Barbeque'd Chicken

The problem with roasting an entire chicken on the barbeque is that you tend to have alot of leftovers.  Don't get me wrong, the chicken was great, (I'll share the process at the end), but a 7+ lb. bird for two people might be a little overkill.

Barbeque-roasted whole chicken with Van's BBQ Rub.

In one of my roadtrips for a previous employer, I had the opportunity to go to Norman, OK, the home of the University of Oklahoma.  (I'm not sure why, but for some reason the school name is shortened to OU, not UO, or U of O, which would make more sense. But hey, I'm an East Coast guy, I look at these things...)  While down there, beautiful place by the way, I had the chance to eat at a place called Van's Pig Stands, www.pigstands.com.  Van's a family owned (I think) small chain of local BBQ pits.  They have, without a doubt, the best barbeque sauce and rubs in the entire world.  The whole world.  All of it.  They have a limited selection, but I guess when you do something really well, you don't need to overly diversify your product mix.
I think that really is what this post is about, doing things well and simply.  By doing something well, rather simply, and on a limited scale, Van's has created something fantastic.  The company has been around for over 70 years and still only has 4 locations and small online shop in order to accommodate those of us who happen to live outside of the Sooner State.
Too often, we feel this "what's next" inclination that pushes us on to move past what has worked.  A type of restlessness that can sometimes come with success. That is not a bad thing.  Most advances, whether they are in technology, business, or the arts are created by restless people.  Sometimes, however, learning a craft, learning it well, and executing it perfectly are just as important as creating advances.  I think of the katana makers of Japan, (well, I did just watch Kill Bill Volume 1), and the stories of how some of the most revered of them would only make one sword per year...not what we would really call speed to market, huh?
I promised you I would share my simple process, and it is that...simple.
For a normal 6 lb. chicken;

1. rub down and rinse the bird, inside and out, patting it dry with a paper towel.
1. if you want to rinse it with white vinegar, that works and is recommended.
2. truss the bird by folding the wings under the back and tying the legs together, overlapped by "the pope's nose"
3.  liberally rub the bird with your favorite barbeque rub, (as mentioned above I prefer Van's, when i can get it), and let it sit for few minutes
4. In your charcoal grill, (Did I not mention that you needed one of these? Oops...) prelight a normal amount of coals (I know normal is vague...use whatever you would use for normal grilling purposes.)
5. Once sufficiently lit, circle the outer rim of the grill with the coals
6. Place an aluminum drip tray in the center of the grill, surrounding it with the lit coals
7. Place the chicken directly over the drip pan
8. After approximately 1/2 hour, rotate the chicken 180 degrees
9. After 1 hour has passed, check your chicken to make sure its cooked through.  (I dont want to be the cause of a salmonella poisoning...)  Depending on the size of the bird, you may want to give it another 15 mins.

There you have it...my thoughts and a quick how to...