This Memorial Day, skip the boring burgers and hot dogs for the unofficial kickoff of barbecue season with beer-can or spatchcock chicken. While putting out the American flag to honor members of the armed forces, past and present, it’s also a great time to capitalize on the long weekend for a backyard soiree with family and friends.

We turned to a couple of barbecue masters for tips on how to create these unique grilling methods. First up is award-winning, master-of-all-things-barbecue cookbook author Steven Raichlen, who published his beer-can chicken cookbook more than 20 years ago. It was a runaway success, having sold more than 1 million copies.

Next, we reached out to our local go-to outdoor cooking enthusiast, Dan MacDonald, owner of BBQ Outfitters, who gave us pointers for spatchcocking and barbecuing chicken.

Beer-can chicken

Raichlen was first introduced to beer-can chicken in 1996 at the Memphis in May barbecue competition, and was captivated by the wacky, indecorous technique. He explains it thus in his cookbook: The idea is startlingly simple. You grill a chicken upright over an open can of beer. What results is the moistest, most succulent and most flavorful chicken you’ve ever tasted.

“Beer-can chicken burst on the barbecue scene around 1995, and while I didn’t invent it (I learned it from a Texas barbecue team called the Bryce Boar Blazers), I did introduce it to the American mainstream,” Raichlen said.

Now, just in time for this barbecue season, Raichlen has released an updated cookbook on the topic called, “Beer-can Chicken: Foolproof Recipes for the Crispiest, Crackliest, Smokiest, Most Succulent Birds You’ve Ever Tasted.”

You may ask, “Why in the world bother with such a crazy method of cooking a whole chicken?”

Here are some benefits to barbecuing chicken (or turkey, duck, quail or Cornish hens) this way:

• The vertical position facilitates even browning, crisp skin and juicy meat without need of a rotisserie.

• Excess fat drips off.

• The legs and thighs are closer to the heat, meaning the dark meat can be cooked to a higher temperature (170 to 175 degrees) than the breast meat, which tends to dry out if overcooked.

• Smoke (from wood chips or chunks) can circulate freely, subtly flavoring the bird.

Once you have the basics down of beer-can chicken, recipes can be customized to other barbecue cultures like Jamaican jerk, Oaxacan mole or Indian chicken tikka or tandoori. Simply vary the rub, the marinade, or the beer or other liquid.

Here are 10 tips for beer-can chicken success from Raichlen’s cookbook:

• Amp up flavor with a brine for the chicken before cooking. Start with 1 gallon of water or other liquid, such as apple juice, and a half-cup of salt, add some aromatics like citrus peels, onion and whole spices as desired. Cover and refrigerate for eight to 12 hours.

• For extra-crisp skin, remove bird from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Place the chicken, breast side up, on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate, uncovered, for several hours.

• For a more professional-looking presentation, fold the wings behind the chicken before smoke-roasting.

• Pour half the beer out of the can before perching the chicken on it.

• Smoke-roast the chicken at temperatures high enough (325 to 350 degrees) to render the fat. Add smoke with wood chips that have been soaked in water or other liquid, and drained.

• For stability on the grill grate, invest in a beer-can vertical chicken roaster. Otherwise, steady the chicken in a baking dish or disposable foil pan.

• Never roast a chicken on bottled beer — add beer or other liquid to a clean empty can or into a beer-can vertical chicken roaster.

• For even browning, rub the chicken all over with vegetable oil, olive oil or melted butter before applying a barbecue rub.

• Once the chicken is positioned on the grill grate, plug the neck cavity with half a lemon, lime or small onion. This helps retain moisture in the bird.

• Insulated rubber gloves are a big help when transferring the chicken from the grill to a cutting board and extricating the steaming hot can.

Spatchcocked chicken

While MacDonald also is also a fan of beer-can chicken, he is also likely to prepare his whole chicken spatchcocked.

“Spatchcocking is super easy,” he said. “Basically, you take poultry shears and cut down each side of the backbone to remove it. You turn the bird over and press down on the breastbone until it pops and breaks. And voila! That’s it. It is now spatchcocked (butterflied or splayed). I do this on all my poultry. Cornish hens up to ostrich.”

According to culinarylore.com, the origin of the term spatchcock is uncertain. Some have thought it came from the phrase “dispatching the cock” to get it ready to roast on a spit. It’s sometimes called butterflying the chicken or other fowl.

The benefits of spatchcocking poultry include:

• Even cooking. Spatchcocking allows every piece of the chicken to cook together quickly and evenly.

• Better seasoning. The seasonings can be more evenly spread on all pieces and ensures crispy skin.

• Faster cooking time. By laying the chicken flat, it cuts down on cooking time.

• Crispier skin. The increased surface area allows the skin to get crispier.

• Easier to carve. Flattened chicken is easier to grill and carve.

Whether you have a grill or not, both of these unique chicken cooking methods can be done in a home oven. Now, as you look forward to a four-day weekend, here are a couple of recipes to use to both entertain and serve a delicious Memorial Day feast. Let the grilling begin.

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