the thighs and breasts and gently separate from the meat to create an air pocket without tearing the skin. Insert pinches of this mixture under the skin of the chicken and massage into the flesh. Use the remaining mixture to season the cavity and the skin. Slip the lemon slices into the cavity.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Bring the chicken to room temperature. Fill the “beer can” about two thirds full with water and the juice of 1 lemon. Seat the chicken so its legs straddle the “beer can.” Bake, uncovered, for about 1½ hours.
- To remove the chicken, carefully lift the bird off its stand so the juices in the cavity run into the bowl. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, degrease the juices in the bowl, pour them into a conventional skillet, and quickly boil them down until reduced by half. Correct the seasoning and serve with the carved bird.