Clay-Pot Cookery And Succulent Herbaceous Chicken
Back in February, I was poking around one of my favorite thrift stores and came upon an unglazed two piece clay-pot cooker from Germany. I waffled about purchasing the item. I had never used one and wasn’t sure I needed to add it to my groaning collection of cookware. I eventually convinced myself to buy the cooker because it was in perfect shape and because I thought it would make a great vessel for baking bread.
My mother in law was visiting at the time. When I got home, she chuckled and said, “Oh boy, what have you brought home now?” We reviewed my purchase at the kitchen table, and I then shoved it on the china hutch in the sunroom. I hadn’t thought about the item until this weekend when I found a copy of The Clay-Pot Cookbook at a massive used book sale held by the Friends of The Seattle Public Library.
With this little book in hand, I knew it was time to test drive that secondhand cooker. The book, published in 1974, touts the benefits of using the cooker to transform humble inexpensive cuts of meat. The book also gives very good instructions for soaking, cooking, and cleaning. There is also a delightful cross section of recipes that runs the gamut from Beggar’s Chicken to French Brick-Oven Bread. When I set forth yesterday, I didn’t follow any of the recipes exactly. I wanted to cook a chicken and simply used the book as a basic guide.
I started by submerging the top and bottom of the clay cooker in water for fifteen minutes. I then cleaned a roasting chicken and stuffed it with some lemons and garlic. I snipped some rosemary and sage from my garden and tossed that in too. I then chopped some carrots, onion, and celery and placed them on the bottom of the soaked cooker. The plump chicken was plopped over the aromatics, and I then added about 1/2 cup chicken broth. I put on the lid, loaded the vessel into a cold oven, and turned the temperature dial to 475 F. The chicken took about 80 minutes to cook and was absolutely sublime when it was done—moist, tender, and deliciously herbaceous. Without a doubt, I will be experimenting further with oxtail, pork, veggies, bread, and even Indian food.
NOTE: My clay pot is the unglazed Schlemmertopf 832. Romertopf is another excellent brand that is readily available and offers a wide selection.
Photo by Melissa A. Trainer
--Melissa A. Trainer
Charles G. Thompson on April 21, 2010 at 01:52 PM
I have a clay pot and the book but have yet to cook anything so this was a nice reminder to pull both out and give them a try. Your chicken sounds delicious. Thanks!
Open Channel D on April 21, 2010 at 05:17 PM
I have been cooking with an unglazed tagine for 30 years. It is far and away the best way to cook a chicken, roasts and lean meats. I make an eye of round with pickled lemons, ras el hanout and couscous that is mouth watering.
Ozzie on April 21, 2010 at 07:57 PM
I have owned two clay cooking pots for twenty years. A schlemmertopf and a romertopf. A schlemmertopf has a glazed bottom, a romertopf does not. The soaking is advised for 30 minutes on the unglazed pieces, and you always put them in a cold oven.
Of everything I have cooked with them; layered meat and vegi dishes, meat with sauce like rib racks and chopped chicken or beef roasts, have been the best. Long cooks at low low temps with acidic sauces. The saoked clay releases it's moisture as steam and seals the vessel.
Like a crock pot, they do almost everything ok. If I had to have ONE pot for the oven, it would be clay.
Paul A'Barge on April 27, 2010 at 07:34 AM
Sigh.
Two things one should never do before breakfast while hungry:
(1) shop at the supermarket
(2) read Al Dente Blog
I'm going into the poor house here, people!
Paul A'Barge on May 13, 2010 at 03:51 PM
I thought I might follow up on my purchase. I got one of the Romertopf unglazed pots and cooked a whole small chicken with carrots, onions, potatoes, celery. Inside I tossed limes, rosemary, sage and one twig of cilantro.
The good news? My wife ate an entire 1/3 chicken along with a potato, carrots and 1/2 an onion. Wow! She normally eats like a bird. This time she ate like a sailor.
I soaked the pot for 1/2 hour. Next time I'll put the oven at 450 F and I'll be meticulous about timing, shooting for 75 minutes (trying for an internal temperature of 165 on the chicken).
This first meal I cooked at 475 and I know I hit an internal chicken temperature of over 180. On any other planet, the chicken would have been over done. In the Romertopf? Not.
This things are superbly forgiving and great cooking tools.
Thanks!!
Eden on March 24, 2011 at 12:10 AM
I like your bloge very much. Great job author