Beer-Can Chicken with Asian “Pesto”

Name: Beer-Can Chicken with Asian “Pesto”
Yield: Serves 2 to 4
Cuisine: Australia
Ingredients: ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil; ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice; 3 tablespoons soy sauce; freshly ground black pepper; 1 whole chicken (3½ to 4 pounds); 1 can (12 ounces) beer, preferably an Australian brand such as Foster’s or Swan Lager, or 1 cup sake, if you are using a beer-can chicken roaster; 1 can (12 ounces) beer, preferably an Australian brand such as Foster’s or Swan Lager, or 1 cup sake, if you are using a beer-can chicken roaster; A beer-can chicken roaster, if you are using sake; 2 cups wood chips or chunks (preferably oak or apple), soaked for 1 hour in water or beer to cover, then drained; 6 scallions, both white and green parts, trimmed and coarsely chopped; 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped; 3 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and coarsely chopped; save the leaves for stuffing the cavity of the chicken; 1 bunch fresh cilantro, rinsed, shaken dry, stemmed, and coarsely chopped; 1 piece (2 inches) peeled fresh ginger, coarsely chopped; 2 strips (each ½ × 2 inches) lemon zest; 2 teaspoons curry powder; ½ teaspoon ground cumin; A beer-can chicken roaster, if you are using sake; 2 cups wood chips or chunks (preferably oak or apple), soaked for 1 hour in water or beer to cover, then drained; A beer-can chicken roaster, if you are using sake; 2 cups wood chips or chunks (preferably oak or apple), soaked for 1 hour in water or beer to cover, then drained; A beer-can chicken roaster, if you are using sake; 2 cups wood chips or chunks (preferably oak or apple), soaked for 1 hour in water or beer to cover, then drained; A beer-can chicken roaster, if you are using sake; 2 cups wood chips or chunks (preferably oak or apple), soaked for 1 hour in water or beer to cover, then drained

Preparation info

Serves
2 to 4

Difficulty
Complex

Appears in

Planet Barbecue

By Steven Raichlen

Published 2010

About

Despite a reputation for secrecy, grill masters are some of the most open, hospitable people in the world. And nowhere is this truer than in that amazingly welcoming country, Australia. The moment I notified a few Aussie grilling contacts about planning my visit, I was bombarded with invitations. My soon-to-be friend Merilyn Newnham, who works for Australia’s largest charcoal manufacturer, Heat Beads, organized an Australian grilling contest, the winners of which would stage a barbecue for

Ingredients

Oceania
Australia
Main course
Spicy

Ingredients

Method