In My Kitchen
Chicken Barbecue
By Robert Wallack
Let’s get something straight here, right off the bat. This column is about barbecue, which is a noun, not barbecuing, which is a verb. Barbecue is the end product of cooking meat or poultry slowly over hardwood charcoal. Barbecuing is something New Englanders do on their back deck in the warm-weather months; fire up the grill and throw on some dogs or burgers or steaks. What they’re really doing is grilling – cooking quickly over high heat to seal in flavors and add a charred taste to the meat. Grilling certainly has its place in the world of outdoor cookery, but it ain’t barbecue – no way, no how.
It’s difficult for the uninitiated – especially New Englanders – to grasp the almost religious fervor some have when it comes to barbecue, be it beef, pork or poultry. In the South, where various regions have their own special brand of ‘cue, pit masters are elevated to celebrity status and devotees make regular pilgrimages to their favorite temples of smoke. Some may be as simple as a smoker on wheels parked on the side of a gas station or convenience store and a few picnic tables set out; the beef or pork served up on waxed paper or paper plates. Utensils are plastic, if they’re offered at all. Others are veritable Meccas of ‘Cue, cavernous food emporiums capable of serving hundreds at a time with a few more frills and trimmings thrown in – side-dishes like collard greens, rice and beans, yams and slaw round out the bill of fare.
But while atmosphere and add-ons may differ wherever you go, there is one constant, one underlying theme here: It’s all about the smoke. And the mantra of pitmen: “Low and slow.” That is long, slow cooking over hardwood at about 250 degrees. For the average beef brisket – which is Texas style ‘cue – that means a cooking time of at least 8 hours. For a pork shoulder in, say, the eastern North Carolina style – served pulled, which is really chopped with a thin vinegar-based sauce – were talking a good 16 hours or more to insinuate the meat with that deep, smoky flavor.
With chicken, however, the flesh is far more tender and it won’t stand up to such a prolonged stay in the smoker. The challenge here is how to get real smoke flavor in a relatively short period of time without turning the chicken into, well, jerky. The trick is to first brine the chicken for a short period of time, which helps plump up the cell walls in the flesh and keeps it moist. And then when it goes on the grill – where it will cook for 21/2 hours – it’s not placed directly over the coals.
Backyard barbecue “pits” range from the simple, like a 55-gallon drum that’s been cut in half lengthwise, hinged, welded and a chimney and legs added, to the extravagant, like the manufactured smoker units on wheels with various smoke shelves and rotisseries. But I have had great success using a standard issue Weber kettle grill that you can buy new for under $100 or find used at yard sales for much less. In it I can barbecue two whole chickens, enough to feed up to eight.
While it takes a bit of prep work to get everything ready, the beauty of this chicken barbecue is that once it’s set to smoking, there’s very little tending to do. The chicken is seasoned with a spicy rub and it’s cooked “dry” without sauce. There’s no brushing, basting or turning. The only real attention that must be paid is adding charcoal and hickory chunks half-way through the cooking time.
After 2 ½ hours the chicken emerges with a beautifully blackened, crisp skin and fall-off-the-bone meat redolent with a deep, smoky flavor. I serve it with a barbecue sauce on the side at the table.
Any standard summer-type salads can be served as accompaniments. Cole slaw and potato salad work well. Or add some Southern flair with a pot of beet or collard greens, some mashed sweet potato or rice and beans. Corn bread or biscuits served with honey go well, too. But clearly, the side dishes play minor supporting roles. This meal is all about the chicken – and the smoke.
Equipment
Standard Weber Kettle grill
1 10-pound bag of Kingsford Charcoal Briquettes
4 chunks of hickory the size of a large lemon, soaked in water one hour before cooking time
Chimney-type charcoal starter
Ingredients
2 whole chickens, 4-pounds each, split in half lengthwise with wingtips removed
2 cups kosher salt
2 cups sugar
spice rub
Ingredients for spice rub
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon white pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cayenne (red) pepper
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground oregano
4 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 tablespoon salt
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Store unused rub in an airtight container.
Directions
Fill a large kettle with 4 gallons of cold water and stir in salt and sugar until dissolved. Wash chicken and place in brine. Refrigerate and allow to brine for 1 hour. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Place on a rack set over a large sheet pan and rub generously with spice rub. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow chicken to dry thoroughly.
Approximately 20 minutes before cooking time, fill chimney with charcoal (approximately 65 briquettes) and light. When coals are ignited, empty and bank them against one side of the grill. Place two chunks of hickory over coals, put grill in place, and close cover. Bottom vent should be fully opened and top vent should be two-thirds open. After five minutes, remove cover, scrape grill if needed, brush grill rack on side opposite the coals or spray with non-stick vegetable spray and place chicken on grill rack with legs/thighs closest to the coals. Replace top and position vent directly over chicken. If you are doing this for the first time, check temperature of grill with instant read thermometer through the top vent hole to insure it is cooking at approximately 250 degrees.
After one hour and 15 minutes, remove the cover, add 10 charcoal briquettes to the pile on one side of the grill and two more chunks of hickory. Replace cover making sure vent holes are directly over the chicken and continue to cook for another one hour and 15 minutes.
After one hour and 15 minutes, remove the cover, add 10 charcoal briquettes to the pile on one side of the grill and two more chunks of hickory. Replace cover making sure vent holes are directly over the chicken and continue to cook for another one hour and 15 minutes.
Serves four to eight.
Previous Recipies from the In My Kitchen Series... by Chef Robert Wallack
Asparagus... Language of Food ... Southern Fried Chicken... Pork Chops and Potatoes
Robert Wallack is a food writer and professional chef who offers private and group cooking lessons at Three Apple Farm in Mount Vernon. He can be reached by email at rwallack@roadrunner.com