The Ultimate Barbecued Chicken

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVwiCw5v5-o

Ingredients

Brine:

• 2 quarts water
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed with the side of a large knife
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 6 chicken legs and thighs, still connected, bone in, skin on, about 10 ounces each

The Ultimate Barbecue Sauce:

• 1 slice bacon
• 1 bunch fresh thyme
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 cups ketchup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika if available
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

For the brine, in a mixing bowl combine the water, salt, sugar, garlic, and thyme. Transfer the brine to a 2-gallon sized re-sealable plastic bag. Add the chicken, close the bag and refrigerate 2 hours (if you've only got 15 minutes, that's fine) to allow the salt and seasonings to penetrate the chicken.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Wrap the bacon around the bunch of thyme and tie with kitchen twine so you have a nice bundle. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the thyme and cook slowly 3 to 4 minutes to render the bacon fat and give the sauce a nice smoky taste. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly without coloring for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, give the sauce a stir, and turn the heat down to low. Cook slowly for 20 minutes to meld the flavors. Once the sauce is done cooking, remove about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce and reserve for serving along side the chicken at the table. The rest of the barbecue sauce will be used for basing the legs.
Preheat oven 375 degrees F.
Preheat a grill pan or an outdoor gas or charcoal barbecue to a medium heat. Take a few paper towels and fold them several times to make a thick square. Blot a small amount of oil on the paper towel and carefully and quickly wipe the hot grates of the grill to make a nonstick surface. Take the chicken out of the brine, pat it dry on paper towels. Arrange the chicken pieces on the preheated grill and cook, turn once mid-way, and cook for a total of 10 minutes. Transfer the grill marked chicken to a cookie sheet and then place in the oven. Cook the chicken for 15 minutes, remove it from the oven and then brush liberally, coating every inch of the legs with the barbecue sauce and then return to the oven for 25 to 30 more minutes, basting the chicken for a second time half way through remaining cooking time. Serve with extra sauce.

The Ultimate Barbecued Ribs

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence, 2007

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7v7oZsGmrA

Total Time:

1 hr 40 min

Prep:

10 min

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Inactive Prep:

--

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Cook:

1 hr 30 min

Level:

Easy

Yield:

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 slabs baby back ribs (about 3 pounds)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 bacon slices
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 onion
• 3 smashed garlic cloves
• 2 cups ketchup

• 1 cup peach preserves
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard or 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground paprika

Directions

Directions

Special equipment: Kitchen twine

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Put the ribs on a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Stick them in the oven, and let the ribs bake, low and slow for 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Wrap the bacon around the middle of the thyme sprigs and tie with kitchen twine so you have a nice bundle. Heat a 2-count of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the thyme bundle and cook slowly for 3 to 4 minutes to render the bacon fat and give the sauce a nice smoky taste. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly, without coloring, for 5 minutes. Add all of the rest of the sauce ingredients, give the sauce a stir, and turn the heat down to low. Cook slowly for 20 minutes to meld the flavors. Put some sauce in a separate bowl for basting, reserving the remaining sauce for serving.

Baste the ribs with the sauce and let them continue cooking, basting twice more, for 30 more minutes. When the ribs are cooked, take them out of the oven. You can let them hang out like this until you're ready to eat.

When ready to eat, preheat the broiler for 5 minutes and broil the ribs, basting with the sauce. They should become crisp and charred, about 5 minutes on each side. Pick the onion and garlic out of the sauce and serve with ribs.

Smothered BBQ Chicken on Texas Toast

Ingredients

• 2 pounds chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 1/4 cups Chipotle Vinegar BBQ Sauce, recipe follows
• 4 slices Texas toast, brushed with butter and toasted until golden
• Southern White Sauce, recipe follows
• Pickled Red Onions, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Add the oil to the skillet, and then the chicken thighs. Sear both sides of the chicken until golden in color, about 3 minutes per side.

Lower the heat and add in the Chipotle Vinegar BBQ Sauce. Bring to a simmer, and then place in the oven to finish cooking the chicken, 10 to 15 minutes. Let the chicken cool a bit in the sauce. Then, using two forks, shred the chicken into medium pieces and hold in the sauce until ready to serve.

Lay down the Texas toast and put a nice amount of the saucy, shredded chicken on top. Artfully drizzle Southern White Sauce on top of the chicken and then pile on the Pickled Red Onions. Pick it up or fork and knife it, either way it's delicious.

Chipotle Vinegar BBQ Sauce:

• 2 cups ketchup
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 medium clove garlic, grated
• 1 medium Vidalia onion, peeled, quartered and pureed in a food processer, solids strained and juice reserved (about 1/4 cup onion juice)
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo
• 1 to 2 tablespoons adobo sauce, depending on spice desired

Add the ketchup, molasses, vinegar, 1/4 cup water, mustard, oil, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, black pepper, garlic, onion juice, chipotle pepper and adobo sauce together in a saucepot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once at a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes to combine the flavors. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.

Southern White Sauce:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Combine the mayonnaise, cider vinegar, lemon juice and some salt and pepper in a bowl. Use immediately or store in airtight container in fridge for up to 4 days. Great as a salad dressing too!

Yield: 1 1/2 cups.

Pickled Red Onions:

• 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Red pepper flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 large red onion, peeled, halved and sliced into half-moons, 1/4-inch thick
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

To a saucepot, add the vinegar, 1/2 cup water, sugar, salt, red pepper flakes to taste and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Add the onions to a heatproof container and pour the boiling pickling liquid over them. Let the onions sit for at least 30 minutes. Right before serving, add in the parsley.