Smoky JW Chicken on the Grill

Forget Bobby Flay and his chipotle pepper, Jonathan changed my life when he taught me, by email, how to cook a half chicken on a wood-fired grill, which, considering JW’s relationship to half chicken, is sort of like Jesus teaching you how to walk on water. Talk about ecstatic! Below, straight from the fingertips of JW.

U wanna do it right?

Use a 4 pound fresh, organic bird. Use a scissors or poultry shears.
1. Cut out the back bone. Heat charcoal for at least one hour in a Weber.
2. Put the chicken on a board and press the breast plate so the bird
is flattened somewhat. Bend the wings over themselves. Sprinkle with
olive oil. Season both sides with sea salt and fresh black pepper from
a mill.
3. Put the grill on the Weber and make sure it is very clean.
4. When coals are white and no flames, put the bird skin side down on
the grill. Immediately (!) place the dome on the grill. Open the ports
to let a small amount of smoke out. Insure that the bottom grate is
closed by 3/4′s.
5. Cook the chicken for 20 minutes (don’t look inside!). After twenty
minutes, have a grill fork ready. Take off the dome and carefully flip
bird over. Wait 3 to five minutes for coals to reignite and then cover
again, but have the port holes open.
6. Cook for 10 minutes more.
7. Repeat the flip process and close the ports.
8. The Bird will rest in the grill until ready to be served.

I like to serve it with this Salsa Verde. Better yet, to use JW’s Salsa Verde recipe,buy the book.

Salsa Verde
1 cup loosely packed arugula
1/3 cup pitted green olives, such as Picholine
¼ cup fresh oregano or marjoram leaves
¼ cup fresh mint leaves
3 anchovy fillets
2 garlic cloves
½ teaspoon red chile flakes
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 lemon, cut into eight wedges

Combine the arugula, olives, oregano, mint, anchovy fillets, garlic, and chile flakes in the jar of a blender or bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse to puree the ingredients to a paste. Add the olive oil in a thin steady stream while the machine is running. Transfer the salsa to a bowl and stir in the lemon juice, salt, and pepper.