Page 100 - Barbecue Chicken Made Easy

browning it properly on the underside. Put some water in the pan so the drippings don’t burn. We like to toss a few ingredients into the pan: A quartered onion, a quartered apple, a carrot and a celery stalk cut into 2 inch chunks, the neck, gizzard, heart (no liver), the wing tips, fat and skin trimmed from the cavity and neck openings, and a palmful of herbs (mostly sage and thyme). Basically, you're making stock to turn into gravy.
Prevent the wing and drumstick ends from burning by covering their ends with foil for about 30 minutes. Do not cook breast side down as has become popular. It just doesn't help. There are no superhighways inside the bird for liquid to flow.
Do not baste during cooking. It does not make the meat juicier and it just makes the skin soft. You will still get a beautiful crisp brown skin without basting if you reverse sear.
Vertical roaster
If you have to serve a whole bird, here’s how. Use a vertical roaster, not a beer can (that’s a bad idea we debunk below).