Beer-basted spatchcocked chicken is one of the finest things you can cook over a campfire. Spatchcocking is just another word for butterflying, or removing the backbone of a chicken with shears and flattening it so it will lie evenly on a grill. The marinade makes excellent use of bacon fat left in the skillet after breakfast. If you don’t eat bacon, substitute olive oil or vegetable oil, and if there’s no brown sugar, use a spoonful or two of whatever jam or jelly is handy.
Featured in: Fall Camping and Cooking
Ingredients
- •One 1.6 to 1.8 Kg (3 1/2 to 4 pound) chicken
- •One 355 ml (12-ounce) can or bottle of beer
- •Bacon fat rendered from frying 227 grams (8 ounces) of bacon, cooled, or 60 ml (1/4 cupconvert weighed ounced to olive oil or vegetable oil
- •60 ml (1/4 cup) brown sugar or 2 tablespoons maple syrup, fruit jelly, or preserves
- •2 bay leaves, optional
- •1 teaspoon salt
- •1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
Preparation
Place the chicken on a work surface and use kitchen shears to cut along either side of the backbone and remove it. Turn the chicken over, spread the chicken open like a book, and press down firmly on the breastbone until it cracks and flattens.
Re-shape the chicken so it is compact, and place it in a large heavy-duty sealable plastic bag. Add the beer, bacon fat, brown sugar, bay leaves, and salt and pepper. Seal the bag, and carefully (so that the bones don’t puncture the bag) turn the bag so that the contents mix (except for the bacon fat, which will clump) and coat the chicken. Cover with a second bag or place in a bowl, and keep refrigerated or thoroughly chilled on ice until grilling, up to 24 hours.
Transfer the chicken to a work surface, reserving the marinade. Flatten the chicken again, skin side up. If metal or bamboo skewers are available, thread two through the chicken to keep it intact during cooking.
Prepare a moderately hot wood or charcoal fire with a pan of cold water nearby in case of flare-ups from dripping fat. Place the chicken skin-side up on the grill, and allow to cook until golden on the underside, about 15 minutes. Turn the chicken and continue to cook, basting with the reserved marinade, for another 15 minutes. Continue to cook in this fashion until juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer reads 180 degrees F. when inserted into the thickest portion of the thigh, 45 minutes to one hour total cooking time. Cut the chicken as desired, and serve.
