Chicken
Hot Stuff
Chicken to the Rescue on Busy Weeknights
“A chicken in every pot.” Such was the aspiration of the early seventeenth century French king, Henry IV, for his subjects. (The same wish has been attributed to several American presidents, notably Herbert Hoover.) “A chicken on every grill” might be more appropriate. Travel the world’s barbecue trail, and you’ll find an astonishing array of grilled poultry. From lemon grass-stuffed lechón manok (Filipino rotisserie chicken) to Bolivian...
Read more →Barbecue University™
How to Grill or Smoke the Perfect Roast Chicken
There’s something supremely satisfying about a whole roast chicken—beautifully browned with crisp skin and juicy, succulent meat. Most of us have a mental photo gallery of the roast chickens we’ve eaten in our lifetimes, especially if they were standouts. For me, there are the homegrown birds (free-range before it was cool) that starred in my mother’s Sunday dinners, emerging at 6 o’clock sharp fresh from the oven and a speckled enamelware roaster. There was a humble chicken that cooked, suspended from a spinning string, near the glowing embers of a campfire....
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Perfect for Parties: Yakitori, A Hot Grilling Trend
Trolling for new menu ideas for fall and winter parties? Look no further than the grill masters of Japan. Trending now among American chefs is yakitori. The word literally means “grilled chicken,” but the simple name doesn’t begin to describe the variety, complexity, and deep cultural significance of Japan’s favorite grilled meat. These small but elegant skewers (chicken, usually, but other meats and vegetables, too) are the epitome of Japanese barbecue, and...
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Revisiting Beer Can Chicken
Recently, friends and I met up at a neighborhood eatery for an early dinner. Perusing the menu, I was delighted to see beer can chicken—this one served with carrot top chimichurri sauce. Sold. For me, beer can chicken is a sentimental favorite. I actually owe my long working relationship with Steven to the dish. Back in the summer of 2002, he was on tour promoting his latest book, Beer-Can Chicken. Steven’s publisher, Workman, hired me the afternoon before his Ohio...
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Just in Time for Tailgating Season: Wings
A mom, working out of a small Buffalo, New York, tavern she owned with her husband, single handedly created a market in the U.S. for what was then an overlooked piece of the chicken: the wing. Attempting to satisfy the appetite of her college-age son and his buddies late one night at the family’s Anchor Bar, Teressa Bellissimo remembered the box of chicken wings her meat salesman had given her—yes, they were free—for making stock. She deep-fried the wings, then doused them with butter and hot sauce before serving them with...
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Chicken Labels Demystified
September is National Chicken Month. We’re taking the opportunity to celebrate grilled chicken in all its polymorphous glory. In the coming weeks you’ll learn how to grill whole chicken, chicken breasts, thighs, and of course, how to spatchcock a chicken. We’ll revisit the subject of Steven’s book Beer Can Chicken and other outrageous ways to grill and smoke chicken. Today we start with chicken speak. What do free-range, hormone free, cage free, certified organic, all-natural, and other chicken terms mean (if anything)? Do...
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Like It Hot—Grill It Hot
As the summer kicks into high gear and temperatures soar, the best way to beat the heat is . . . to join it. Fiery foods make you sweat, and perspiration is the body’s natural cooling mechanism. Fiery foods are enjoyed in hundreds of the world’s top food cultures. Indeed, people in some of the warmest climates across Planet Barbecue eat some of the spiciest food. Here, to challenge your inner fire-eater, are some of the most fiery dishes on the world’s barbecue trail. Just be sure to keep a glass of cold beer (or better...
Read more →Amazing Smoke-Roasted Chicken Drumsticks: Tips and a Recipe
“I can last two months on a good compliment.” —Mark Twain Not to brag, but I finally got recognized for my legs. It’s true: As I told Steven, men kept sidling up to me on Super Bowl Sunday requesting the recipe for the chicken drumsticks I’d barbecued for the party. As one remarked, “This doesn’t even taste like chicken!” That is the power of wood smoke. It adds color, flavor, and appeal to nearly everything. So, about those...
Read more →Salt Brick Chicken and More
Pollo al mattone (chicken under a brick) is one of the glories of Italian grilling. It’s so revered by Italian grill masters, that two food-obsessed cities claim its parentage: Florence and Rome. The theory is simple: you grill a spatchcocked chicken under a foiled brick. The weight of the brick compresses the meat, producing a firm, pleasing texture and crackling crisp skin. And the technique keeps delicate meats, like chicken breasts, from drying out on the grill....
Read more →The Ultimate Tailgating Food: Wings
Chickens just can’t catch a break. On July 29, we celebrated National Chicken Wing Day—an undisguised warm-up for fall tailgating season. We Americans do love our chicken wings. The National Chicken Council predicts we’ll eat 28 billion of them before year’s end. For my money, chicken wings rank among the most delectable bites on Planet Barbecue—popular in almost all grilling cultures, from Asia to Africa. And it’s no wonder. They’re the perfect finger...
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