Beer Brined Free-Range Chicken with all the trimmings and Smoked Bread Sauce

Catherine
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Ingredients

Chicken:

One whole Hanskraal chicken

Brine:

660ml Salute To The Sun Sorghum IPA (2 cans)

1 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup of good quality salt

1 tablespoon of onion powder

1 tablespoon of dry ginger

1 tablespoon of cracked black pepper

1 cup boiling water

Dry rub:

4 tablespoons of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of good quality salt

1 tablespoon of onion powder

1 tablespoon of dry ginger

1 tablespoon of cracked black pepper

Smoked Bread Sauce:

A few slices of stale bread (sourdough would be best)

Smoked potato skins

Nutmeg

2 cups of milk

1 Bayleaf

Small bunch of thyme

Method

For the brine, add the sugar, salt, spices and boiling water until everything is dissolved. Then add the two cans of beer and mix well. Add the chicken, breast side down into the brine and leave for 12 – 24 hours in the fridge.

Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with a kitchen cloth. Add the dry rub all over and pop into a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for around 40-45 minutes. You can use the grill setting towards the end to crisp up the skin. Remove the chicken and let it rest for a few minutes before carving off the breasts and serving. Keep the bones for stock.

To make the sauce, smoke potato skins over a smouldering fire overnight and let them cool. Add the milk and skins to a pan and slowly heat with the nutmeg, bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a simmer and leave to steep for an hour with the heat off. Then strain to remove the skins, bay and thyme. Reheat and add the stale bread (crumbed) and season with salt and pepper.

Serve with your favourite side. Roast potatoes, carrots and Yorkshire pudding is what I do.