Continuing with our series of South African Braai recipes to celebrate the World Cup, here’s winemaker Paul Cluver’s version of beer-can chicken made with apple juice rather than beer.

This is a fantastic way of cooking chicken for any of you who haven’t tried it. You need a barbecue with a domed lid like a Weber.


Serves 4–6 (You can double up the recipe for two chickens)



One large free-range chicken, giblets removed



For the marinade


100g butter


125ml red wine vinegar


100ml olive oil


Handful of Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped


3–5 cloves garlic, finely chopped


1 red onion, finely chopped


Freshly ground salt and black pepper


1 can Appletise (or any unsweetened sparkling apple juice or good cider)



Melt the butter, then add all the other ingredients except for the Appletise. Marinate the chicken in a large bowl – leave it for at least an hour. This will also give you time to prepare the barbecue. You need to place the charcoal on the sides and make sure you have a drip tray in the middle. Open the can of Appletise, pour off half the contents, put the chicken over it and place it in the middle of the barbecue. It takes about an hour to cook.

You can obviously cook this on a gas barbecue too FB

Wine note: Paul recommends the Paul Cluver Pinot Noir with the chicken but you could also drink a Chardonnay - or, obviously, apple juice or cider if you don’t want to drink wine.

This recipe comes from Cape Wine Braai Masters published by Wines of South Africa