Chewy’s Beer Cooler Chicken (as told to Nick Torres)

Servings: A lot of chicken for a big crowd (can likely be divided)

Grilled, basted with a tangy mop, and then packed into large coolers to rest for at least 3 hours, this chicken — intended to feed a community of people — is smoky, juicy, and just falls off the bone.

As told to Amy by Nick Torres, the original recipe for Beer Cooler Chicken was invented and perfected by Chewy (otherwise known as Dave McKuen) in Nick’s mom’s hometown on the Lake Erie shore, where he makes it for summer community feasts.

Chewy grills 250 chicken halves in the large permanent barbecue pits installed at the town’s public parkgrounds, then splits them between two extra-large 120-quart coolers, lined with foil and packed to the top. This technique, similar to cooking meat underground with hot rocks, relies on the mass of the hot chicken and the insulation of the coolers, so it isn’t as effective in small quantities.

(That said, we wonder if dividing this recipe by 8 might not work. For example, using 31 chicken halves (about 15 chickens) and packing into a 30-qt cooler.)

Ingredients

• 250 chicken halves
• Two extra-large 2-handled 120-quart beverage coolers
• Poultry seasoning
• Basting liquid: one part red wine vinegar, one part white wine vinegar, one part Worcestershire sauce and a touch of liquid smoke (optional)
• Heavy duty aluminum foil

Instructions

1. Rub the chicken halves with poultry seasoning of your choice. (Most contain salt, so no need to pre-salt.)
2. Grill the chicken over hot coals, on all sides, until the skin turns evenly dark amber brown and the meat is about three-quarters of the way cooked through.
3. A meat fork inserted into the thickest part of the meat for a few seconds and then held to your bottom lip should feel very warm, but not burning hot.
4. As the chicken cooks, line the coolers with foil.
5. Pack the two lined coolers with the grilled chicken, inserting foil between each layer of chicken.
6. Close and secure the coolers and let the chicken rest for at least 3 and up to 5 hours. (Three to four hours is the sweet spot.)