Butterflied Brick Chicken

Submitted by The Fortuna Family of Roanoke, VA

Serves: 4 to 6

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Grilling time: 30 to 40 minutes

Special equipment: 3 bricks, wrapped in aluminum foil

Barbecue sauce

• ¼ cup orange juice concentrate
• ¼ cup mild chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons dark molasses
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon Tabasco® sauce
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Chicken

• 2 whole chickens, about 3 pounds each
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Vegetable oil

1. In a small saucepan combine the barbecue sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

2. Place one chicken on a cutting board, breast side up. Position a heavy knife or poultry shears inside the cavity, and cut through the ribs along one side of the backbone. Make a second cut through the ribs along the other side of the backbone. Remove and discard the backbone. Turn the chicken over. With the heels of your hands, press down on the ribs and flatten the bird. Remove any bones that stick up. Repeat with the second chicken. Season both sides of the chickens evenly with salt and pepper.

3. Prepare the grill for indirect cooking over high heat (450° to 550°F).

4. Brush the cooking grates clean. Place the chickens, skin side down, over indirect high heat. Lightly coat the bottom of a baking sheet with oil. Place the baking sheet on top of the chickens and weight it down with the bricks. Grill the chickens over indirect high heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, for 30 minutes. Wearing insulated barbecue mitts, remove the bricks and the baking sheet. If the skin is crispy and the juices run clear, the chickens are ready to serve. If not, continue to grill them over indirect high heat, with the lid closed, but without the baking sheet and bricks. Remove the chickens when the meat is opaque throughout and the juices run clear. Let the chicken rest for 3 to 5 minutes before cutting into quarters.

5. Serve warm with the barbecue sauce.

From Weber’s Art of the Grill™ by Jamie Purviance