Great, weekday meal for barbecue lovers

If Fried Chicken is the superstar singer on the poultry part of the Roadhouse menu, the Pit-Smoked Chickens would probably be the bass player. They’re happily in the background, grounded, steady, and really really good at what they do. And while that Fried Chicken is really really fantastic, I’ll offer that I eat far more of the Pit-Smoked Chicken. Honestly, it’s one of my favorite products in the ZCoB!

If it’s Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, give some thought to swinging by and picking up one of these exceptional oak-smoked chickens from the Roadhouse. I can say from a LOT of personal experience that they make an exceptional evening meal! A whole Amish chicken, rubbed with our freshly ground, farm-to-table Tellicherry black pepper and salt, put on the pit to smoke slowly over smoldering whole oak logs for about three or four hours. We’ve had them on the carryout menu for the last few years, during which time they’ve been a very regular item at our house.

All you need to do is call ahead to order one, then swing by the Roadhouse and pick it up. (You can also just come by, but we’re only doing a limited number of these every day so … if it were me, I’d order ahead to make sure I got one.) The Roadhouse crew puts a bit of butter atop the bird, then wraps it really well in foil so you can get it home in good shape. Best bet, I think, is just to unwrap and eat. If you want to heat it up, either stick it in a hot (350° F) oven in the foil for a bit, or you can microwave it (after you take it out of the foil!) for a few minutes if you want to go more quickly. Since Tammie and I eat dinner late at night, we did the latter, and it worked out just fine.

The big news here though is that you can now get the Pit-Smoked Chickens inside the restaurant for dinner. We’re still on that same limited-times and limited-days schedule—Monday through Thursday, dinner only, and, when we’re out we’re out. The beautiful oak-smoked, Tellicherry black pepper-dusted bird comes plated with side dishes that make it a great dinner and a great deal! Start out by snacking on a glass of those incredible single-origin peanuts we’ve been getting from Elisha Barnes in Virginia and a small salad. Finish the evening off with a scoop of that Roadhouse Joe-lato!

If you have leftovers, I’ll share that they’re awesome for adding to soup or salad, making into smoked chicken salad, or just nibbling on out of the fridge when you need a snack. Tammie and I take the bones that are left behind and boil them with an array of vegetables to make a magically terrific broth. (When we serve it, we drop on a spoonful of that IASA peperoncino!)

Once again, the Roadhouse only smokes a limited number of these pit-smoked whole chickens Monday through Thursday. They come out in time for dinner and it can’t hurt to order ahead and have us hold one for you. It’s hard to believe a chicken could be life-changing but this might be it.