Book review - Chicken and Charcoal: Yakitori, Yardbird, Hong Kong

[tekobo]

Two disclaimers:  First this is a book about yakitori and is more suited to a konro grill than a KK and second, I have included the link to the book at amazon.com where there are two favourable reviews of the book. Don't be led astray by the ill informed review on the amazon.co.uk site. 

Based on what I have cooked from this book so far, I love it.  It is all about the chicken and is very clear and precise about how to get those little, grilled morsels tasting as good as can be.  It starts with lots of pictures, showing you how to separate out every piece of a whole chicken.  Then there are pages and pages, showing you how to prepare each piece ready to thread on the skewers in exactly the right way to achieve a beautiful and beautifully balanced skewer.  And then there are photos and instructions for how to cook each piece, whether it be wing, inner thigh, breast or the more challenging thyroid, soft knee bone or neck.  And it's not just about the meat.  There are lots of recipes for sides and cocktails.  A complete meal and a great book.  I commend it to you. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0714876453/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U__UOf6Bb1XTPE12

The above is the theory.  In the real world, things are not so perfect but they did turn out tasty:

1.  Boys and girls, do not try this at home without very good ventilation.  The dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning are not to be underestimated.  That hood vents to the great outdoors and I have ordered a carbon monoxide monitor, just to be sure.  

 

2.  This book encouraged me to be adventurous.  It showed me how to prepare chicken gizzards (on the right in the picture below) and hearts (not pictured).  

I am very familiar with gizzards but had never quite managed to bring myself to try chicken hearts.  Both came out very well on the konro grill.  As did the chicken thigh pieces on the left.  

3.  Don't let perfection come between you and a good bite to eat.  I didn't have any fresh chicken legs so I ended up using some sous vide thighs for the skewers and rigged up a series of skewers to deal with my severely unbalanced chicken drumsticks.

 

4.  And do pay attention to the sides.  This was rice with crispy chicken skin from the thighs.  The sous vide eggs in the middle get mixed into the hot rice just before you eat it.  Delish!

5.  What tips did I pick up?  Keep rotating your coals, the temperature varies through your cook and the binchotan would get red hot at the bottom, right next to the vents.  Spray your meat with sake to help caramelise without burning.  Don't fry the chicken skin like they say, it is better baked.  Probably start off with more coal than I did so that the coals are closer to the meat when you are cooking.  Lots more to learn.  Next I will try to cut up a whole chicken and emulate their beautiful presentation in the book.  

 

 

 

 

[tony b]

Love seeing you go "all in" on the chicken parts! 

[Tyrus]

The island set is nice with the Yak on top of a insulated base and the draw for draft up top makes the cook a safe zone within the house.  I'm glad  we see the safety concerns up front, you'd be surprised how many people don't and suffer the consequences. The hearts I love but, the gizzards go to the dogs at my house. I understand the desire of some using the whole body and all the parts for  ?conservation?,  religious sentiments,,,,whatever, it's all good in the neighborhood. I was in your area recently and found  the weather cool and rainy, so that set-up will do you well. Before I forget the end result looks great

[MacKenzie]

Tekobo, that must have been a fun cook, inside and away from any bad weather. The chicken parts are looking very tasty and playing with the food over a live fire is a bonus. 

[tekobo]

17 hours ago, Tyrus said:

I was in your area recently and found  the weather cool and rainy, so that set-up will do you well.

It was a particularly wet and windy night here so I was happy to be grilling indoors!  I got the coals going in the KK and brought them in to fill up the konro grill.  Have now ordered a super cheap camping pot with a lid so that I can safely transport the coals into the house.  

How was your trip to Ireland Tyrus?  Enough Guinness for you? 

[Tyrus]

Hope the pot works out, I'm sure it will. The damage to my liver may recover over time, besides all the delectable varieties and flavors of beers and with all the Irish whiskey well, this traveler will  have to set aside his sneakers for a while, and recharge.  Can there really be enough Guinness,,,I think not.  Ireland is a step back into time, sparsely populated with many a rural area. I found it easy on the mind and enjoyable to be there.

[tony b]

The Cork jazz festival is on my "bucket list" now after a friend there sent me multiple links to performances this year. 

If you get a hankering for more Guinness (and other tasty beers) and can't make it across the pond, do what I recently did and visit their brewery here in the States (Baltimore). It's an experimental brewery/taproom, so you go to try lots of beers beside the "classic."

Edited November 12, 2018 by tony b

[MacKenzie]

Love it. 

[Tyrus]

I remember you going some time ago Toney and I wished you well with the pour. Nice to know. I asked the question regarding the plastic ball in the Guinness can while on tour in the factory and it was explained as element helping to recharge the process that is introduced generally at the tap. Nitrogen infusion. Ahh, a work of art that creates a smooth beer. It won the award for the best invention for that year. Seems to be a small hole in the plastic ball introduces pressurised gas after the can is opened thus starting the tiny bubble beer explosion. Taste good to me.

[tony b]

It's called the "widget can." Several other breweries have adopted the technology, too. It works pretty good. 

Beers poured with nitrous oxide (NO₂), aka Nitro beers, have a creamier and thicker head, as the NO₂ bubbles are smaller than the usual CO₂ gas used to carbonate most beers.