An iconic rotisserie recipe, spit roast garlic chicken cooked over a fire pit or open fire. As the chicken slowly revolves by the fire so do its internal juices, and on the outside over time the butter self basted oils and garlic start to caremalise. Ultimately leading to a deep golden crisp yet sticky skin that melds harmoniously with smokey warm garlic notes of the moistest chicken interior.
The FireChef Spit Roast will happily turn up to 8kg of food, easily accommodating 3 birds at the same time, or even a turkey if your feeling festive. If you do have many mouths to feed or just feeling peckish and opt for multiple chicken option, try varying the flavours along the spit, a -garlic-herb-chilli- chicken combo will certainly prompt the need for celebrating.
The Cooking Fire
We are going to need to hold a reasonable heat for a few hours so build a good fire base. Medium to large chickens cook well around FIREMARK 4 (a distance from the fire where you can comfortably hold your hand for 4 seconds before it gets too hot). The key is not to give it too much heat and burn the garlic or skin, remember when you have a cooked chicken of internal temperature 74C/165F if its not quite deep golden enough for you yet simply build up the fire and give it a 10-15 minute zorch.
Spit Roast Garlic Chicken Recipe
The ingredients for this recipe are few, but in that lies the dish’s beauty. By prepping the chicken and packing the garlic butter mix under the skin the bird is self basting, no open fire basting is really needed as it cooks allowing you to be free around camp or guests, just keep an occasional eye on it and maintain the fire at a good cooking heat
In this recipe the optimal heat distance of FIREMARK 4 was slightly indirect of the embers below. If you are cooking on an open fire or campfire I suggest positioning the bird at the edge of the fire, keeping the flame for light and warmth and racking out additional embers as required under the bird. Think also about wind direction, upwind the chicken will be easy to tend but less of a smokey flavour, downwind maybe too hot- this chicken was cooked upwind of the fire and carried well a delicate smoked flavour notes.
A sensational Spit Roast Chicken self basted with garlic butter and cooked to perfection over an open fire.
- 2 Whole Chicken medium or large
- 125 g Butter
- 8 Garlic Cloves
- 1 bunch Garden Herbs thyme/rosemary/bay
- 2 tsp Flaked salt Fine will do
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Fine chop the garlic cloves and mash into the butter with the salt
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Delicately work the garlic butter under the breast skin of the birds as far as possible
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Add the bunch of herbs to the cavity of each birds
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Secure the birds inverted tail to tail on the spit and secure with Spit Forks. Try and get a good weight balance round the spit for even turn speed. Rotisserie Tip: Gently tighten the spit fork screws with some pliers.
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Set up the spit roast so the position the birds from the fire or embers are a distance where you are able to comfortably hold your hand next to the fire for 4 seconds (medium heat)
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Insert spit into motor, turn on
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Cook for 2-3 hours tending your fire as necessary to keep a good cooking heat. Chicken will be cooked when internal temperature is 74C/165F or when pricked juices run clear. Cooking Tip: Build up fire at end if more browning is needed.
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Serve on a platter and carve.
- Build the fire to slightly wider than the spit food load to ensure even cooking of the birds.
- Truss the chicken legs and wings to keep a better balance on the spit
