How to cook a whole chicken (etc.) in an 'oven sized' broiler

17 years ago

Hi all,

I hope some of you experienced cooks can offer some advice here.

I have a fabulous 1955 O'Keefe & Merritt stove with a "grillevator" broiler. I think this is sort of like a salamander (tho I've never seen one of those) in that there is a handle that raises the broiler platform up and down (5 positions total) to vary the distance from the heat source (which is very adjustable as well).

I just stumbled upon an OKM stove guide from the fifties, and it explains how to remove the grillevator contraption so that you have a full oven-sized broiler for cooking whole birds and roasts. But no specific directions/recipes were offered.

I have googled and googled, but it seems that stoves don't really have this kind of broiler anymore, so the only recipies I can find are for butterflied broiled chicken.

Since my oven is tiny, I'm really excited to get the most out of this vintage broiler. But I have no clue how to use it. I'm hoping maybe the new pro-style ranges might have this kind of device, and those owners might have advice for me?

Thank you for your help!

:-)

francy

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Comments (7)

lindac
17 years ago
If this is what I think it is....my mother had one when I was growing up....but her stove was a Chambers.
Don't know why you would remove that up and down mechanism....as I recall it was wonderful
As for how to cook a whole chicken....just put it into the oven...set the temp at 375 and remove it when it's done.
Having an instant read theremometer would ease your mind if you aren't an experienced cook....but not really necessary.
Chicken is very forgiving as to temperature to cook it....so don't worry....just cook until done....the leg moves easily in the socket and the juice runs clear when poked.
Great stove!
Linda C
bayareafrancy
Original Author
17 years ago
Thank you for the reply Linda. But the problem is that I want to cook the whole chicken (not parts, and not butterflied) in the *broiler*, not in the oven. And I don't know if that will work. I guess I didn't explain it well enough.

When the grillevator mechanism is is place, you can only get about 10" max from the heating element. But when the grillevator is removed, you have a space identical in size to the regular oven, but with the heating element exposed at the top. The OKM manual says one can *broil* whole chickens and roasts in here. But I can't for the life of me find any recipes for such large items to be cooked under a broiler.

If you follow the link below, you will see some photos after scrolling down. Notice the grillevator contraption on the left? That whole thing is removable, and you are left with a large oven-sized cavity for broiling big items. But how do you broil big items without burning the heck out of them?

I hope that makes sense!

Thinking maybe I could try a clay cooker in there, because it would protect the top of the chicken from getting burned to a crisp?

Thanks!

:-)

francy

Here is a link that might be useful: The Grillevator
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lindac
17 years ago
You cook on it the same way you would cook on an outdoor grill....but in reverse....the heat comes from the top rather than the bottom.
Turn the chicken often and if you see it getting too brown, put a piece of foil over the top.
I don't think you will have a problem.
Nice stove by the way!
Linda c
shambo
17 years ago
I am envious. A vintage O'Keefe & Merritt would be a dream come true for me. We had one as I was growing up and my parents didn't get rid of it until after I was married. It had a huge griddle in the middle of the stove top too. I absolutely loved that broiler. I remember using it for all kinds of things. Good luck with it.
foodonastump
17 years ago
How cool is that stove?!

As for broiling a whole bird, my question would be "why"? Even in a conventional oven you sometimes have to cover it with foil when it browns too early, so wouldn't top heat just majorly exacerbate that?
lindac
17 years ago
The only heat comes from the top....there is no bottom heat.
Cooking a whole chicken in that would be the same principal as cooking a whole chicken or turkey on an out door grill.
Linda C
bayareafrancy
Original Author
17 years ago
Thank you again for the advice. I've never cooked a bird on the grill, so I'll have to start checking out Cook's Illus. for advice on that.

Why? Hee! That is a good question. Well, because I've got this wonderful 40" range taking up a lot of space in my tiny vintage kitchen. And the oven is SMALL! So, if I am cooking anything in the oven, there is no room to cook anything else (last night I wanted to cook meat and bread at the same time). I need to squeeze more juice out of this stove! I just found out about this cool conversion to a "deep broiler" and I hope to get the most out of it.

I wonder what else I can broil in there. I wonder if chicken in a dutch oven would work?

:-)

francy

How to cook a whole chicken (etc.) in an 'oven sized' broiler

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lindac

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How to cook a whole chicken (etc.) in an 'oven sized' broiler

Comments (7)

lindac

bayareafrancyOriginal Author

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