Recipe: Christmas Cockerel

It’s that time of year when plans for Christmas Day are being finalised and the nominated chef is pulling together recipes old and new for inspiration on what to feed the festive frenzy around the dinner table.

Last year, we suggested ditching the bird for your Christmas dinner. The goal was to create an extraordinary Christmas dinner without the excess, and to switch in a few new exciting recipes to the traditional Christmas feast. This year, we are looking into other, delicious meats that often go overlooked to take the place of your turkey and our Executive Chef Richard Gynn’s Christmas Cockerel recipe fits the bill perfectly.

Cockerels are typically a by-product of the egg industry, with male chicks usually being killed shortly after hatching, meaning this otherwise disposed of meat serves as a far more sustainable option than chicken or turkey.

Much like turkey, cockerels are slow-reared meaning they have a lifespan of over three times that of an average supermarket chicken. Their meat is succulent and flavourful, even more rich in flavour than free-range chickens, but can reach 5kg (conveniently similar in size to a turkey), making it the perfect choice for hosting this season. Below, Richard reveals the surprisingly simple way to make this meat the star of the show. 

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Prepare the meat by brining the cockerel to ensure the meat is juicy and flavourful throughout.

1. Combine salted butter with plenty of fresh herbs of your choice and freshly cracked black pepper. Slowly lift the skin from the meat with your hand to create a cavity, ensuring you don’t pierce the skin and generously stuff with the herb butter so that it covers the entire underneath surface of the skin. Allow the cockerel to firm up in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

1. Remove from the fridge and bring the meat back to room temperature. Place the cockerel in a large, deep baking dish and cover the surface in neat lines of pancetta. Put the cockerel in the oven and baste the juices over the meat every 20-30 minutes to keep the meat succulent. 

1. The meat will be ready to remove once the leg reaches 68 degrees and the pancetta has a golden crisp to it (generally 1.5 – 2 hours depending on the size of the bird). 

1. Immediately cover with foil keeping the thermometer inside. You can remove the foil once the meat reached 75 degrees. Allow the meat to rest for as long as you’ve cooked it for. 

1. Serve with our Ultimate Roast Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts with Savoy Cabbage and Red Cabbage with Blood Orange, and enjoy!

Didn’t finish it all in one sitting?  Follow our guide for ten ways to make the most of your Christmas Leftovers or try our Brussel Sprout Tacos recipe to make sure nothing goes to waste. 

From all of us here at Team SP, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!