What Animal Is Joe Eating?

Dismemberment

Posted: 11/7/2006

I cut up a chicken last night. I only buy whole chickens because I enjoy the process of cutting a chicken into pieces— the way a heavy knife crunches through bone and flesh. It helps to ease the tension of the day.

I don’t like the way most packaged chicken pieces have been cut and not trimmed— breast pieces are too large and wings too small— they can’t cook evenly. The solution is to cut the breast quarter so that the rib meat stays with the wing, instead of removing the wing from the breast and rib. Butchers used to do this (one of my neighbors is a butcher), but true butchers are becoming rare and most chickens have been packaged in a factory; it’s easier at the factory just to remove the wing.

I seasoned it with a bit of salt, and generous portions of black pepper, sage and dried rosemary, which I ground to almost a powder with my big mortar and pestle. Into the oven at 325º for an hour, with an acorn squash at the same time. Some Brussels sprouts with a bit of buerre blanc and a pinot gris makes for a tasty fall meal.

Including cutting up the chicken, it took all of about fifteen minutes of kitchen time.

What Animal Is Joe Eating?

Updated 12/6/06

Dismemberment