Chicken and a can of beer roasted in the BBQ.... Who knew???

I have seen this method of cooking a whole chicken on television and dismissed it as being a fairly grotesque way of roasting a bird. Actually I was very disdainful about the whole thing (who me-disdainful?). However, in Carnarvon Gorge with a roast chicken on board and limited ways in which to cook it, Fiela who has a tendency to like lots of bogan (or zeff) kinds of things, took over. The result came a close second to the best roast chicken I have ever had: the best was cooked by our best friend Peppa Brown and involved red seedless grapes- it was magic.

We did this on a Baby Q (Weber). Anyway, here’s the recipe for Zeff Chicken…

Ingredients

1 whole chicken (around 1.2kg)

1x 330ml can XXXX Gold (see note)

Salt and Pepper

Mixed herbs

Potatoes

Onions (whole- don’t peel them)

Carrots

Zucchini

Method

Preheat your BBQ to 400 degrees Celsius.

Rub the chicken all over with lots of salt, pepper and mixed herbs. Repeat with the body cavity.

Take a couple of big sips out of the can, then poke the beer can all the way into the body cavity.

Using the potatoes and onions, balance the chicken on a foil tray so that the can is in as vertical a position as possible (so you don’t lose the beer out of the top) in your BBQ, close the lid and cook for 15 minutes.

Turn the BBQ down and cook at 300 degrees for 1 ½  hours.

Cut your carrots and zucchini into chunks, toss with salt and olive oil and put on a foil tray in the BBQ next to the chicken with 45 minutes to go.

Test the chicken with a fork or knife just to make sure it’s done. Rest for 10 minutes.

Serve!

Notes:

1. Use any beer you like, as long as it’s in a can. I think even a not-so-sweet can of cider would work
2. We use Maldon salt much to Fiela’s disgust as “It’s all just sodium chloride!!” However, part of the reason he thinks my food takes great is because I don't just use SAXA table salt. It does make a difference so use a good salt, especially with roast chicken.
3. When the can eventually came out, so did a lot of chickeny beery stocky kinds of goodness. We had no way of storing it so it was with great sadness that we threw it away- don’t be so stupid! Have a container ready which you can pour the stock into and either make gravy with it or freeze for something later.
4. I have no photos of this because a) it’s disturbing to see a chicken with a can of beer up its arse. And b) we hoovered this up so quickly there just wasn’t time.

Bean Salad

Lots of people have asked what I will be cooking on our trip, oven and practically kitchen gadget-less. Whilst I am in talks with Thermomix to literally road test their machine while we’re away (I joke, unfortunately! Thermomix marketing people- call me!!), I have a few recipes tucked away that are both delicious, long-lasting and camp kitchen friendly.

The first is this Bean Salad, made for us by Fiela’s lovely cousin, Julie, when we had Caesar’s christening in South Africa. It is a great side dish with barbecued lamb, or just on its own for a quick healthy lunch.

Bean Salad

1x can 4 Bean salad

1x can Borlotti beans

1x can Chickpeas

1x can Butter Beans

1 small onion (red or white), finely sliced

½ head of iceberg lettuce, finely sliced

1 punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved

Handful of mild peppadews (see note), chopped

Handful of gherkins, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

100 ml +/- olive oil

25ml +/- white wine vinegar

1 lemon, juiced

½ tsp each of dried parsley, oregano, mixed herbs, thyme, whatever you have…

Salt and pepper

Drain and rinse the beans well. Place beans in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Place in a container with a lid in the fridge until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Notes:

• I often play around with the dressing ingredients, using fresh parsley, rosemary or even sage if I’ve got some in the garden. Adjust the oil and vinegar to your liking
• Mild peppadews are a small chilli; in Australia you often see them in delis filled with cream cheese or feta. You will probably only get these from a South African shop (unless you’re in the Rainbow Nation itself where they are available everywhere). Substitute 1 small chargrilled capsicum, piqillo or something similar.
• This makes a LOT of bean salad- about 3 litres. I usually make it for a BBQ dinner or lunch with friends and have the leftovers for days after. Yum!