Butterflied Chicken under Bricks

From: Weber's Art of the Grill: Recipes for outdoor living
By Jamie Purviance/ Chronicle Books

Cooking method: Indirect/ High heat

Barbecue sauce

• 1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
• 1/4 cup mild chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons dark molasses
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the chicken

• 2 whole chickens, about 3 pounds each
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Vegetable oil for brushing cooking grate
• Nonstick cooking spray for greasing baking sheet
• 3 bricks, wrapped in aluminum foil

To make the barbecue sauce: In a small saucepan, combine the orange juice concentrate, chili sauce, molasses, soy sauce, mustard, white wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco Sauce, and salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Place 1 chicken on a cutting board, breast side up. Position a heavy knife or poultry shears inside the cavity, and cut through the ribs along one side of the backbone. Make a second cut through the ribs along the other side of the backbone. Remove and discard the backbone. Turn the chicken over. With the heels of your hands, press down on the ribs and flatten the bird. Remove any bones that stick up. Repeat with the second chicken. Season both sides of the chickens with salt and pepper to taste.

Lightly brush the cooking grate with vegetable oil. Place the chickens, skin side down, over indirect high heat. Lightly coat the bottom of a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the baking sheet on top of the chickens and weight it down with the bricks. Grill the chickens indirectly over high heat for 30 minutes. Using thick pot holders, remove the bricks and baking sheet. If the skin is crispy and the juices run clear, the chickens are ready to serve. If not, continue to grill them indirectly over high heat, but without the baking sheet and bricks. Remove the chickens when the meat is opaque throughout and the juices run clear.

Cut the chickens into quarters. Serve warm with the barbecue sauce.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Wine Notes: A full-bodied, fruity red such as a California Petite Sirah, would go well here, or an amber ale with some sweetness of its own.