We separated our capons into breasts and backs. We gently submerged the breasts in roasted garlic butter in the CVap at 65°C for 4 hours. We used a seemingly more intense cooking approach for the backs and legs, which looked like Y wing fighters in the pan. We kept the backs, legs, and thighs together as one piece. Think of this as a dark meat spatchcocking in order to obtain more luscious, crispy capon skin. We had salted the birds the night before to begin the seasoning process. We put the dark meat into our roasting pan and brushed the skin with Blis smoked soy sauce.
I added some white wine to provide moisture and some acidity to the capon juices. We put them into our wood burning oven and started to roast the bird. We kept an eye on the process, rotating the pan and pulling it in and out of the oven to provide moments away from the heat. The oven was holding steady at 400°F. Three quarters of the way through the cooking process we added some chicken broth to the pan. It provided additional moisture and allowed the underside of the capon to further braise and baste. The broth complimented the roasting jus that had already developed and ensured that the pan did not dry out and that we created a massive amount of fond. The bird stayed moist underneath and the skin crisped to a decadent not quite chicharon-like crispness.
We pulled the thighs out of the oven a shade underdone. We let the pan rest on the counter near the mouth of the oven. Right before serving we put the pan back into the oven to re-crisp the skin and provide a jolt of heat to the flesh. The meat was moist, rich, and succulent. We blended the pan sauce with the garlic butter from the breasts for a decadent gravy. And the skin, oh that soy seasoned skin, was worth eating alone. And I happily did out by the fire while I was constantly check on the bird in the oven.
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