Charcoal Chicken with Thai-style Chimichurri

Light a full basket of charcoal in the Firehawk Kamado Ceramic Charcoal Grill according to instructions. Allow the flames to die down completely before cooking.

In the meantime, for the marinade, use a mortar and pestle to pound the garlic, coriander roots, peppercorns and salt to a smooth paste. Stir in the fish sauce, sweet soy sauce and turmeric.

To spatchcock the chicken, remove the backbone with scissors. Flip the chicken over so it is facing breast side up. Then push down on the breast to flatten it down. Rub the marinade all over the skin of the chicken. Then evenly sprinkle over another teaspoon of salt.

Place one of the heat deflectors on one side of the Firehawk Kamado Grill. Then place the grill plates on their highest rack. Place the chicken (skin side up) on the rack above the heat deflector. Close the grill lid. Adjust the top vent so that it sits between 2-3, and adjust the bottom vent until it sits about a quarter of the way open. You’re aiming to keep your temperature at about 180°C (350°F) here so, depending on your charcoal, you may need to make adjustments using the top and bottom vents. Close the vents more if the temperature is too hot and open them up if the temperature is too low.

In the meantime, to make the chimichurri, mix the ingredients in a bowl until well combined.

Once your chicken is cooked (see notes below on how to test for doneness), allow it to rest on your cutting board for 5-10 minutes. Then use a sharp knife to cut into pieces. Scatter over fresh herbs, if using. Serve with the Thai-style chimichurri.

– Coriander (cilantro roots) are the root end of the herb. Use the root and up to 5cm of the stem. Often bunches are sold without the root end and in that case simply use as much of the stalk as you have available.

– Flare ups from fat hitting the charcoal are not what you want as a pro barbecuer. That causes the meat to scorch and gives it a burnt flavour. That’s why we used the heat deflector, which catches any dripping fat and keeps the chicken away from direct heat.

– The mesh seal and tight lock on the FireHawk Kamado Grill helps to seal in moisture and keeps your meat much juicier.

– A 1.2kg spatchcocked bird takes pretty much bang on 1 hour to cook through if you’ve set your temperatures correctly. But a digital thermometer is really useful here and will tell you when the internal temperature is 73°C, which means it’s fully cooked.

– No thermometer? Check if your chicken is ready by piercing the thigh piece and if the juices run clear, your chicken is cooked.