Campfire Chicken Hung & Spun | JMB Vlog 126


At least we didn’t have any fun while cooking this chicken and sourdough biscuit dinner! Cooking a bird or a beaver this way was the impetus for the original swivel pot chain. Before it went on the fire I trussed the chicken, a fancy way to say I tied it with twine to hold it together so it would cook evenly. If I hadn’t trussed it, the wings and other parts that hang off the bird would be burned while the body was still raw.

The first time I saw game cooked this way was at a winter camp in 1999 in northern Quebec with my Cree friends. David Bosum was cooking a beaver and a goose. The beaver was cooked outside by an open fire, while the goose was cooked in the canvas tent, next to the woodstove.

A few years ago, the tv show Man, Fire, Food came out to the field school and this was the centerpiece of the food we made.

Tips: Be sure to hang the bird next to, not over, the fire, and let it cook with radiant energy, not hot air. It takes at least 3 hours to cook a chicken this way, and is probably better suited to a winter trip where it is hanging next to a woodstove you’ll be running hot anyway. But around a campfire is a great way to learn the process. I love outdoor kitchens because usually the squirrels and grey jays do the cleanup.

Video

BushcraftSchool.com
Private community & online learning platform.

JMB Blog & Media Hub
Home to our blog, videos, podcast and photos, going back to 2006.

JMBS Calendar
All of our upcoming events.

Typos, Etc.
Anything that appears to be an error in spelling or grammar is actually the author’s clever use of the vernacular, and as such is not an error, but rather a carefully placed literary device demonstrating prodigious artistic prowess.

Fediverse & Mastodon
Follow us and comment on Mastodon and the Fediverse. We’re at https://blog.jackmtn.com/@blog.jackmtn.com

Email List
Join our email list for a weekly recap of our posts.


Featured In:
Jack Mountain Bushcraft Media Appearances Image

Private Community & Online Learning Platform
BushcraftSchool.com graphic
Western Colorado University
Academic Partner

WSU graphic

Maine Wilderness Guides Organization Quality Endorsement Award
MWGO

Life Member – Maine Professional Guides Association
mpga graphic
Life Member – Maine Wilderness Guides Organization
mwgo graphic