Roasting a chicken on the barbecue

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We all have the habit of going to get our roasted chicken from the butcher or at markets, yet it's not very difficult to do it yourself. To start you will need to get out your barbecue and install the rotisserie kit, that is the motor and the spit. Read the instructions of your kit carefully, as each model is different.

Then prepare your chicken, you will need to clean it and remove the hanging skin. I also advise you to tie the chicken so that the thighs and wings stay together during cooking and don't unbalance the chicken. You will need:

• A wood or gas barbecue
• The rotisserie kit adapted to your setup
• Enough charcoal to fuel the barbecue for 2 or 3 hours
• 1 whole chicken.
• 1 onion, can be replaced by (a tomato, a lemon, etc...)
• 125 ml of olive oil
• 125 ml of lemon juice
• 20 g of rosemary or thyme.
• 1 protective glove

Step 2: Preparing the Spit

Generally when roasting a chicken for the first time, we quickly realize a simple mistake to avoid. Indeed the spit not being wide enough doesn't hold the chicken, which means it spins in the void and doesn't rotate the chicken. To wedge it I advise you to skewer a lemon, or an onion then you skewer the chicken which will be wedged by the lemon or onion. This way the motor of the spit will properly drive the chicken with it and won't spin in the void. If you don't like the taste of lemon, you can replace it with an onion, an apple or even a potato. The least flavored being the potato of course.

Setting Up the Chicken

Here's the most important step, because even if cooking is essential, if you haven't placed your chicken properly the cooking will be ruined. Place the chicken right in the center and wedge it with the lemon. It won't be enough to just skewer it then let it turn. You will need to secure its wings and thighs so they don't hang and unbalance the spit.

You will therefore need to tie the thighs and wings properly with kitchen string. If you don't want to bother with it, just ask your butcher to do it for you.

The Counterweight

To finish adjusting your barbecue, you will need to adjust the counterweight of the spit, this way the motor can function normally without forcing. This will allow for better cooking. To make a roasted chicken you will need indirect cooking, under no circumstances should you have direct fire.

The fire temperature should be around 355°F.

Basting the Chicken

Once everything is in place it's time to baste the chicken so the skin is nicely golden. You have an infinity of possibilities, however we will always respect a base of olive oil. Then you can use any type of marinade sauce, I particularly recommend jerk sauce which is a pure delight. You can use Cajun sauces or make sauces yourself using peppers, oil, herbs, etc.

Controlling the Cooking Temperature

When the barbecue reaches a temperature of about 355°F, it will take about 20 to 30 minutes of cooking per 500g, if your chicken weighs 1kg it will take about 1 hour. The best way to know if the chicken is ready is to measure the chicken's temperature with a meat thermometer. When it reaches 175°F it should be removed from heat. To determine the chicken's temperature you will check 2 different pieces: the center of the chicken thigh and the chicken breast, these are the two places that require the most cooking time.

Serving the Chicken

There you go, your chicken is cooked and ready to be enjoyed, carefully remove the spit without damaging the chicken. It should be nicely golden and very hot, it's better to wait 5 minutes before starting to eat so the meat keeps its juices well.