week 39 A Bird in the Hand - Diana Henry

Joining the litany of average things to happen this year, my oven has now given us the ghost. Well, that's not strictly true. The fan has gone in the main oven, but the top oven - which is the size of a shoe box, and has an average temperature setting 'Hades' - is still working. Oh, and two of the four hobs don't work and two heat up slowly and ineffectively. Mirroring the general mood.

Not to be too downbeat about things though - in a short list of good things to happen this year, we now have our new gas barbecue (overlooking the fact it was mainly purchased because we couldn't go on our summer holidays), which means we can now cremate things that won't fit in the top oven while standing in the drizzle and dreaming of fairer climes.

After making this recipe I have subsequently realised a chicken will just about squeeze into said tiny oven, but I've also realised there's nothing exciting about cooking a chicken in the comfort of your own home. Even if you own a copy of the wonderful Diana Henry's Bird in the Hand, which makes the humble chook seem fancy. No, it's far more stressful fun precariously trying to balance it upended on a tin can on a blazing hot grill.

While the most well-know incarnation of this dish is 'beer butt chicken' - which, as the name suggests, is made with a can of lager - this version uses ginger beer. While I'm a big fan of shoehorning alcohol into pretty much anything, here I think the sugary, spicy soda works even better. And it means you can drink the beer while tending the dinner.

The original recipe sits the can directly on the grate of the grill, but I placed mine in a disposable aluminium tray, so that I could baste the bird with the tomato marinade. That way the juices at the bottom can also be mixed with some of the leftover marinade to make a spiced gravy to soak into the coconutty rice and peas. Add coleslaw for crunch and health. And maybe a dark and stormy.

Ginger beer can chicken - adapted from Diana Henry

For the tomato sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

400g can of tomatoes/ six ripe medium tomatoes, roughly chopped

Salt and pepper

¼ tsp soft light brown sugar

For the ginger beer chicken

1.8kg chicken

330ml can of ginger beer

125ml tomato sauce, preferably home-made (see above)

40g root ginger, peeled and grated

6 garlic cloves, grated

4 red chillies, finely chopped (I leave the seeds in)

1 tbsp smoked paprika

leaves from 8 sprigs of thyme

3 tbsp soft dark brown sugar

Method

To make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a saucepan and gently sweat the onion until soft but not coloured.

Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the tomatoes, 125ml of water, the seasoning and sugar. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, making sure it doesn’t become too dry. Leave to cool, then blend.

Mix 100ml of the beer in a large bowl (keep the rest in the can, and put in the fridge), big enough to contain the chicken, with all the other marinade ingredients. Put the chicken in the bowl, too, and rub the marinade all over it inside and out. Cover loosely with foil or cling film and put in the fridge for at least four, and up to 24, hours

Prepare a lidded barbecue to the stage where the coals are hot but no longer flaming/switch on a and preheat the gas grill to 180.

Shake the marinade off the chicken Place the chicken on the opened ginger beer can so the can is in the cavity.

Place the can and chicken into a tray then onto the barbecue grill.

Close the lid and cook for about an hour basting with the juices every 15 minutes, or until the juices run clear when you pierce the thigh. If you see pink, continue to cook.

Carefully take the chicken off the can, add the juices to the remaining tomato sauce. Leave, covered lightly in foil, for 15 minutes, carve and serve.