Ingredients
medium chicken (about 1.5kg), spatchcocked
2 stalks lemongrass, kept whole
for the marinade
1 tsp black peppercorns
8 garlic cloves
large handful coriander stalks
1 stalk lemongrass, chopped
1 lime, juiced
3 tbsp thai fish sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
you will need
1 metal skewer
Method
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Crush the peppercorns using a pestle and mortar, then add the garlic and crush again. Add the coriander stalks and chopped lemongrass, and bash to a rough paste. Stir in the lime juice, fish sauce and sugar and mix until the sugar dissolves. Poke a metal skewer through the leg and breast on either side of the chicken, then replace with a lemongrass stalk. Sit the chicken in a dish and pour over the marinade – squelch it around so the bird is completely coated, then cover and chill in the fridge for as long as possible or overnight.
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Remove the chicken from the fridge an hour before cooking. Set a lidded barbecue up for indirect cooking (see p54) with a foil drip tray on the coal-free side. When the coals are very hot, lay the chicken, bone-side down, over the coal-free side, with the legs closest to the coals.
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Cover with the lid and arrange the vents for maximum air circulation. Cook the chicken for 50 mins-1 hr until a thermometer reads 70C (or a little higher) when stuck into the thickest part of the thigh or the juices run clear. Poke the coals about so they flare up again, then, using a pair of tongs, carefully flip the chicken, so it’s skin-side down over the coals. Cook until the skin has browned and the thermometer reads 75C. Lift onto a board, leave to rest for 10 mins, then remove the lemongrass and carve.
