How To Barbecue A Chicken

if you like eating Outdoors why not try a chicken barbecue it's an easy meal to prepare and surprisingly easy on the budget maybe it's the site of sizzling chicken on an open fire or the mouth-watering aroma of burning charcoal it seems to sharpen appetites whatever the reason a chicken barbecue always spells fun for the whole family if you are preparing a barbecue soon be sure to buy tender young Friars or broilers chicken has by far the most popular should weigh from three quarters to one and a quarter pounds for good barbecuing if you buy the whole bird choose grade A chickens weighing from Two and a quarter to three pounds for best results pick birds that are uniform in size because they cook evenly the easiest way to prepare whole chickens for barbecuing is to spit them into halves first remove the wing tips then turn the bird over to remove the backbone and neck the pair of kitchen shears cut along both sides of the backbone from the tail to the neck the neck backbone and wingtips can be used for soup stock since there isn't enough meat on them for barbecuing after removing the backbone cut the chicken into halves this way they lie flat on the barbecue grit and cook evenly a half chicken is about right for one adult serving but can be quartered for small children one easy sauce is made from vinegar butter salt and water it's simple and easily prepared in advance by heating to melt the butter and mixing the ingredients 10 to 15 minutes after the charcoal fire is lit the coals will turn a white ash color and you're ready to start barbecuing baste both sides of the chicken halves with a barbecue sauce then place them skin side up on the grid about 12 to 15 inches above the fire pack the birds closely on the grid but don't overlap them remember it takes about one to one and a quarter hours to cook the chicken halves and you need a slow even fire to cook them thoroughly every three to five minutes turn the birds and baste them with the sauce again this will help to keep the birds moist and add that delicious barbecue flavor don't tear the skin if you are turning them with tongs or a fork on a small pit the chicken will dry out a toaster grid like this one solves the problem since everything is turned at once these tantalizing halves are almost ready to eat notice how they are cooked evenly with plenty of time allowed to cook them to that final peak of perfection how do you know when the birds are cooked an easy test is to twist the leg bone if it twists free from the thigh joint or from the leg meat the chicken is well done if you haven't tried a chicken barbecue yet you may be surprised at how cheaply it can be done whether it's for a family supper Outdoors or a Saturday night party a chicken barbecue will meet with everyone's approval