I love making BBQ chicken in the summer months; it's such an easy meal. I especially love putting up chickens on a friday afternoon. The special feature of "drunken chicken" is that the beer vapors are infused into the chicken while cooking. The chickens are still very juicy and tender when we eat them for lunch, room temperature, on Shabbes afternoon.
1. Put up the BBQ.
I have a plain old charcoal BBQ. Your BBQ might not be tall enough to hold the chickens standing up. After the fire has died down and the briquets are white and hot, use a utensil to make a clearing among the coals in the center of the BBQ. You can place the chickens directly on the floor of the BBQ in the clearing, without the rack.
2. Clean and season the chickens.
I like to make a pocket between the chicken and the skin, and rub garlic into the pocket. (Used jarred crushed fresh garlic). Dear husband can't take food too spicy, so I rub the skin of the chicken with paprika and black pepper. But you can also so some of the great BBQ rubs available.
3. Sit the chicken on the beer car.
Dont try bottles of beer and dont forget to open the can - otherwise you'd made a little Molotov cocktail. When you sit the chicken on the can, try to leave at least a couple of inches of the can as an exposed pedestal - this keeps the chickens from getting singed feet!
4. Put the chickens in the Barbee!
If you are making 2 or more chickens - you can arrange them to touch each other - this gives them a little more stability. As long as the BBQ is stable - you shouldnt have problems keeping the chickens upright.
5. Cook for 2 hours.
I check up on them from time to time - but that's it. Nothing more left to do but eat them!!
