Chicken
Grilling a Whole Chicken to Perfection with Oscarware’s Roast and Rib Rack
In one of my recent blogs, “Make Sizzling Shrimp Bowls with Oscarware Grill Toppers,” I introduced Planet Barbecue to a useful new product. It has been a great addition to my many grill accessories.
If you missed my last blog, let me introduce you to Oscarware Grill Toppers. The company has been making outdoor cooking accessories since 1989. They offer a range of grill toppers that include their porcelain-coated, disposable, and round grill toppers. The porcelain grill topper was the original and is still one of Oscarware’s most popular products.
Oscarware Grill Toppers
All Oscarware Grill Toppers are 100% recyclable and made in Bonnieville, Kentucky. The grill toppers allow the grilling enthusiast to cook foods that might present a challenge on the grill. They are ideal for pizza, fish, seafood, and vegetables.
The porcelain coating does not react to tomato, vinegar or citrus-based sauces making it safer than other coatings. The topper is constructed with high quality and safe materials. The perforated porcelain grill topper also prevents you from losing food through the grill grates.
In addition to their grill toppers, Oscarware has a porcelain-coated XL Roast and Rib Rack. It is perfect for a whole chicken, turkey, prime rib, pork butt, and ribs. The roast and rib rack has handles that make it easy to move larger cuts of food on and off the grill. It comes with the same durable construction as the grill toppers.
Grilling a Whole Chicken
To highlight the capacity of the roast and rib rack I cooked a whole chicken and three large Hasselback potatoes. I set up my Big Green Egg XL (BGE) for indirect grilling and heated it to 400 degrees. While the BGE heated up I prepared the chicken and the potatoes.
I rubbed the chicken with olive oil and then seasoned it with Steven Raichlen’s Greek Island Rub. [LINK] To keep the chicken compact for grilling I used cool technique to truss the chicken. I used a long toothpick, ran it through each leg, twisted it, and ran it back through the chicken and cut off the end of the toothpick.
To Hasselback a potato you cut crosswise slices in, but not all the way through the potato every one-eighth an inch so it fans open as it cooks. Next, I prepared a basting sauce for the potatoes that consisted of melted butter, smashed garlic cloves, fresh thyme, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. I basted the potatoes once before grilling.
I placed the chicken and potatoes in the roasting rack and placed them in the BGE. The potatoes and chicken cooked for about thirty minutes, and I basted the potatoes with the butter sauce. I decided to use the same baste for the chicken since it would boost the flavor and help to crisp up the chicken skin. I continued to baste the chicken and potatoes until the potatoes were fork tender on the inside and the chicken reached 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
It was easy to lift the chicken and potatoes off the grill due to the handles on the roast and rib rack. I placed the rack on a baking sheet and carried it all into the house.
The chicken skin was crispy due to the high heat of the BGE, the rub, and the basting sauce. The chicken had a nice golden-brown color. The chicken was so juicy. I enjoyed the contrast of the crispy skin and the succulent meat. The rub and basting sauce created a delicious flavor on the chicken skin. The potatoes were tender on the inside and crispy like French fries along the edges. The butter, garlic, and thyme in the basting sauce added another level of flavor to the potatoes. I paired the chicken and potatoes with grilled asparagus. What a meal! Thanks to Oscarware for sending me their XL Roasting and Rib Rack.
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