Cooking a whole chicken using OctoForks

[tekobo]

My KKs will be arriving soon and I am trying to experiment with the accessories that I have bought so far so I won't be overwhelmed by the newness of everything when the KKs arrive.  I swing between being terrified by all that I will have to learn and comforted by the fact that you all say that KKs are so intuitive to use.  I am gently settling into the latter mode and looking forward to the excitement when they arrive.  Anyway, on to the business at hand:

I have been trying out my home roti and found the forks to be so feeble that I had to pierce the skin with a knife to get them in!  OctoForks to the rescue.  I set them up yesterday and here is my first attempt at balancing a whole chicken on the spit:

As you can see, I got the centre of gravity all wrong and it was never going to rotate smoothly.  With the forks up close and personal to the sides of chicken, I wasn't sure that I liked the fact that the skin on the sides wouldn't see the heat but the skin on the back, which I don't eat, would be beautifully browned.  So I switched to this configuration:

 

Still not perfectly balanced but the OctoForks made a really stable cage for the bird.

These are really robust birds that we bought in Italy, in the region that invented slow food.  The first time I cooked one, I roasted it as normal for an hour and it came out really tough.  The thigh meat is almost gamey.  Since then I have found that a slow roti makes them nice and tender.  This time the chook was in for two and a half hours at 150 degrees C and came out OK.  

There are a number of areas for improvement.  First, try this out in a KK to see if what you say is true about how well it cooks chicken.  Second, take the wing tips off and crank up the heat at the end to crisp up the skin.  Third maybe brine the chicken and add more purple crack than I did this time.  I do have a MEATER now but hadn't managed to charge and pair it in time and so left it out of this cook.  

Any advice about positioning the Octoforks?  It would be good to see photos of your cooks with whole chickens to help make my first KK chicken cook as good as it can be.  Or should I just do what Dennis says and go with a spatchcocked bird?  Why am I even thinking of defying Dennis?  

 

Edited December 17, 2017 by tekobo

[MacKenzie]

Looking good from here, that is how I would put a whole chicken on the OctoForks. One thing I found helpful is to tie loose and flapping parts with some cotton string to the tines or wherever. Sounds strange to say this over an open fire but so far it has always worked and the string has not burned off. Mind you I don't have a rip roaring fire going.:)

Sometimes I cut the chicken in half and then I would put it on the tines like you did in your first pix.

Sometimes I only use one OctoFork but if I thought there was any danger of things slipping off I put the other set of tines on backwards just close enough so that there is no room for things to fall off.

Personally I think you will find a big difference in cooking on the KK. There will be a world of taste difference. Remember, if you are looking you aren't cooking, keep that lid shut. :):):)

The delivery excitement is rising.

Edited December 17, 2017 by MacKenzie

[MacKenzie]

As you suggested you could brine. Often I do that with pork chops, just using a lite brine for a couple of hours and then let them just rest in the fridge for and hour or so. Thicker cuts I'd brine longer and rest longer. I do like the lite brine technique.

Sygyzies on this site suggested 1/2C sea salt per gallon and a little less sugar. For chicken brine for 4 hour or more and I'd do a 2 hour rest in the fridge after that. 

[MacKenzie]

Looking at your OctoForks, I believe you put them together exactly as I did, LOL. Keith from OctoForks pointed out that there should be a bolt in the square hole at the end. It will make it easier to adjust the forks.

I thought you might enjoy the background.

[tekobo]

22 minutes ago, MacKenzie said:

Looking at your OctoForks, I believe you put them together exactly as I did, LOL. Keith from OctoForks pointed out that there should be a bolt in the square hole at the end. It will make it easier to adjust the forks.

Ha ha. Thanks for all the tips @MacKenzie.  What I didn't photograph was the comedy configuration where I managed to cover over the central hole before I realised it would prevent the roti bar going through.  I plan to sleep well the next few days so that I am wide awake when the delivery man comes knocking! 

[Bruce Pearson]

Those chickens look pretty good to me. I’ve never tried a whole chicken and why KK. maybe I should give it a try

[tony b]

One thing that I hope you figured out right away - OctoFork tines are damn sharp! Never a problem skewering anything with them, including my fingers! I have learned to be very careful so as not to slice a finger pushing meat onto the tines. 

[tekobo]

@Bruce Pearson, I love doing whole chickens, because everyone gets the bit they like AND you get to make stock from the bones afterwards.  I did search the forum for chicken cooks on OctoForks but the closest I got to a whole chicken was @MacKenzie's half chicken.  Other than that, people seem to use them for chicken pieces.  

And yes @tony b, there but for the grace of God go I when it comes to not piercing my hand instead of the chicken.  Thinking I might keep my butchery gauntlet in the drawer next to the OctoForks so that I remember to use it.  Better safe(r) than sorry!  The gauntlet won't offer absolute protection but will provide an initial barrier and remind me to be alert.  I followed advice re soaking, rubbing and sticking in the dishwasher and they came out nice and clean with little fuss.  All good.  

Edited December 18, 2017 by tekobo

[tony b]

I have actually stabbed myself - yet, but usually find a way to slice a finger - typically on the tine NEXT to the one that I'm trying to insert into the meat. I should probably look into getting another one of those gloves myself. I have no idea what happened to my old one?