Still trying to desperately clear out my freezer (as it now needed room for 55 pounds of sausage) I thawed one of the 3.5 lb. whole fryer chickens. At first I thought beer can chicken, but it needed an hour and a half and we didn't have that much time to work with. So, we settled on another new one - Chicken Under a Brick!
Other than using their instructions for cooking time, and brick technique, I didn't use their recipe. My dad brought fresh homemade hot sauce, salsa, and jerk sauce for us, so we utilized the jerk here.After thawing the chicken, I sat back and "ewwwwwed" as my dad took the guts and neck out of the cavity. I've never bought a whole chicken before (just boneless breasts or thighs) so I was not expecting guts in there! We cooked up the livers and other questionable stuff for the cat and dog, who enjoyed it thoroughly.
The chicken was cut in half and put in a ziploc bag with the jerk to marinate for a few hours.
We got the coals really hot, but then put them to one side so the chicken could cook over indirect heat for 30 minutes.
The chicken was layed down first, skin side down.
Next, an oiled pan (I used a cast iron griddle) lays over the chicken.
Finally, foil wrapped bricks (we used extra landscaping ones) go on top of the pan to weigh it down. They also collect and hold some of the cooking heat, so the chicken can cook from both sides and doesn't need to be flipped.
Leave the chicken alone for 30 minutes, then carefully remove the bricks and pan. Flip the chicken to the other side for a few minutes to get some color and crispness.
We also grilled two zucchini, a bunch of asparagus, and a tomato, marinated in Newman's Own Caesar.
Ohhh I wish you guys could have smelled/tasted this! It was so juicy and flavorful! You've got to try it - it was such an easy process and came out better than expected. The three of us polished off almost the entire bird - there was just one piece left!
Blogger Secret Ingredient (BSI) this week is chocolate! Entries are due by Sunday, September 13th to London Foodie in New York. I already have an idea, I hope it turns out as good as it is in my head!
I won Laura's Best Foodie Foto (BFF) contest this week with my Calumet Fisheries salmon shot!
CHRISTINA!! I love brick chicken, seriously love how easy is and how lovely it tastes! I am fully expecting some of these shot for the best food foto contest!
ReplyDeleteMy sister and I took a cooking class once where we made brick chicken on a griddle on the stove. It was the best chicken I've ever had. The hardest part, the teacher said, and the most important one was "leave the chicken alone!" I'm a flipper and she said, "No flipping!"
ReplyDeleteGreat pics!!!
I've seen several people make chicken under a brick on the food channel, and the results always look amazing!! I wish my building allowed balcony grills. I did see Rachel Ray make brick chicken on the stove once, but your grill marks make me think that the grill is definitely the way to go.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the chicken guts were put to good use. I'm sure the dog and the cat were thrilled!