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German beer chicken

German beer chicken

Intermediate

4 servings

Ingredients

For the fermented barley water

  • 500g barley

For the glaze

  • 600g reserved fermented barley water
  • 300g stout beer
  • 100g malt syrup
  • 100g glucose syrup
  • 55g white caster sugar
  • tsp smoked salt
  • 75g stout beer, additional dash to finish
  • 1 tsp whiskey
  • 1 hop pellet, finely ground

For the savoury granola

  • 110g oats
  • 35g sesame seeds
  • 35g ground flaxseed
  • 2 tsp egg white
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp malt syrup
  • tsp salt
  • tsp garlic powder
  • tsp onion powder
  • freshly ground black pepper

To brine the chicken

  • 8g salt
  • 1 whole chicken

Recipe

Prepare the fermented barley water by combining the barley with 1 litre water in a container. Cover and place in a cool, dark room for 3 days. Strain the liquid, discarding the barley and set aside.

For the glaze, add the fermented barley water, stout beer, malt syrup, glucose, sugar and smoked salt to a pan and reduce the mixture over a moderately low heat to 300g. Add the additional dash of beer,
whiskey and the ground hop. Stir well for a few seconds, then pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Set aside until needed.

To make the granola, preheat the oven to 150C. Combine the oats, sesame seeds and flaxseed in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg white, olive oil and malt syrup, then mix well with the oat mixture. Season with salt, the garlic and onion powders and freshly ground black pepper. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread the mixture out in a shallow, even layer. Bake for 45 minutes or until the granola is dry and golden brown. Stir the mixture every 15 minutes to ensure even roasting. (Depending on the size of the tray used, you may need to do this in two batches.)

Brine the chicken by dissolving the salt in 100g water in a small pan set over low heat. Set aside to cool completely. Transfer 40g of the brine to a brining syringe. Carefully lift the skin of the breast, exposing the flesh and inject equal amounts into 6-8 evenly-spaced places areas of each breast. Next, fill the syringe with 15g brine and inject in 6 places evenly through the thigh and leg. Repeat the process for the second leg. Place the brined bird into the fridge for 2 hours.

To cook, light the charcoal in the Hub and when the coals are ready, fasten the chicken on the rotisserie rod and place on the top setting. Turn on the spit and monitor the heat by topping up with coals when needed. A surface temperature of 70C should be maintained on the bird. After the skin starts to dry and crisp, brush the chicken with the beer glaze. Cook until a core temperature of 63C for the breast and 68C for the leg is reached when probed, before topping up the coals for the last time. Lower the bird to the lowest setting and brush generously with one last brush of beer glaze before removing the bird from the spit. Rest on a cooling rack placed over a tray for 10 minutes before carving.