Rooster: Let’s not hide. For meat eaters, the big Easter debate is: chicken or lamb? Both on the spit, demanding in turning and patience but so delicious, that you forget the effort from the first bite. But how do we make the best? All details at xristika.gr.
We don’t have to get to Easter Sunday to read tips that will make your cock better..
The big time has come my friend: in less than 24 hours you will be putting in your mouth the ambrosia of the Gods, the food of foods, the velvet hammer of flavors, the perfection personified they called COCORETSI.
All the foodporn foodies of the world pay attention when this gift from the Heavens passes in front of them. And they do well because no one can stand the comparison with him. Lungs, sweet potatoes and livers wrapped in intestines that are grilled for hours on the spit. Hey, who thought up this EPIC to give him eternal congratulations?
You have a few hours ahead of you to prepare it and we thought we’d share it with you 14 holy tips to get it right. Just as our barbadians from the village handed them over to us with tears in their eyes. Take the baton from the old generation our brother and proceed to the paraslogan.
THE COCORETIAN LAWS
1. Wash all offal well.
2. If they are frozen (many times the jars are frozen) make sure they are well thawed.
3. How many livers you buy depends on the length of the spit.
4. You have to pay attention to the size you will cut livers, lungs, hearts. Not too big not to be baked, not too small to put on the spit and tear.
5. Don’t skimp on the bolts. You must have enough for the wrapping at the end (between the spit-roasted livers-lungs-hearts and drumsticks you pass the bolia, which is a ‘sheet’ of fat). It gives flavor on the one hand, stability in construction on the other.
6. A typical ratio of passage on the spit is every 2 lungs 1 liver and hearts, which are the least, sporadically, here and there.
7. The kidneys, which are few and very tasty, we pass them carefully. It’s such a shame they ripped us off.
8. Between the lungs-liver passages, especially the second ones which are more ‘dry’, we also pass a sweet potato (it is essentially a very fatty piece of entrails). That’s how our chicken doesn’t dry up.
9. When you put the livers-lungs on the spit, you tighten them enough. Don’t be too loose, because after that the chick won’t come back. It’s the worst problem you can face. That is, if you put them loose or if at the end you don’t tie them well with the brats, then you will turn the spit and the cock will stay in the same position. That’s why towards the end of filling the spit we slowly test if it turns. We don’t leave it to the last minute. Then it will be too late.
10. We make sure that the entire surface is wrapped with buns. There should be no part uncovered by anything. If they are not enough, reduce the size of the chicken.
11. We don’t experiment with exotic spices, curries and bullshit. Those who tried lost.
12. The braziers are fixed with toothpicks. Neither many nor few.
13. The kokoretsi is made with 2 people. Neither 1 nor 3.
14. We are constantly on our mind as the cockerel is a magnet for flies.
Kokoretsi: What does Argyro Barbarigou suggest?
As you can understand, with a wife Roumeliotis and a mother-in-law who knows everything about roasts, I have memorized as best I can what I have been told all these years. Because as you know, in Roumeli and in Central Greece in general, what we consider Easter dishes, such as kokoretsi on a spit, are made there on a weekly basis.
So let’s make together, with all the details, the best rotisserie chicken you’ve ever eaten
- It all starts the moment we get the ingredients from our butcher. We must pay attention to liver be from a small animal and the intestines (or intestines) from a small lamb or kid. The smaller the animal, the tastier the chicken on the spit will be.
- For the tastiest kokoretsi on the spit we use small intestines, not thick. We also use liver, lung, liver, heart and spleen (which is otherwise called a diaper or scarf). We don’t use the spleen. We usually reserve the spleen for the traditional splenander.
- The liver should be bright red in color and not darkwhich is a sign of freshness, and be shiny and not dull.
- The intestines should be moist and shiny (freshness sample). When they are stale, they wrinkle from the edges inward.
- Everything should look fresh and moist. Liver and lung should be spotlessly clean of spots (animal health sample).
Preparing for the perfect roast chicken
- Intestines need a very good wash. We pull one end of the intestine, pour plenty of water and by pressing it down (it will inflate like a balloon, tube) we pass the water through the intestine to clean it. Imagine a “balloon” tube that we fill at one end and empty at the other. We repeat this several times, until the water that comes out is crystal clear. If we turn the intestine inside out to wash it better, we will have to turn it again, because the inside side of the intestines is rougher and also the intestine will not retain its moisture when cooking.
Tying: How to make the perfect rotisserie chicken
- Cut the liver into bites. A thin and punchy chicken that holds its moisture inside is something else.
- In a basin, marinate the offal for a few hours, with salt and pepper and keep them covered in the refrigerator. Keep some nibbles from the chicken and quickly make some liver in the pan.
- We put on the spit alternately liver-lung-sweets and bolia in pieces, until we put it all in. Oil the bolia in between (provides fat and moisture) so that it does not dry out during baking.
- After we pass the entrails all over the spit, pin the tip from the intestine to the tip of the spit. Appetizers must be tightly packed.
- Lower the intestine horizontally, slowly twisting around the spit, and lower it again. We roll it, that is, like a kalouba up and down, twisting the spit to tighten the mezes with the intestines.
- Then we start to we wrap it around like a spiral to cover the liver well.
Roasting: Roasting instructions for the best rotisserie chicken
- The chicken on the spit needs a strong fire at first. When the coals flare up and the flame falls, we have a loud bang. At the beginning we place it high, around 30 cm from the fire, and turn it quickly to make a crust and retain its juices. It slowly heats up and begins to drip fat. Then lower it to a height of 15 cm from the fire and turn it constantly. It slowly begins to brown and fall apart, a sign that it has been cooked. The aim is not to overcook it and make it dry. This is helped by the intestine that is tightly tied around the mezes.
- As soon as it starts to foam and small bubbles appear, the chicken on the spit is ready. Then we remove it from the fire and cut it into pieces.
If you don’t skewer your rooster this Easter, dare to make it in the oven. So a chicken in the oven with all its secrets, for everyone to lick their fingers. If you prefer a different version of it, put it in the oven with a crust to collect all the compliments!
When you make kokoretsi, make sure to make a tzatziki. Fats need coolness!
For the most successful Easter skewers and roasts, also read all the secrets to the best lamb on the spit!
Happy skewering and happy Easter!