I got a bee in my bonnet to have the missionaries over for dinner this week.
The elders assigned to our area dropped by our house on Super Bowl Sunday--clearly, a slow teaching day--and chatted with us for nearly two hours. One is from a Salt Lake City suburb and the other grew up in Watts, so we have some So. Cal. common ground. Learning more about them takes them out of the missionary stereotype and makes them seem like regular folk. I don't know if that makes sense to anyone but me.
Anyway, I planned to roast a couple of bacon-wrapped chickens. I prepped the chickens as usual and stuck them in the oven while I chopped veggies. Soon after, I smelled smoke, then saw smoke curlicuing from the top of the oven door.
I thought the bacon might be spattering onto the heating element, so I tented the chickens with foil, added the vegetables and turned the oven down a bit. I also placed a frantic call to Mike, as my kitchen gaffe had filled the house with smoke and I hadn't yet tidied up or cleared space for us to eat at the table.
Mike called back to say he was en route and did I want him to get some roasted chickens at HEB on his way home? NO, I hissed, I need you home ASAP and I'm already committed to these chickens (which I hoped would be done in time for dinner).
Mike, the yin to my yang, calmly added another leaf to the table, moved our partly- assembled LOST puzzle to one end, set the table, opened windows and set up a fan to get rid of the smoke. After the missionaries showed up, Mike set them to work on the puzzle which bought the chickens more roasting time.
As far as I know, the slightly underdone chicken didn't kill/sicken anyone. But I'm in the market for a new meat thermometer after sticking it into chicken #2 and putting the pan back in the turned off oven while we ate. Now the dial is warped and the hand is stuck at 160 degrees. Any recommendations for a moderately priced replacement?
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2 comments:
Sounds like you used an instant-read thermometer where you should have used a leave-in one. I think the old school thermometers like your mother used (metal body, glass face) are still around, and not expensive.
My new(-ish) range has a built-in thermometer. You plug it into the side wall of the oven after sticking it in the meat, and then just tell the oven to beep when it reaches temperature.
Also, a little water in the bottom of the roasting pan should cure the smoking problem. How high was the heat? The Cooks' Bible recommends steady 375 and turning the chicken for the regular method, and 375-200-400 for the slow-roast method (which I prefer).
I had the oven at 425 for a quick roast, per the cooking show where I saw the bacon-wrap technique displayed. It does make for killer roasted veggies.
I'll check for a leave-in thermometer next time I'm out. Good to know that water would help alleviate the smoking. Mentally noted.
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