Souvla

Souvla

chicken thighs on charcoal, 45-60 min

Ingredients

Per skewer

chicken thighs   2kg

salt             12g
black pepper     4g
dried oregano    5g
ground cumin     8g
olive oil        60g
lemon            1

Thighs with the bone in and skin on. Skewer across the bone, 1.5kg per skewer.
Swap the olive oil for buttermilk for a better crust. Marinate overnight.

Recipe

1. Marinate the chicken in all the ingredients. At least 2 hours, overnight is better.

2. Light the charcoal 15-20 minutes before you want to cook. Wait for the white ash stage before putting the meat on.

3. Skewer the thighs across the bone through the thickest part of the meat. Alternate each piece flipped so they sit facing opposite directions, this ensures an even rotation on the foukou.

At this point, rotate the skewer to mimic the rotisserie and check for any large pieces of skin flapping. Pin them down or cut them off. Pinning is better since the skin crisps up nicely and has good flavour.

4. Set the motor to its fastest speed. Start high above the coals, then lower after 10 minutes. As it cooks, sprinkle salt and oregano and squeeze lemon over when it needs it.

5. In the last 10 minutes, slide the pieces apart on the skewer to expose more surface area for the final crisping.

You’ll know when it’s done, eyeball it.