why no crackle, sad chicken?
I bought a kosher chicken for dinner yesterday. Kosher is a good way around all the "organic" or "free range" nonsense...those rabbis keep the factories' asses in line, they do. No burned off beaks, fewer chickens per building, no antibiotics or hormones. They're expensive, but I am reassured by expensive meat that it wasn't unduly cheap to mass produce...
Anyway, so the chicken. I wanted to roast it. I wanted it to come out of the oven with a fantastic, crackling brown skin like the ones you can buy at the store. You know, where the skin is dark brown and they are turned all those creepy chicken bodies on the rotisserie? Yum.
So I read through my meat related cookbooks. I figured if anyone would know, it would be Julia and Irma (Julia Childs and the Joy of Cooking woman). Julia said that she likes to give the chicken a nice butter massage because "I think the chicken likes it." Hmmm, allright, I've invested enough in a happy chicken so far, so why not? Irma says to paint it with melted butter. Since I fear the melty butter might drip off, I go with Julia. Set out butter, wait for it to soften, mush it up with chopped parsley..and massage that kashrut chicken till it begs for mercy. I even select a certain roasting technique, propping the bird on its side and turning it twice so the meat cooks evenly.
Come time and the meat is yummy and tender, flavorful...and the skin is sort of a tepid beige-brown. Why G-d why? I bought your special chicken---I didn't even put dairy in the rest of the meal? Please? It's like every other chicken whose skin has failed to crackle. Could it be my oven? Does one require a rotisserie? Should I rost it at a higher temperature? With oil instead of butter? Should I buy that thingie I keep threatening to where you skewer the bird through its body cavity so it stands up like a good little soldier in the oven?
I am defeated...oh well. The meat was good.
Anyway, so the chicken. I wanted to roast it. I wanted it to come out of the oven with a fantastic, crackling brown skin like the ones you can buy at the store. You know, where the skin is dark brown and they are turned all those creepy chicken bodies on the rotisserie? Yum.
So I read through my meat related cookbooks. I figured if anyone would know, it would be Julia and Irma (Julia Childs and the Joy of Cooking woman). Julia said that she likes to give the chicken a nice butter massage because "I think the chicken likes it." Hmmm, allright, I've invested enough in a happy chicken so far, so why not? Irma says to paint it with melted butter. Since I fear the melty butter might drip off, I go with Julia. Set out butter, wait for it to soften, mush it up with chopped parsley..and massage that kashrut chicken till it begs for mercy. I even select a certain roasting technique, propping the bird on its side and turning it twice so the meat cooks evenly.
Come time and the meat is yummy and tender, flavorful...and the skin is sort of a tepid beige-brown. Why G-d why? I bought your special chicken---I didn't even put dairy in the rest of the meal? Please? It's like every other chicken whose skin has failed to crackle. Could it be my oven? Does one require a rotisserie? Should I rost it at a higher temperature? With oil instead of butter? Should I buy that thingie I keep threatening to where you skewer the bird through its body cavity so it stands up like a good little soldier in the oven?
I am defeated...oh well. The meat was good.