This is the classic, american, saucy, smokey, juicy, and crispy BBQ'd chicken you're looking for. Think Norman Rockwell drawing a summer picnic BBQ and this dish is front and center.
When I cut up
Kinderhook Farm's Freedom Ranger Chicken into pieces
last week I was really excited to make this meal with the legs, thighs, and wings. You want the juicy richness of dark meat for this one, and that chicken did not disappoint. I started with a rub inspired by one of Chris Schlesinger's mixes... it contained:
- 1/4 cup Paprika
- 2 TB Brown Sugar
- 2 TB Cumin
- 2 TB Mustard Powder
- 1 TB Ginger Powder
- 1/4 cup fresh ground black pepper (use a coffee grinder!)
- 2 TB Kosher or Sea Salt
I coated the rub all over the chicken pieces and put it for a few hours in the fridge to let it set. I used roughly a third of the rub made above... its awesome to have leftover rub! I then got a charcoal fire going, and banked all the coals to one side as I planned to cook the chicken with indirect heat on the other side. I put a tin of beer over the hot coals to keep things moist, and the chicken as far away from the heat as possible. Here's the layout:
I then covered the grill, and let it go for about 20 minutes. When I came back the coals were practically extinguished. That really shouldn't have happened, but I was slow getting the chicken on, and I just didn't have enough fuel going. So I added some more coals, abandoned the beer tin (which had been consumed - by the heat, not me) and propped up the edge of the lid with a piece of wood to keep the air flow strong:
Well, as most people know wood catches fire. Something I was not really planning on but like many things on the grill was a really happy accident. When i came back 10 minutes later to check on things, smoke was pouring out the Weber from every which way. I thought the chicken would be a black brick, but it turned out the wood didn't go up in a blaze, it was a sort of smoldering smokey log. So I ran with it, and kept it on top of the grate as an extra smoke maker:
This slow cooked for about another 25 minutes (we're at 55 now total)... And then it was time to mop on some of that sweet sticky sauce. The sauce was made with:
- 1 cup Heinz Chili Sauce (you could use ketchup, but i love chili sauce)
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 10 dashes of worcestershire sauce
- 1 TB chile powder (chipotle chili powder if you can find it)
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/2 a beer
- All of that was cooked over low heat for about 30 minutes to help thicken it up.
I mopped it on the chicken pieces, and let it cook on there for about 5 minutes. Any more and it would start to burn... I just want it to set well and not be a runny mess. Right before i took it off the grill this is what we looked like:
And under the lights inside here's what came off the grill after a total of about 60 minutes:
This was really outstanding. The meat was incredibly tender and moist... it was downright juicy! And the skin was this sort of crispy flavor burst. This rub and sauce combination is one of my absolute favorites. I'm normally a guy who loves heat, and this has essentially none. But it is so so so good. Just an explosion of smokey flavors that go really well together. The legs and thighs were great, but i was also surprised by how juicy the wings stayed as well. Here's a quick shot of the table setting:
We served the main event with a quick mixed green salad, some canned baked beans, and some of Lori's Jalepeno cornbread muffins we had in the freezer. Another great meal from that Kinderhook Chicken. Last thing to do is make up a stock with the final pieces awaiting in the freezer. I love being economical! Especially when it produces such awesome meals.
