Our first note from Emily V over at The Answer is Always Pork was this one here:

"Hi Cameron,
I wanted to drop you a quick note to say that I roasted my first bird on Saturday night and it was fantastic! I salted early (~1 tsp / lb), then roasted at 400F for about 40 minutes. I basted the bird part of the way through with it's own fat and then with a few tablespoons of butter at the very end. After carving, I sprinkled it with a bit of Piment d'Ville (basque­style pepper, grown in Boonville, CA) and some lemon juice.

The skin was AMAZING!! Perfect chicken cracklins! I could have eaten the whole bird's worth. The meat was more complex than your typical store­bought bird ­ even the breasts had a ton of flavor ­ which I really enjoyed. My friend said that the chicken tasted like a wild bird, and he meant it in the most complimentary way.

Another note, I really liked that you left the head and feet with the bird. I feel like my emotional connection to sitting down for a meal is very strong, but don't think I've experienced that type of connection with a raw piece of meat before now. Because I could see that the bird I was cooking was a very real animal, cooking it was even more meaningful. That awareness is something that you don't often experience with city living and I'm grateful for it ­ being more thoughtful is always a good thing.

I'll be posting to my blog with photos, plus recipe later in the week and will send you a link. I am also going to try a braise.

Thanks again for this opportunity!

Emily "