BBQ for Two

Russ and I have a small and ever growing cookbook collection. Russ actually had quite a few of his own before we got married, but since then most of the new additions have been ones I wanted. However, we did get a cookbook as a wedding gift that has become one of Russ’ favorites. It is the William Sonoma’s Essentials of Grilling. We decided to take advantage of the great weather and a relaxing Sunday night together to grill out and use the cookbook. The recipe we picked from it is the Classic Barbecued Chicken.

I was excited about making the barbeque sauce and Russ loves any opportunity to use his Egg. The sauce came together fairly easily despite having quite a few ingredients. It then simmered for around 25 minutes. Russ then salt and peppered the chicken breasts and basted them with the sauce while they grilled. The only deviation from the recipe is that we used only bone in split chicken breasts instead of a mix of pieces and it took a lot longer than the allotted 20 minutes to grill them. The sauce was good, but had too strong of a vinegar taste for us. Next time I think we will play with the recipe a little more and either drastically reduce or eliminate all together the vinegar and possibly add some brown sugar and other seasonings. The sauce did work well with the chicken and Russ did a great job grilling them. They were very moist and flavorful.

For the sides we did corn on the cob, roasted green beans, and Ina Garten’s Garlic and Herb Tomatoes. Yes, that is a repeat on the tomatoes from just last week. I enjoyed the tomatoes so much last week and since we still had the fresh herbs for it I decided to do it again. It was just as tasty this time around! The green beans got a little over done while waiting on the chicken to finish cooking and turned into what Russ named “green bean French fries”. They were actually kind of good! However, next time if they need to wait on the other food then instead of turning off the oven and leaving them in there like I did tonight I will take them out and cover them with foil. The corn we simply boiled using Russ' technique that always turns out perfectly cooked corn. You bring a pot of water to a boil, add the corn, bring it back to a boil, turn off the heat, and leave it covered for at least 10 minutes.

All in all it was a good barbeque dinner that could have been even better. We did have fun sitting outside eating with Cash. Russ rates the barbequed chicken a 6 mainly because the sauce was just okay and could have been better.

Classic Barbecued Chicken
"WS Essentials of Grilling"

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 cup bottled chili sauce
1 cup tomato ketchup
1 cup beer or ginger ale (we used Bud Light)
1/4 cup molasses
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 and 1/2 lbs mixed chicken parts such as breasts, thighs, drumsticks and wings (we used breasts)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

To make the quick barbecue sauce, in a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and saute for 1 minute, until fragrant. Stir in the chili powder, mustard, paprika, and cayenne. Add the chili sauce, ketchup, beer, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar. Simmer, stirring often, until the sauce is lightly thickened, 20 - 25 minutes. Use the sauce immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week. You should have 3 to 3 and 1/2 cups. Reheat the sauce before using.

Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling over medium heat. Oil the grill rack. If using chicken breasts and they are large, cut them in half crosswise before grilling. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Have ready about 1 cup of the barbecue sauce, reserving the remainder to serve separately or for other uses.

For the charcoal: Grill the chicken thighs, skin side down, and drumsticks over the hottest part of the fire for 5 minutes, then add the breasts and wings. Grill, turning once or twice, for 10 minutes. Brush the chicken with some of the sauce and continue to grill, turning occasionally and brushing with more sauce, until the juices run clear when a thigh or breast is pierced with a knife tip, about 10 minutes.

Serve the chicken hot with reserved barbecue sauce, if desired.