Page 15 - gfs0118_Magazine

Army Cpl. Kyle Vierling, a shift leader at the Joint
Base Myer-Henderson Hall Consolidated Dining
Facility, serves a plate of rotisserie chicken to
Army Pfc. Jesse Para. (Photo by Francis Chung.)

A “secret” rub used to season and
prepare the chicken was improvised by
Knox based on his culinary background,
which includes working at the Pentagon
in Washington, D.C. “What we do is we
use oil, salt, pepper, garlic,” Knox said
before pausing and chuckling because he
would not give away the secret, saying
only that the rest of the recipe includes
various chopped fresh herbs and spices.
“We let this marinade for at least
eight hours,” he said. “Then we take
six to eight chickens and three or four
different marinades and come up with
what is the best bet.”
The oven has capacity to cook 21
whole chickens at one time, providing
approximately 85 entrée servings per
batch. Whole chickens cooked in the
oven are cut into quarters for serving.
Space in the dining facility’s kitchen
for the electric rotisserie oven was found
behind a grill where an old deep-fat
fryer had been set up. That vacant space
became the ideal spot.
Culinary staff was trained to set the
oven’s timers and temperatures, as well
as how to use the rod forks that hold
each chicken and to make sure the ro-
tisserie wheel turns freely.
An added benefit of the location is
that the rotisserie oven can be seen from
the serving line, allowing soldiers to see
the chicken being cooked through it’s
glass window. “It gives a good presenta-
tion,” Cordon said.
For now, the dining facility plans to
use the oven only for chicken. “Who
knows, on down the road we might
come up with something really out of
the box,” Aquilano said.