First Look: Hill Country Chicken

So, what's the story behind Hill Country Chicken? Well, I got my first taste at about 8:30 pm on Friday night. What you're looking at are four pieces of fried chicken; a breast and thigh cooked Hill Country Classic style (skin on, breaded and seasoned with Hill Country Chicken Shake)and a leg and a thigh Mamma El Style (skinless, cracker crumb crust and seasoned with a special family recipe,) Picnic Stix (celery and carrot sticks,) Fire-n-Ice Pickles and Pimento Cheese. I also purchased a Mint Tea for me and a Creme Brulee for the wife at home.

So how's the food? I received four perfectly cooked, and I mean PERFECTLY cooked pieces of some of the most tender and juicy fried chicken I've ever had. Flavor wise, however, it was a mixed bag. The Hill Country Classic Chicken tasted as if it were rolled in Shake and Bake and then coated with another thick layer of salt. The Mamma El style - here they have something. A little sweet, a little salty, it's a perfectly balanced very tasty soft cracker coating. Beautiful. The Fire-n-Ice Pickles were sweet and spicy and a good complement to the chicken. The Pimento Cheese was a sweet, creamy orange cheese with just enough punch from the pimentos to make it interesting. Do yourself a favor and let it sit awhile before you eat it as the flavors improve as the cheese warms.

The mint tea was self-served warm with a barely noticeable hint of mint and the Creme Brulee, bruleed to order, was creamy smooth and delicious with a solid sugar crust.

Now how much does all this cost you ask? Well, frankly a lot more than I expected. A single chicken breast: $5.50, a thigh: $3,50, a leg: $2.25 and a wing (which I didn't get - they were out) is $1.75. The Picnic Stix are only $2.00 but is a complete rip off as I received one celery stalk cut into four pieces and 2 small sticks of carrot. The Pimento Cheese was an additional $1.00 with the purchase of the Stix and easily worth the cost. And finally, the Fire-n-Ice pickles were only 50 cents, but frankly I think they should have been included gratis with the meal.

The large mint tea was $2.50 and the "3 inch pie cup" Creme Brulee was $3.00.

What's the place look like? Think 50's retro dinner. Hill Country Chicken could be right at home on the set of The Andy Griffith Show. There are a couple of problems with the layout. The drinks are dispensed from a nook located off to the side. It's a small counter behind the condiment stand and really much to small to service the restaurant efficiently. The other issue I have is that the counters that line the windows are much too high for the chairs. Not a big deal, but eating at the counter was not very comfortable.

So will I be back? Probably. Hill Country Chicken has something great in Mamma El's bird and the sides I had were all very good, but the prices ($27 for 8 pieces of chicken with four biscuits, c'mon) will make me reconsider.

BBQ Recipes: Jerk Chicken Skewers with Honey-Lime Cream

Here's another great recipe by Jamie Purviance from his cookbook, Weber's Way to Grill. Try this out. It was really really good.

Jerk Chicken Skewers with Honey-Lime Cream

Paste
1 habanero or Scotch bonnet chile pepper
1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 scallions (white and light green parts only), roughly chopped
6 medium garlic cloves
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, 6 to 8 ounces each

Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. To avoid burning your skin, wear rubber or plastic gloves when you handle the chile. After handling the chile, do not touch your face or any other part of your body, as that might cause a burning sensation. Remove and discard the stem of the chile, then cut away and discard the hot whitish veins and seeds. Put the rest of the chile in the bowl of a food processor. Add the remaining paste ingredients and process until smooth.

2. Trim the chicken of any fat and remove the tenders. Cut the chicken lengthwise into even strips, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.

3. Place the chicken strips and tenders into a large, resealable plastic bag and spoon in the paste. Work the paste into the chicken, press out the air in the bag, and seal tightly. Place in the refrigerator and let marinate for 2 to 3 hours.

4. In a small bowl whisk the sauce ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Let the sauce stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving. Prepare the grill for direct cooking over high heat (450° to 550°F).

5. Wearing rubber or plastic gloves, thread the chicken strips onto the skewers, being sure to keep each skewer well within the flesh of the chicken. If you don’t have rubber gloves, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after this step.

6. Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the skewers over direct high heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until the meat is firm and the juices run clear, 6 to 8 minutes, turning once or twice. Serve warm with the sauce.

BBQ Recipes: Grilled Orange Chicken The WhiteTrash Way

I told about the orange chicken.
You know the bbq that was really grillin'
Well here's another version to try
And still look the author in the eye
Looking through a glass onion
Oh yeah!
So I told you about Charbroil's version of BBQ Orange Chicken. Well I liked the recipe as printed a lot. But I felt it was missing some depth and body, so here's my version of...

Grilled Orange Chicken - The White Trash Way

My modifications are in red. Tell me - does this qualify as a new recipe?

2 1/2lbs chicken parts

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/2 Tsp of ground ginger
• 1 Tsp of dried onion powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 Tbsp butter
• Kosher Salt to taste
• Fresh ground pepper to taste
• Zest of one orange

Cooking Instructions:

1. Light a chimney of charcoal. Meanwhile prepare your grill for a two zone cook. (Don't know what that is - well it will be detailed in a future post.)
2. In a medium bowl, mix together all sauce ingredients except salt and pepper, until smooth.
3. Place sauce in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute and reduce heat to a simmer. I usually do this on my stove - yes, it is gas powered.
4. Let sauce simmer and reduce until it thickens to a light syrup.
5. Once the sauce is thick - taste it carefully it could burn your lips. Adjust the seasoning by adding salt and pepper to taste.
6. Once your charcoal in the chimney is lit, place it on the hot zone of the grill. Let the grill come to a medium heat.
7. Lightly oil your grill grates.
8. Lightly salt and pepper your chicken
9. Place chicken pieces on grill away from heat, skin side down and cook 20 minutes.
10. Turn chicken, and grill for 10 additional minutes.
11. Brush chicken with sauce and turn occasionally cooking for an additional 10 minutes.
12. Place chicken over direct heat and to char and crisp the skin and sauce. Turning frequently. Do not walk away - This sauce has a lot of sugar and will burn easily.
13. Let rest 5 minutes and serve.

Give it a shot both ways. I think you'll enjoy my modifications to the original recipe.

BBQ Recipes: Grilled Orange Chicken

I admit it. Grilled chicken is easily and by far my favorite food on the grill. Crispy skin. Sweet sauce. Tender juicy meat. Seared and charred skin. I could eat grilled chicken almost every meal and still be a happy camper. My family - ehh. Not so much. Part of the problem is that I like - love my grilled chicken to be swamped in sauce. The family - ehh, not so much. We need to find a compromise.

Towards that end, I've been playing with various barbecue sauces lately and I came across an interesting one. It's called BBQ Orange Chicken from the book Everybody Grills by Charbroil. I enjoy this book, but be warned, it is very much gas grill focused. Recipes from this book will need to be adjusted for cooking on the only true barbecue grill - wood and charcoal.

Notice that I changed the name to Grilled Orange Chicken as we are instructed to grill our chicken, not barbeque it. This recipe produces a light and refreshing very orange tasting barbecue sauce that is a nice departure from the bottled stuff. Enjoy!

BBQ Orange Chicken

2 1/2lbs chicken parts

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• Zest of one orange

Cooking Instructions:

1. Preheat grill to high, if using a gas grill.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together all sauce ingredients until smooth.
3. Reduce heat to medium on one side of the grill and turn off the heat on the other side.
4. Place chicken pieces on grill away from heat, skin side down and cook 15 minutes.
5. Turn chicken, and grill for 10 additional minutes. Brush chicken with sauce and turn occasionally cooking for an additional 10 minutes.
6. Let rest 5 minutes and serve.

Up next, I'll talk about my additions and modifications of this recipe. "Turn off one side of the grill." Sheesh! Sorry for the excessive blue tones in the picture. It's a new camera and I'm finding its features. Did you know not to have the camera set to incandescent light while photographing in the sun? I didn't. I didn't even know it was an option. Live and learn.

March Madness Becomes April Foolishness

So folks, March is over and I failed miserably to keep up with my March madness pledge of eating and photographing a different dinner every night. I apologize but the madness has not left my soul.

Today I am announcing the first ever April Foolishness held here at WhiteTrash BBQ. The rules are pretty simple. I challenge myself to eat a different dinner each night for the entire month of April. I will photograph it whenever it seems interesting enough to document.

Here's the run down so far...

• April 1 - Grilled beef spiedinis with rice pilaf and sugar snap peas. Hey, I lit a fire!
• April 2 - Potato gnocchi with basil pesto sauce and grilled Cajun shrimp. Lenten Friday.
  
• April 3 - Perdue Fun Shape Chicken Nuggets, Tater Tots and corn. Not exactly the plan for dinner as I lit a fire that morning. I barbecued a beef brisket, more on that later.
  
• April 4 - Easter dinner! Oven roasted leg of lamb with garlic and rosemary, mashed potatoes, string beans, corn and a new dish for my vegetarian son; barley-spiked winter vegetable casserole from the cookbook The Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Judith Finlayson.

I was glad to get the opportunity to review the Vegetarian Slow Cooker for a couple of reasons. We've had a crock pot for years and it has sat unused in the cellar until this book arrived. The pot was one of those things that survives every attempt at clearing out the cellar with the comment, "Oh, we'll use it someday." Finally "someday" arrived. The other reason to be honest was that I've been having a difficult time coming up with new, exciting and interesting meals for my son. Vegetables have always played second fiddle on my table.

The Vegetarian Slow Cooker has really expanded my horizons. I highly recommend it. We, my son and I, have made a few recipes from this book and so far, they've all been winners.

March Madness at the Waterfront Ale House

On Monday night, March Madness woke like a lion with an outstanding meal at The Waterfront Ale House with the New York BBQ Lover's Meetup Group. Sam Barbieri and his cook Ralph really put out an incredible feast for us. Going to the Waterfront Ale House was a bit of a departure for the group as we usually focus on "BBQ joints" and Sam describes the Ale House as a "restaurant that serves food with a small selection of barbecue."

First up was chicken bacon poppers. Jalapeno peppers filled with cheese, wrapped by thin chicken breast and encased in house smoked bacon and glazed with barbecue sauce. How could you go wrong?

These were just fantastic. I could have eaten a dozen of these, but unfortunately I had to share with my other group members.

I don't know if it's just me, but jalapenos don't seem to have the heat they used to. Most of these jalapenos were very mild, so much so that some of the folks at the table thought the "green stuff" was spinach.

Up next were some house double smoked bacon BLTs and margarita buffalo shrimp. Now I was in heaven. The margarita buffalo shrimp is marinated in Sam's own house made hot sauce. Now that is some good stuff. These shrimp were huge, spicy and sweet at the same time. Again, I didn't want to share. I wonder if Sam will share this recipe.

The BLT's were a bit a of a miss. The dominant flavor in this sandwich was the bun. A great bun that it is, I still prefer the fillings to dominate the flavor of my sandwiches.

The filling that were there were tasty, but the bacon was overcooked. I really liked the sauce, but I didn't get a chance to really explore it. Was it a home made Russian dressing or more of a tarter sauce? Maybe one of the other members of the group can tell me.

This was followed by barbecue bologna sandwiches. Sam and Ralph take Boar's Head bologna and smoke it in house.

I have to admit that I approached these sandwiches a bit cautiously. It's been a long time since I've had bologna and the last time someone gave me a "smoked bologna" sandwich it made me gag. Childhood memories don't help when it comes to my relationship with bologna. It was always the "loser" sandwich as I was growing up.

Not that it happened here! The smoked bologna was flavorful and moist. I really enjoyed these, although in this case, I would have preferred to lose one layer of meat. Sometimes the texture of bologna is a little tough for me to take.

This post is getting a bit long and I'm still not done with the appetizers. More tomorrow. While you're waiting, get your butt over to the Waterfront Ale House, either in Brooklyn or on Second Avenue in Manhattan. Trust me you'll be glad you did.

Wordless Wednesday

BBQ Recipes: Slow-Grilled Tequila-Citrus Chicken Thighs

Slow-Grilled Tequila-Citrus Chicken Thighs
Recipe from Weber’s Charcoal Grilling™ by Jamie Purviance

Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Marinating time: 6 to 8 hours
Grilling time: 30 to 40 minutes

Marinade
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup tequila
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Tabasco® chipotle pepper sauce
1 tablespoon roughly chopped garlic
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 chicken thighs (with bone and skin), trimmed of excess fat and skin

1. In a medium bowl mix the marinade ingredients. Put the chicken thighs in a large, resealable plastic bag and pour in the marinade. Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Turn the bag to distribute the marinade, lay flat in a rimmed dish, and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours, turning once.

2. Remove the chicken thighs from the bag and pour the marinade into a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil and let it boil for at least 30 seconds to kill any raw chicken bacteria.

3. Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the chicken thighs, skin side down first, over direct low heat (250° to 350°F), with the lid closed as much as possible, until the meat is firm and no longer pink near the bone, 30 to 40 minutes, turning every 5 minutes and swapping their positions as needed for even cooking. During the last 20 minutes of grilling, brush the chicken on both sides with the boiled marinade. Serve warm or at room temperature.

BBQ Ingredients: Chicken Grillables from Barber Foods

I received a new product in the mail a couple of weeks ago; Chicken Grillables from Barber Foods. I finally got a chance to try them out yesterday between the intense rain storms. I was looking to grill and I was looking for something I could grill quickly because all afternoon it was pouring for 10 minutes, clear for 20 minutes and pouring again for 10. I guess the gods of weather gods were battling it out. Chicken Grillables fit the bill nicely.

Chicken Grillables are seasoned chicken patties designed to be a healthier alternative to beef hamburgers; each chicken patty only has 140 calories. They're shaped like a traditional burger, fit on a bun like a traditional burger and are cooked like a traditional burger. As any prepacked frozen hamburger, they go straight from the freezer on to the grill. Cook on each side for 6 to 7 minutes and they're ready to eat.

So how did they taste? Pretty good. Moist and flavorful, but I've had that flavor before. After some discussion, my wife and I concluded that they taste just like the original Burger King Chicken Sandwich. Very interesting. I wonder if Barber Foods makes the chicken for Burger King's Chicken Sandwich.

Would I buy the Chicken Grilllables? Yup. I like Burger King's Original Chicken Sandwich and I can get all that flavor without the added fat and calories provided by the king.

Chicken Grillables sell in packs of 4 for between $7 and $8 wherever Barber foods are sold.

Prepacked BBQ Review: Jack Daniel's Pulled Chicken

I'll admit it. Sometimes I'll buy pre-made barbecue meats. I've tried Lloyds. I've tried Curley's. I've tried Tony Roma's. All with mixed results Sometimes, even if it's not the real deal, the "smokey" flavor of these prepackaged meats can be enough to satisfy the itch. Ya know?

I was intrigued to see Jack Daniel's Pulled Chicken join my supermarket's offerings of "authentic" barbeque. I like the Jack Daniel's barbeque sauce that is sold next to the ketchup in the condiment aisle, so I was looking forward to this chicken. To add to its credibility, Jack Daniel's Distillery sponsors what is arguably the most prestigious barbecue contest in the world. Stamping a product with the Jack Daniel's imprimatur implies quality and value.

Jack Daniel's Pulled Chicken comes from the refrigerated section of the store in a plastic, not microwave safe tray and vacuum packed in a thick cryovac bag.

Why isn't the tray microwaveable? I would have been really pissed to discover this if I was making this for lunch at work. I'm all for reduced packaging, but the vacuum packing didn't make this stuff look very appetizing. Maybe ol' Gentleman Jack should consider packaging this in tubes like some of his competitors.

Taking the meat out of the bag didn't help much the appearance much either. My ever lovely, but never shy to offer an opinion, teen age daughter said, "That looks worse than the cat food." "Are you going to eat it?" "Throw it away." "It's disgusting."

Well, if you've ever stored pulled pork or other loose items like chili in vacuum sealed packaging, you know that the process is not kind to the products appearance outside the bag. The meat and sauces are compressed and deformed. Any item like that would need to be worked to be presentable. Dumping the meat into a bowl to be nuked certainly didn't help. I was beginning to wonder if my daughter was right.

A trip in the microwave and a quick stir helped thing immensely. Now this was beginning to look like some good edible "pulled chicken barbecue."

On a roll, it looked better. My appetite was returning. This was not a bad looking sandwich, even if the picture isn't so flattering.

I took my first bite. I was surprised to discover that they don't use the same sauce that is sold in the bottles.

Enough with the tease; how did it taste? Have you ever eaten hot rubber bands coated in a sickeningly sweet tomato based sauce? That pretty much sums it up.

As my daughter predicted, I did wind up throwing this out. I'm glad to report that this is no longer available in my local supermarket. You've been warned.

R.I.P Colonel Sanders

R.I.P.
Colonel Harland Sanders
September 9, 1890 - December 16, 1980

Yes Virginia, there really was a Colonel Sanders. In case you don't know the good Colonel, he founded Kentucky Fried Chicken and created its signature secret flavor recipe of 11 herbs and spices that creates the famous "finger lickin' good" chicken.

I love this guy. In 1973 he sued Heublein Inc. (the KFC parent company at the time) over alleged misuse of his image in promoting products he had not helped develop. In 1975 Heublein Inc. unsuccessfully sued Sanders for libel after he publicly referred to their gravy as "sludge" with a "wallpaper taste". I wish there were more like him.

He must be turning in his grave over the mashed "potatoes" and bowls they serve today.

Recipes: Grilled Chipotle and Cola BBQ Chicken

Not much happening here today, so here's a little recipe that appeared in my inbox today. The Tabasco company sends me recipes all the time, and this one looks pretty interesting. Cola and barbecue sauce is a classic pairing. I may try it.

Grilled Chipotle and Cola BBQ Chicken

• 1 1/2 pounds very thin cut boneless chicken breasts
  
• 1/2 cup cola
  
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons TABASCO® brand Chipotle Pepper Sauce
  

Combine the cola, BBQ sauce and TABASCO^® Chipotle Sauce in a medium-sized bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

Heat a grill to medium-high. Cook the chicken for about 6 minutes per side. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Makes 6 servings.

March Madness: Day Three

Day three of March Madness has found me with a worsening cold, fever, chills and a very nasty cough. What fun.

Back when I decided to accept the madness and laid out my plans for the first week, I had put today aside as a day to que. I didn't have anything scheduled with my clients and the weather promised to be in the mid 50's.

I had purchased a rack of pork a little while back so that was going to hit the smoker today. As every barbecuer will tell you, it doesn't make sense to fire up the cooker for only one piece of meat. You fill that sucker up! But you know what they say about the best laid plans.

Ever since I got interested in bbq, I've been intrigued by two items; Brunswick Stew and Kentucky Burgoo. Looking over a couple of recipes I found in the incredible Smoke and Spice by Cheryl and Bill Jamison, I found that I'd need some leftover pork; check - that would come from the rack of pork, chicken, lamb shanks, beef shanks and bacon. I purchased all the required meats and Brunswick Stew and Kentucky Burgoo were both slotted into the menu for this week. All that meat was going to be be barbecued today.

So what's happened? This damn cold has sapped all my strength. I just didn't have the energy to babysit a cooker all day.

But the Madness called and like a drunk looking for a drink I responded. Dinner tonight was an herb/nut encrusted rack of pork with oven roasted root vegetables and mushrooms. I took 6 cloves of garlic, a bunch of parsley, almonds and sun dried tomatoes. I minced them all fine and mixed them with some of the oil in which the tomatoes were packed, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and a little more olive oil and mashed it into a thick paste.

I scattered some carrots, potatoes and mushrooms in the bottom of the roaster pan and tossed them with olive oil. I placed the rack of pork on top and spread the herb/nut paste all over the meat. I roasted the meat for about 3 1/2 hours at 300 degrees.

When the meat was done, I removed it to a cutting board and tented it with tinfoil. I let it rest as I made a gravy out of the pan drippings adding marsala wine and mustard as it thickened. Now that was tasty. I've never used mustard in gravy before but it added a very interesting dimension to the sauce.

I'm sorry I didn't get any pictures, but damn this was a great meal. I've never had such tender and flavorful pork. I'm definitely making this again.

The picture of the rack of pork comes to us from The Daily Pork.

March Madness: Day Two

Well day two has arrived and the madness has overtaken me but it brought along a nasty friend; a cold. I had planned on cooking Smothered Chicken for dinner tonight using a recipe from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook but I didn't feel up to it. Way too much chopping and roux creating.

Instead I spatchcocked the bird and oven roasted it. The chicken was served with Spanish rice and steamed green beans. From what I hear it was a tasty meal, not that I could tell. Damn.

The picture you see above is of a spatchcocked chicken. A spatchcocked chicken is created when you remove the back bone and the keel and flatten the bird. The picture comes to us from The Naked Whiz, who has a photographic tour of how to spatchcock and cook the bird. Enjoy.

BBQ Contest Foods: Chicken

We finally reach the story of the KCBS sanctioned BBQ contest at the Hudson Valley Ribfest. Yup, it's a month has almost passed since the contest and I'm still talking about it.

In a KCBS event there are four foods that must be cooked. Chicken, Pork Ribs, Pork Shoulder and Beef Brisket. There may be other foods that the contest organizer wants you to cook, but these are the four that count for the prize.

What you see in the picture are 9 skinless chicken thighs that we presented to the judges for scoring. Chicken thighs are the prevalent choice among barbeque cooks in the Northeast. I think they're the most popular choice for barbeque cooks throughout the country, but I've only been to events up here, so I'm not going to make that claim.

Thighs have a high fat percentage compared to the rest of the chicken which makes them take to the smoke and heat of the barbecue better than the other parts of the bird. They're also more forgiving to a cook's mistakes. The fat helps keep the meat moist so you can over cook them and get away with it.

We did surprisingly well with this chicken. We came in 24th. I can hear you ask - "You came in 24th place and you think you did surprising well?" Yup. I was really surprised. I screwed up this chicken royally.

Oh chicken, how I screwed you. Let me count the ways.

1. I asked John, who had never been to BBQ contest before, and as far as I know doesn't cook chicken to trim the thighs. He asked me what I meant and I said to just trim off the obvious fat. He said that was a "dirty job" and I said OK, let's wait till I get back from my shower; but John, ever the trooper, said no he'd take care of it. Unfortunately he interpreted trimming the fat to mean - skin them. Looking back on it now, there was time to go out and buy more chicken, but the thought didn't occur.
   
2. I didn't brine the chicken. I've never cooked skinless chicken before, so I wasn't really sure if they could stand up to a brine so I decided not to. Thinking about that now, that was a completely stupid idea. Brining adds moisture, which would have been provided by the fat from the skin. Damn I wasn't thinking.
3. I never tasted the chicken. I took the best looking 12 pieces of chicken from the 24 pieces we cooked, sauced them, and then took the best looking 9 and put them in the box.
4. I did a lousy job of presentation. Most judges gave us a 7 on presentation, but one kind soul gave us a 9 (the top score). Bless you whomever you are.

Looking back, all of this just points to the fact that we've never cooked together before. We needed some practice before this contest and we just didn't do it. It doesn't matter in the end. We'll do a lot better next time.

Hot Spiced Cider Chicken

With winter breathing it's last gasp this week, here's a recipe for grilled chicken that uses all those winter flavors. I think I'm going to make this on Sunday.

Hot Spiced Cider Chicken

Submitted by: Maryann Stanko Lebanon, Or Serves 4 2 Oregon fryer chickens, cut into halves 1 cup apple cider 1 cup apple sauce 1 oz. Red Hots (cinnamon-flavored candies) 1 tablespoon apple vinegar 1/2 cup walnuts, finely ground 1/4 cup honey 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 course ground black pepper Combine the cider, apple sauce, and Red Hots in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat until Red Hots have melted. Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients. Place chicken halves on grill and cook over medium heat. Start basting chicken during the last twenty minutes of cooking time. Remove chicken from grill when done (internal temperature of 180F).

Melancholy Haze

I haven't talked much about Grillin' On The Bay this year, it's March 31st in Sheepshead Bay Brooklyn and if you want to find out more information be sure to check out the website.

This year's event will be bigger and better than last with more teams and some very interesting sponsors. Right now we're have 22 teams signed and paid. The event can only hold 24, so if you're interested in cooking at Grillin' On The Bay, I suggest you get your check in immediately.

But I'm feeling a bit melancholy and a bit overwhelmed by life tonight. Grillin' On the Bay is only one small event in my life right now and it's not even the most taxing. Putting together a cooking contest is an interesting experience. One finds oneself involved in a whole other world. One has entered into the world of barbecue to have some fun, cook and maybe make some new friends.

Instead, in planning and executing a successful competition or class, one finds himself enmeshed in a world of politics, finances, subterfuge, artifice, sabotage, regulations and egos. The games are amazing and the roadblocks and pitfalls are momentous. What one finds most is who one's true friends are, who are the posers and that one must truly process a thick skin to survive.

But to finish on a more upbeat note, here's today's Rose Is Rose

Chinese New Year Plum BBQ Chicken

Since Sunday is the Chinese New Year - The Year of the Pig, I thought we'd get started off right with an interesting recipe for some grilled Chinese Plum BBQ Chicken. I found this recipe on the Oregon Chickens website, but what really caught my eye is that this was written by Daniel Blankenship. I have a distant cousin Daniel Blankenship, whom I've never met. I wonder if it's the same guy.

Chinese New Year Plum BBQ Chicken
Submitted by: Daniel Blankenship Corvallis, Or
Serves 4

• 1 fryer chicken, cut into pieces

Pre-Grilling Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Chinese mustard powder
• 1/4 teaspoon wasabi powder
• 1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
  

Barbecue Sauce:

• 1 cup Chinese plum sauce
• 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  

Garnish:

• 1/4 cup mandarin oranges

Combine the pre-grilling sauce ingredients and brush on chicken pieces. Grill on medium hot fire until almost done. Combine all the barbeque sauce ingredients. During the last few minutes of grilling, baste chicken liberally with barbecue sauce on both sides. Garnish with mandarin oranges and serve.

BBQ Recipes: Grilled chicken salad with black beans and corn

I got this recipe from Garlic Breath - The Blog, who in turn got it from Recipezaar. It's another recipe that can actually be adapted to be cooked over the fire.

According to Riana Lagarde, the author of Garlic Breath, "The recipe is super complicated and time consuming, more for me, because I had to soak the black beans and cook them as well." So I'm going to channel Sandra Lee for a little while and combine some store bought ingredients with home made."

Since it's Sunday, this ingredient heavy recipe may be just the trick.

Grilled Chicken Salad with Black Beans and Corn

Ingredients:

• Peanut oil, for deep-frying
• 12 corn tortillas, cut 1/4-inch strips
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon cold water
• 2 3/4 cups mayonnaise
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 7 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons thinly-sliced scallion tops, and whites
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh Italian parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh dill
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh oregano(or 1/4 Tsp Dried Oregano)
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh basil
• 1 1/3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup good-quality sweet-&-spicy barbecue sauce
• 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cored, rinsed, dried, and Cut 1/8-inch wide Strips 1/2 head romaine lettuce leaves, separated, trimmed, rinsed, dried, and Cut 1/8-inch wide Strips
• 12 large fresh basil leaves, cut 1/8-inch strips
• 1lb jicama, cut 1/4 by 1/4 X 3/4-inch strips (I don't have this, but it is soooo good!)
• 2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed, drained
• 1 cup canned sweet white corn kernels, drained
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2lbs fresh ripe tomatoes, cut 1/2-inch dice
• 1/2 cup good-quality sweet-&-spicy barbecue sauce
• 1/4 cup thinly-sliced scallion tops

Directions:

• To Make the Fried Tortilla Strips: In a deep, heavy frying pan, heat several inches of vegetable oil to a temperature of 375 degrees. Working in batches if necessary to prevent overcrowding, carefully add the tortilla strips to the hot oil, submerging them with a metal skimmer or slotted spoon. Fry the tortilla strips until evenly golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully lift them out with the skimmer or slotted spoon and transfer them to paper towels to drain and cool. Set aside, uncovered.
• To Make the Garden Herb Ranch Dressing: In a mixing bowl, use a fork to stir together the mustard and cold water, forming a paste. Set aside for 10 minutes. Add the remaining dressing ingredients to the bowl and, using a handheld electric mixer at low speed or a whisk, blend together just until smooth, taking care not to incorporate too much air into the dressing. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• To Make the Grilled Garlic and BBQ Chicken: Preheat a stovetop grill or the broiler. In a mixing bowl, stir together the olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, and salt. Turn the chicken breasts in this marinade and leave to marinate at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Grill or broil the chicken breasts until cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Chill thoroughly in the refrigerator. Cut the chicken breasts into 3/4-inch cubes and, in a bowl, toss with the barbecue sauce to coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• To Make the Salad: In a large mixing bowl, toss together the lettuces, basil, jicama, Monterey Jack cheese, beans, corn, cilantro, dressing, and half of the Fried Tortilla Strips. Transfer the salads to chilled serving plates. Surround each salad with diced tomatoes and the remaining Fried Tortilla Strips. Top each salad with chunks of Grilled Garlic BBQ Chicken and drizzle the chicken with the barbecue sauce. Garnish with the scallion.

4 main-course or 8 appetizer servings.