# chicken for 40!



## ScotO (Aug 5, 2012)

Had a family reunion of sorts yesterday, hotter than hell out but still had a great time! Fired up the pit and cooked around 30lbs of thighs and drumsticks over a mix of applewood and white oak. That's my Dad in the one pic, this is his favorite way to cook chicken, hands down! He was salivating over it while cooking on the pit! We use a garlic/apple cider vinegar spray on the chicken, every time we flip it, we spray the vinegar on, every other flip it gets some garlic powder sprinkled on. Absolutely fantastic!! Took a couple pics of the chicken cooking and the damm battery died on my phone.....enjoy!


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## fishingpol (Aug 5, 2012)

Serious yum factor there.  

I was looking at Dave's smoked pics earlier, and now I want to grill or smoke something for lunch.  I think you pretty much sealed my grilling fate for the day.


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## thewoodlands (Aug 5, 2012)

Looks great Scotty.

zap


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## PapaDave (Aug 5, 2012)

FOOOOOOD!
I like the pic with your dad.
Now the relative size of the pit can be seen.


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## ScotO (Aug 5, 2012)

Thanks guys. PapaDave, the pit is around 6' x 3' (outside dimensions).  As we were cooking out there yesterday I think I have a modification I want to do on the pit next year, to make it even more practical to cook on. I'll work on that design over the winter in the evenings sitting by my woodstove!  I have said it before, my firepit area in the backyard is probably one of the heaviest used rooms in my 'house' during the spring, summer, and fall... we cook on that damm thing a couple times a week. I gotta try that flounder with corn relish that Jags was talking about the other day on my shrimp post. Watching for a deal on flounder right now........


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## PapaDave (Aug 5, 2012)

And we'll be watching for your floundering post.
Oh, and the firepit mods, too.


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## DexterDay (Aug 5, 2012)

Looks great Scotty.... That vinegar and garlic salt concoction sounds awesome!


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## ScotO (Aug 5, 2012)

DexterDay said:


> Looks great Scotty.... That vinegar and garlic salt concoction sounds awesome!


 It's PHE-nominal!  And easy to do.  Just get a food-grade sprayer bottle, fill it up with cider vinegar.  Get a container of garlic powder (or you could mince up some garlic and use a brush to put it on).  Every time you flip the chicken (around every 3 minutes or so is when I flip it), spray on that vinegar HEAVY.  You only put the garlic powder on EVERY OTHER TIME YOU SPRAY the vinegar.  Unless you REALLY REALLY love garlic!  I love garlic, but I also value my wife's affections.  Too much garlic, and that affection is non-existent until my breath is back to normal.....


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## DexterDay (Aug 5, 2012)

Scotty Overkill said:


> It's PHE-nominal!  And easy to do.  Just get a food-grade sprayer bottle, fill it up with cider vinegar.  Get a container of garlic powder (or you could mince up some garlic and use a brush to put it on).  Every time you flip the chicken (around every 3 minutes or so is when I flip it), spray on that vinegar HEAVY.  You only put the garlic powder on EVERY OTHER TIME YOU SPRAY the vinegar.  Unless you REALLY REALLY love garlic!  I love garlic, but I also value my wife's affections.  Too much garlic, and that affection is non-existent until my breath is back to normal.....



I hear ya... Our local watering hole has some of the best Hot-Garlic wings.... I could eat them daily.......

But I would also be a divorced man. So I try to only get them, every so often 

Everything in Moderation. . .


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## DianeB (Aug 5, 2012)

the garlic/cider spray sounds great - Is that a PA thing - never heard of it before.  great way to do chicken


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## ScotO (Aug 5, 2012)

DianeB said:


> the garlic/cider spray sounds great - Is that a PA thing - never heard of it before. great way to do chicken


 Diane, the local amusement park (which has been open for probably close to a hundred years) has been doing the vinegar spray ever since my family can remember.  I added the garlic twist to it, and the rest is history.  Every family gathering we have now, they request "pit chicken"!


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## DexterDay (Aug 5, 2012)

Scotty Overkill said:


> Diane, the local amusement park (which has been open for probably close to a hundred years) has been doing the vinegar spray ever since my family can remember.  I added the garlic twist to it, and the rest is history.  Every family gathering we have now, they request "pit chicken"!



What park are you near Scotty?


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## ScotO (Aug 5, 2012)

DexterDay said:


> What park are you near Scotty?


 Delgrosso's Amusement Park.  The family that makes Delgrosso's Spagetti Sauce bought out a small amusement park that is directly across the highway from their sauce plant.  It was known as Bland's Park for decades.  I know the Delgrosso's very well, friends of mine.  Look it up on the 'net.  I think they have a website.  Very nice community park for the kids...


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## ScotO (Aug 5, 2012)

Back in the 1920's, auto racing was HUGE in this area.  There was a world-renowned track just two miles away from my house.  The footprint of this track is still there to this day, if you can get past the weeds and what-not.  Here's a video about that track.


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## Jack Straw (Aug 5, 2012)

You know ......we consider ourselves one big family around here...... Not too far to Pennsylvania from here, you can't be too far from Gamma and a bunch of other members.. .... Just saying, I do love thighs and drumsticks!   Looks great!


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## ScotO (Aug 5, 2012)

Jack Straw said:


> You know ......we consider ourselves one big family around here...... Not too far to Pennsylvania from here, you can't be too far from Gamma and a bunch of other members.. .... Just saying, I do love thighs and drumsticks! Looks great!


 I said we gotta have a GTG here in the Northeast somewhere.....ta hell with bringin the chainsaws, lets just bring FOOD....


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## Stax (Aug 6, 2012)

Scotty, I'm down.  Just say when.


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## ScotO (Aug 6, 2012)

We can figure.something out, lets start a planning stage.  Maybe this coming spring......


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## Adios Pantalones (Aug 6, 2012)

Givin me ideers


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## Jack Straw (Aug 6, 2012)

I'll start killing squirrels, possums, turtles, etc......


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## Jack Straw (Aug 6, 2012)

"Hearthstock 2012- 3 days of love, peace and no creosote"


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## Stax (Aug 6, 2012)

Although planning would favor a sping GTG, I say we start the Spring vs. Fall GTG.  Don't know about you, but I love pits even more during the fall.


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## ScotO (Aug 6, 2012)

Lets discuss.  Main thing we gotta do is pick a location.  What are your thoughts?


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## Stax (Aug 6, 2012)

Thought that was already picked.  The original keyhole fire pit in Central PA.


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## DexterDay (Aug 6, 2012)

Stax said:


> Scotty, I'm down.  Just say when.



Yep.... I'm in too....  Have Truck, will travel 

Would be a good time.



Jack Straw said:


> I'll start killing squirrels, possums, turtles, etc......



And I thought I would feel out of place... Sounds just like home


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## ScotO (Aug 6, 2012)

It'd be nice to find a more 'neutral' spot, somewhere that we could all meet.  I don't have much ground here at my place, we could find a member somewhere in the center of us all that maybe has a little ground (or a place we could hang out), and he/she could be the lucky recipient of a keyhole pit courtesy of the gang.  We could do some cutting, cooking, whatever......make a weekend out of it (I'm all for camping in the tent), I don't mind traveling either.  Lets discuss it some more and go from there.  I'll bring some tools for the stonework, a couple of my saws, my cooking skills on the pit.  Let's make it happen.


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## lukem (Aug 6, 2012)

DianeB said:


> the garlic/cider spray sounds great - Is that a PA thing - never heard of it before. great way to do chicken


 
That does sound good.  I'm gonna have to try it.

My go-to for chicken is to brine it in 4 cups water, 1/4 cup kosher salt, 1/4 cup brown sugar, a couple diced jalapenos and a crap load of garlic for 2 hours.  That brine works good for just about any protein...


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## Stax (Aug 6, 2012)

Lol...funny post Dex.


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## Stax (Aug 6, 2012)

I think the cutting would really narrow it down to the folks who have land or "woods".  Scotty, I say a new thread should be created to enhance visibility of idea.


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## Stax (Aug 6, 2012)

New thread created in the Inglenook regarding this.


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## Jags (Aug 6, 2012)

Hmmmm..gonna hafta try me some of that garlic vinegar chicken parts.  Sounds tasty.


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## ScotO (Aug 6, 2012)

Jags said:


> Hmmmm..gonna hafta try me some of that garlic vinegar chicken parts. Sounds tasty.


 You're a man who knows his food Jags....I can tell by some of the good stuff you mention on here.  You will not be dissappointed.  This spray is nothing fancy, but when you cook it on a hardwood fire it makes it taste awesome.  It's the only way I do my chicken on the fire (unless we are talking about wings, that's a whole different monster!)


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## lukem (Aug 9, 2012)

Vinegar chicken is officially on the menu for tonight.


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## ScotO (Aug 9, 2012)

lukem said:


> Vinegar chicken is officially on the menu for tonight.


Tell me how you like it!  Don't be afraid to spray it good.


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## lukem (Aug 9, 2012)

Scotty Overkill said:


> Tell me how you like it! Don't be afraid to spray it good.


 
I'll report back, don't worry about that!

These are home-grown birds that are pretty tasty all by themselves (Cornish X butchered at 7 weeks)...hoping they will be outstanding with the garlic and vinegar (which are pretty much the two main ingredients in my BBQ sauce anyway).

Also grilling a ton of veggies out of the garden too.  Shaping up to be a good $3 meal.


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## lukem (Aug 9, 2012)

Scotty Overkill said:


> Tell me how you like it!  Don't be afraid to spray it good.




That's some damn fine bird right there.  Thanks Scotty!


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## osagebow (Aug 9, 2012)

Gonna have to try that - did a boyscout fundraiser where we grilled and sold 600 half chickens. used a 50' x 4' VFW pit. Only being here 12 years, i was not allowed to cook, just flip the racks....
Commonly done down here by VFW's churches, schools.  Usually good chicken with a cider vinegar based sauce, wrapped in foil and sold out of coolers in parking lots, at HS football games and such

But not very garlicky. love me some garlic. Great idea!


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## firefighterjake (Aug 10, 2012)

Local snowmobile club does a chicken BBQ in the Winter . . . their "special sauce" is a combination of cooking oil and vinegar. Simple and tasty.


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## certified106 (Aug 10, 2012)

Yeah Buddy, That looks great......Next time send an invite, with plenty of notice of course


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## save$ (Aug 11, 2012)

That chicken basting with vinager and garlic over a bed of hardwood coals looks so good.  And then add grilled fresh summer vegetables from the garden!   Good mood, good taste,  good for you.   As good as it gets.  Enjoy the pit and gathering of family and friends.


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## ScotO (Aug 12, 2012)

It's really simple, but really good!  Until I get me a wood-fired pizza oven like fishinpol's, It'll have to do......


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## fishingpol (Aug 12, 2012)

Ya know, I'd probably not make this chicken if I saw it in a recipe book. After all this talk on how good it is, I will try it. This style must be a regional thing.

The firepits are going in quicker than the wood ovens this summer. I can't wait to see other finished ovens...or firepits.


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## woodchip (Aug 13, 2012)

Before I ruin a load of chicken, so you use wine vinegar or malt vinegar?

It has been raining all day, and will be cooking indoors, it was sunny for the last 2 weeks, now back to rain again........

All those overseas visitors must have taken the sun back home with them.........


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## lukem (Aug 13, 2012)

woodchip said:


> Before I ruin a load of chicken, so you use wine vinegar or malt vinegar?
> 
> It has been raining all day, and will be cooking indoors, it was sunny for the last 2 weeks, now back to rain again........
> 
> All those overseas visitors must have taken the sun back home with them.........


 
I used apple cider vinegar.


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## thewoodlands (Aug 17, 2012)

Scotty Overkill said:


> Had a family reunion of sorts yesterday, hotter than hell out but still had a great time! Fired up the pit and cooked around 30lbs of thighs and drumsticks over a mix of applewood and white oak. That's my Dad in the one pic, this is his favorite way to cook chicken, hands down! He was salivating over it while cooking on the pit! We use a garlic/apple cider vinegar spray on the chicken, every time we flip it, we spray the vinegar on, every other flip it gets some garlic powder sprinkled on. Absolutely fantastic!! Took a couple pics of the chicken cooking and the damm battery died on my phone.....enjoy!


 Get out of the insulation, the board is getting hungry so what is going on the pit next?

zap


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## ScotO (Aug 17, 2012)

zap said:


> Get out of the insulation, the board is getting hungry so what is going on the pit next?
> 
> zap


 we were gonna do some hot wings on the pit this evening, but mother nature decided to make it rain pretty good today.......   May try it again tomorrow or Sunday.  Just spent the whole day today at my buddy's sawmill, cutting all those poplar and white oak logs from the valley job I did last month.  Ended up with a pile of boards!


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## thewoodlands (Aug 17, 2012)

So far today the rain has held off, looks like tonight we might get some but the rest of the week looks great. Sounds like you had a good day at the mill, any pics?

I'll be looking forward to the food pics if you get a chance, I'm not sure yet what we will use for cooking but I have an idea it will be just like my FIL did at camp.

zap


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## ScotO (Aug 17, 2012)

zap said:


> So far today the rain has held off, looks like tonight we might get some but the rest of the week looks great. Sounds like you had a good day at the mill, any pics?
> 
> I'll be looking forward to the food pics if you get a chance, I'm not sure yet what we will use for cooking but I have an idea it will be just like my FIL did at camp.
> 
> zap


 I'll post a new thread of the milling done today in the wood shed forum here in a few....


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## thewoodlands (Aug 17, 2012)

Scotty Overkill said:


> I'll post a new thread of the milling done today in the wood shed forum here in a few....


 In the avatar is that the mill? If it is, cool.

zap


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## ScotO (Aug 17, 2012)

zap said:


> In the avatar is that the mill? If it is, cool.
> 
> zap


 Yes sir, that'd be the mill.....


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## DexterDay (Aug 17, 2012)

Scotty Overkill said:


> Yes sir, that'd be the mill.....



Looks like the Saw blade from the Amish mill next door.... They have 2 mills. I saw mill (rough cut board) and a band mill (1/2" x 5" pallet slats)..


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