BEN WATERSON’S ULTIMATE BEER-BRINED CHOOK!
Those of us that like to have our brisket and eat it too have wrapped our heads around the idea of carting a portable barbie along on camping trips. The payoff of home quality grilled meals while parked out bush is just too good to pass up.
And besides, the portable Weber Q and red Ziggy hooded units are lightweight and compact enough to easily stow in the back of the fourby, and they set up and pack down in no time.
New reader and professed pit boss Ben Waterson dropped us a line to let us know that it was time to forget everything we thought we knew about beer, birds and barbeque briquettes.
The super popular beer can whole roast chicken recipe? A sham, reckons Ben.
You’ll get tastier, juicier, more succulent grilled chook in way less time by simply buying your bird in pieces, or quartering it yourself, then brining it in a tin of lager with a little salt and seasoning.
The salty beer broth locks in flavour and ensures the meat won’t dry out, and you’ll be ready to chow down in minutes, not hours.
Give this one a burl next time you want to wow your pals and score the honorary title of campground grillmaster.
INGREDIENTS
Six chicken legs and thighs
A can of beer
Two cups of water
Two tablespoons salt
Quarter cup of brown sugar
Two smashed garlic cloves
Good quality barbeque sauce
METHOD
Mix your beer, water, sugar, salt and garlic in a large bowl and lightly whisk to form brine
Add your chicken pieces and keep in the fridge or icebox for at least 15 minutes before removing meat and patting dry
Preheat your barbeque grill to a medium heat and cook your chicken pieces in a little vegetable oil for ten minutes, turning once
Remove chicken and add to a foil barbeque tray and thoroughly baste each piece with barbeque sauce
Return your foil tray to the barbeque and cook for another 15 minutes over a low-medium heat with the hood down
Dig in and contemplate throwing on another batch!
