on an open fire

Last weekend there was lots of cooking over an open fire...

We went camping in Harper's Ferry last Sunday. When we go camping it is this strange mix of doing things we don't usually do and spending time outdoors. What that means is that we refrain from the comforts and the electronics of home. This also means that we bring food to cook over an open fire: Not Dogs and Vegan Marshmallows...things we don't usually eat and have nothing to do with nature! The fun part is putting things on a stick and cooking them on/in an open fire. That is to say walking the fine line between catching things on fire and cooking.

I have to admit we have never cooked on a rotisserie before. That is before last Saturday, we were preparing for a party and needed to cook a few young chickens for a salad bite that we were passing later in the day. With the confidence of not having to serve these birds straight from the fire we decided to tryout the rotisserie.

We discovered the trick was to regulate the fire as well as the distance between the fire and the chickens while all the time rotating the rotisserie. This sounds like a lot but is totally worth it! After about an hour of cooking, the chickens slowly became crisp and juicy. However the best part about cooking on the rotisserie was the lightly smokey taste–just enough not too much...

We are roasting a few birds on the rotisserie for this Saturdays Home Restaurant to serve with noodles in a chestnut broth.