A Thai style Chicken BBQ cooked outside in 10-15 minutes. Using an old can, empty beer bottle and some hay.

Me blowing up chickens in my garden. A chicken is scored down to the bone. Marinated with crushed coriander (cilantro) root, fresh turmeric, chillies, palm sugar and fish sauce. Lemongrass is stuffed into the cavity and it is all perched on a beer bottle.
An oil drum is put over the top and the whole thing is covered in straw. Set light and wait for 10-15 minutes for a perfect BBQ chicken.

Step 1 The first step is to buy your chicken and make the marinaide.

Score the chicken down to the bone all over the breast and legs. This is important because the chicken cooks at a very high heat and you want to make sure its cooked all the way through.

Now for the marinade
Crush some chillies (up to you how many but i reckon 2 habaneros)
Crush a teaspoon fresh coriander (cilantro) root
Crush a teaspoon fresh turmeric root, or ginger if this is hard to find

Do this altogether in a pestle and mortar
Add 2 teaspoons thai fish sauce and a good pinch of palm sugar (this gets is all nicely caremelised)

Now rub this all over your chicken, really get stuck in with your hands!

Stuff the cavity with lemongrass leaves, a big handful will do great.

All these quantities are a guide. And you can of course use any other herbs and spices. Garlic and rosemary, olive oil for example or a BBQ sauce, whatever you fancy.

Leave for an hour or so or longer for the flavours to really develop.

Now stuff an empty beer bottle in the chicken cavity and stand on a dish (this will collect a delicious gravy)

Comments

[Darkstar]

Saw a Boy Scout leader do a 10-10-10 turkey. 10 LB turkey on an alumnium covered stake, 10 gallon garbage can over the top, and a 10 LB bag of charcoal. Once the charcoal burns down you've got a lovely, cooked turkey on a stake under a garbage can. ;-)

Charcoal was spread around the ground edges of the can as well as some on top of the can. Kinda like a camp dutch oven cooks (which is what I was teaching the scout leaders how to do)

[eternal_me1]

Would we get the same result if we put a live chicken in there?

[eyewalk]

Great instructable! Here in Nakhon Ratchasima the fellas keep about 2-3cm of beer in the bottom of the beer bottle, which helps to keep the chicken moist and give it a more robust flavour. I'm a veggie so not sure how it compares, but they reckon it's better so give it a try ;)

[caarntedd]

Fire always makes it better.

[tantai]

in thai we say “kai ob fang”

[tervuren]

oh well just to clean up the can, all you have to do is to fill it up with straw and set it on fire, I guarantee you, it will be nice and clean and no need even to wash it at all as the fire will burn everything and all the smell will be gone,  no oil or grease (petroleum smell). just make sure that you empty the ashes before you turn it over your food.

[vandal1138]

Looks like a giant burnt fist coming out of the ground haha

[menahunie]

WOW crispy critter time..

[a_traceur]

That looks delicous! how'd it taste?

[FriedRiceFreak]

My family tried this and it was great! the only thing we did extra was put the bottle in a pot and added water in the pot to "steam" cook the chicken as well.

[Dubbsy]

This is awesome.  I wish I could do this in my parking lot at work.  But it might upset some people...like everyone.

[WoundedEgo]

Does it have to be a Bhuddist chicken?

[dandym]

Yes it does - vimocayam-cittam !

[fishhead455]

Instead of the oil can...you can use a large red-clay flower pot turned upside down . This is how I cook mine in the yard...after reading this original Ible. YUM-YUM

[dandym]

cool, i guess you get a more gentle heat this way. Do you still use hay or just make a normal fire over the pot? THe original point of this instructable was showing people how they could roast a chicken in 15 minutes! in the Thai way, but its great to see people adapting it in true instructable style!!!! Stay tuned for making your own biltong box using a box and a 60W lightbulb. (if you dont know what biltong is, prepare to get addicted!!)

[zatco]

dont forget leftover grease!!!

[dandym]

Lucky you, I've heard of flower pots cracking, ruining dinner!

[Akiro]

this chicken looks like burn and i think its to much for one chicken maybe you can add 3 more

[dandym]

it does looked burnt, but it wasnt, its just a little black from a bit too muc palm sugar. 3 chickens wouldn't work, firstly because you cant fit three chickens on a beer bottle, secondly, the oil can fits perfectly over one chicken.You could use a bigger oil can if you wanted.......try it, i'd love to see the results!!

[T3h_Muffinator]

OH MY GOD! Wow.... I'm going to have to convince my parents to do this! +!!

[dandym]

Easy. Just say you'll cook them dinner and its a surprise!!

[T3h_Muffinator]

Actually..... my dad agreed to try it out! But only if we did it on a much smaller scale: a chicken leg perhaps?

[skwurul]

Problem is, the leg wouldn't have any aerial support. Like, the beer bottle is what keeps the whole chicken up in the air. What would keep just the leg up in the air?

[T3h_Muffinator]

A beer bottle?

[xtank5]

You could probably cook the leg in one of those large coffee tins.

[unbentcrayfish]

Nice, lol i wish my fokes were as nice as yours... when theyb saw this I was yelled at, because "it is a sin to bo evil things" well I put up with it...

[James (pseudo-geek)]

ha! I would say HES the chicken!

[bluesquirrel]

Yet another idea for the fire party I plan to throw in the next couple of years :D Gotta fave this!

[oldanvilyoungsmith]

love it, combines big fire and yummy food. THE BEST COMBINATION! sorry.

[shooby]

Holy S**T! I think this is the best cooking method I've ever seen. Ever.

[unbentcrayfish]

huh, loks interestong, i'll try to do this sometime, good idea...

[unbentcrayfish]

I will do a cow when I get around to doing it...

[dutchypoodle]

I love the ACCESSIBILITY of this instructible. It doesn't matter what your budget is, or where you live, everybody can find a bottle, a plate, something flammable, and a metal drum or clay pot. An incredibly practical little project. 5 stars, sir!

[IX Smith XI]

that is the best way to cook.XD

[Plasmana]

That looks great!

[ravo83muz]

awesome recipe, cant wait to try this!!!!

[georgium]

And not messy at all...I guess one could do that in a summer camping site to impress the fellows vacationers, or in the mother in laws back garden.... on your balcony? I'm not sure...
I'm just kidding really it's great! (I am impress for sure)

[dandym]

Guys, don't forget to rate this instructable!! The thanksgiving contest is at stake!!

[leebryuk]

I like it! In Vietnam you sometimes cook a goose or chicken out in the field while you work. You have one dead bird (of course) but you don't bother to pluck it. Instead you gather the clay like mud from the work area and pack it all around the bird, so it soaks through the feathers. Then you build your fire, place the muddy bird in the fires and place coals/more wood over that. In a couple of hours (at most) your bird is entombed in a clay shell. You pick off the shell, which takes the feathers with it. It comes out pretty tasty, from what I understand. There couldn't be an easier way to cook the bird, It never dries out or burns, if you are reasonable about it. Asian food isn't always pretty by Western standards, but it sure does taste good.

[dandym]

We do this in the UK too, its called gypsy chicken. I'd love you to post this instructable up!!