Rotisseried - Roman style

Method

Juice the lemon. Smash the garlic into a paste. Place the bird and the above ingredients (along with salt and pepper to taste) into a gallon-sized zip-lock bag. Massage in the marinade. Store the bag in the refrigerator for 6 hours.

Prepare a rotisserie - with charcoal as the heat source. Thread the spit (rod) through the chicken's cavity. Screw the bird to the spit with the provided machine skewers. Pin the wings back by rotating the wings towards the backbone and by locking the wing tips in place over the back. Position the spit on the rotisserie over medium-hot coals. Turn on the motor - and watch the bird spin for 1 - 1 1/2 hours. (Occasionally, brush it with the excess marinade.) When the skin pulls away from the chicken and flaps violently, it's probably finished. Remove the spit from the rotisserie. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Tent it under aluminum foil for 10 minutes. Remove the spit, then hack the chicken into 8 pieces. Serve with a fine Pinot Grigio - well-iced.

note

If you lack a rotisserie, the chicken can be cut in half and grilled over medium-hot coals. The marinade, above, was adapted from 2 Frugal Gourmet recipes.