BBQ Pit Chicken with garlic, lemon & thyme

This is another tasty recipe that I cooked in my Rival Crock-Pot BBQ Pit. This was in the recipe/instruction booklet that came with the appliance. I don’t know how well it would work in a regular Crock-Pot, though. You could certainly try it, but I can’t vouch for the results.

A regular Crock-Pot, as you probably know, is simply a crockery container which is placed into the metal outside heating element thingy, and covered with a glass lid. But the BBQ Pit is a bit different. The crockery insert rests in the bottom part, and contains a well in which to place liquid, if desired. It is more shallow than a regular Crock-Pot insert.

It also comes with a rack, which holds the meat over the crockery and any liquid you might be using. Some recipes, such as the pulled pork one I posted a while back, don’t use the rack, the meat goes right into the liquid. Since that recipe calls for liquid, beer in this case, I think it could be made successfully in a regular Crock-Pot (but once again, I can’t vouch for that.

But this chicken recipe does NOT use liquid, and it does use the rack. Also, the domed lid of the BBQ Pit is metal, not glass…just like a real outdoor BBQ grill. The reflects the heat back onto the meat, and some of the skin of the chicken actually crisped up a little bit. You will NOT get that with a regular Crock-Pot, instead, the skin will likely come out more icky and gummy.

If you don’t have the BBQ Pit appliance, you can try this recipe either on an outdoor grill, or just roast it in the oven. Cooking time may need to be adjusted accordingly. You can slow-roast it in the oven at 250 degree F oven for about 3 hours. Slow-roasting is great because it helps keep the meat from getting too dry.

If you want to try this on an outdoor BBQ, you will need to set up the grill for indirect cooking. The grill must be the sort that has a lid, it will not work on an open grill. This means that you only light coals on one side, and place a drip pan on the non-coal side (a disposable aluminum lasagna pan is great for this). The grill grid goes on top of this, of course. Then you place the prepared chicken on the grill, over the drip pan, close the lid, and cook for 2-3 hours, until done. An easy way to check for doneness is to pierce the leg with a fork…if the juices run clear, it’s done. If they are still pink, it needs more cooking time.

Of you are using a charcoal grill for this, you will need to add a few more coals about every half hour, or, as chef Chris Schlesinger says in his book, The Thrill of the Grill, after each twelve-ounce beer consumed by the grill master/mistress. This is assuming you are chilling out by the grill and chain-drinking those beers!

If you cook two chickens at once, allow for a little more cooking time. Exact times depend upon the heat of your fire, something I can’t measure.

So, here’s the yummie chicken recipe:

Whole Chicken with Lemon, Thyme & Garlic

3-4 pounds whole chicken
1 lemon, cut into 1/4″ slices
6 cloves of garlic, peeled & sliced
10-15 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Rinse and dry the chicken inside and out. It’s times like this that I wish I had one of those nicer kitchen faucets, the sort that kind of “goosenecks up, to give more room under whatever pot you are filling or bird you are rinsing. Oh, well.

Then, using your fingers, carefully loosen the skin from the body, but don’t remove it completely. Try not to break the skin, but it won’t be the end of the world if you do. Then you need to tuck slices of lemon and garlic, as well as some of the thyme sprigs, evenly under the skin. I just do the breast and legs, I don’t bother with the back at all.

Place the rest of the lemon, garlic, and thyme in the cavity of the chicken. Rub the chicken with the olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Place the chicken on the rack in the BBQ Pit, and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours, or until done.

Makes 4 servings.

This is great with rice and peas or green beans on the side. Enjoy!

Both comments and pings are currently closed.