| | | Grilling Paultry |   The Basics of Chicken and Turkey
Poultry is one of the most versatile meats to cook on your BeefEater. From whole chicken and turkey through to chicken pieces - poultry lends itself admirably to many varied methods of barbecuing.
With the addition of a roasting hood and rotisserie for spit roasting,
a host of exciting, mouthwatering recipes can be prepared and cooked
on your BeefEater.
Basic techniques
Keep it moist: Regardless of the recipe, the real secret
of barbecuing poultry lies in keeping the meat moist during cooking.
In most cases this is achieved by either marinating the meat prior
to cooking, or brushing the meat during cooking with marinades or
sauces. This not only keeps the meat moist and juicy, but depending
on the marinade or sauce being used, also adds extra flavour.
Never serve rare: Unlike other meats, poultry should never
be served rare. It must be cooked right through. As such, care must
be taken to ensure that the outside is not burnt and the inside
raw. To overcome this problem it's preferable when cooking smaller
cuts by the direct method, to cook slowly, without excessive heat.
The food can then be browned and crisped by increasing the heat
in the latter stages of cooking.
Direct Vs Indirect Cooking
Smaller cuts of chicken and turkey ie breast, thigh, fillets,
wings etc are best cooked on a preheated plate (griddle) or grill.
The choice between using the plate (griddle) or grill, is purely
a matter of personal choice. The plate (griddle) in effect fries
the meat, whereas the grill exposes the meat to direct flame, creating
a more traditional, smokey, barbecue taste.
Larger cuts of chicken and turkey are best cooked slowly
by the indirect method of cooking with the roasting hood down.
Whole chickens, turkey and game can be cooked either on
a rotisserie, in a baking dish, or using the butterfly method.
Butterfly Poultry
To prepare butterfly poultry, simply cut the backbone out completely
and flatten out it so that it can be cooked flat on the plate (griddle)
or grill. It is cooked slowly by the direct method, turning frequently
and basting to keep the meat moist.
Cooking Times
Cooking times for poultry vary according to the weight and/or thickness
of the cut. However as a guide whole chicken generally requires
40 - 50 minutes per kg (18 -23 minutes per 1b) at approximately
180°C (355°F). Two burners on medium with the roasting hood
down produces approximately 195°C (385°F) for the 3, 4 and
5 burner model. Two burners on medium for the 2 burner model produces
approximately 205°C (400°F)
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