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Missing something wonderful, I think

post #1 of 6
9/2/08 at 1:46pm
Thread Starter 
One of our favorite I-don't feel-like-cooking dinners is a plain old beer can chicken. I used to do it on the grill so I could add smoke, then gave up and put it in a 9" pyrex in the oven. The question is, every time the bird gives off a nice puddle of schmaltz, which of course collects in the pan. I thought fast and threw a couple of quartered onions and carrot segments into the pan to roast in the schmaltz.

These veggies are so popular with the family that I think I'm missing the higher purpose of schmaltz. Any suggestions, anyone?
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post #2 of 6
9/2/08 at 2:01pm
Oh, my. Whatever you cook with fat, you can cook with chicken fat! Well, almost. :p I wouldn't use it for a sweet dish, and I wouldn't try to make French fries with it. But almost anything sautéed -- chicken pieces (natch!), vegetables, potatoes, sometimes even other meats if I want to add a different flavor to keep people guessing. And while I haven't tried it, some folks use it in pie crust, especially when making chicken pot pies.

I save the fat that comes off of roast chicken, and also what I skim off of stock. The roasted fat I'll use within a few days; the stuff from stock I usually clarify (cook over very low heat until all the water has boiled out and any sediment precipitates out) for better storage.

While I'm on the subject -- duck fat, too! I once trailed at a restaurant that sautéed everything in duck fat, even the fish! And popcorn popped in duck fat instead of oil -- oh my! :lips:
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post #3 of 6
9/2/08 at 2:12pm
Thread Starter 
Aw, jeez, Suzanne... popcorn with duck fat? I broke out in a sweat just reading that!
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post #4 of 6
9/2/08 at 2:36pm
Cook's Illustrated does a high roast butterflied chicken over sliced potatos. Very tasty. The potatos are better than the bird and the bird is very good. The potatoes absorb the rendered juices and cook up brown and toasty. Some are crispy, some are soft and greasy in the schmalz. Outstanding.

Phil
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post #5 of 6
9/2/08 at 6:47pm
Oh my....... I'm sinking into a schmaltzy reverie.... :lips: I never thought to use schmaltz in pastry crust, nor duck fat for popcorn. Suzanne, you've opened new horizons for me!
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post #6 of 6
9/2/08 at 7:40pm
Don't forget duck fat fries a la Hot Dougs.

Kevin
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