Mothers' Day Old School BBQ Chicken

Happy Mothers' Day Weekend!

We celebrated Mother's Day and my mom's birthday a week early last weekend.  We decided to go "old school" and do a family picnic like we used to do when I was a kid.   We spent the day at a beautiful park on the lake, grilled out, and just enjoyed family time.

And speaking of being a kid, remember how your parents always told you the best presents were the ones that you made for them yourself?  I guess it still applies because tonight I was talking to my mom and she again said how she could not have had a better time last weekend.  

I call this "Old School BBQ Chicken" for two reasons.  First, it is what I first ever considered "BBQ Chicken", grilled chicken with a no nonsense Southern style BBQ sauce, sweet and tangy.  Second, the BBQ sauce recipe that I used is literally old school.  It is adapted and updated from one that my mother got in her Home Ec class at Clarkton High School in North Carolina back in the 1950's.  

To stay with the Southern style BBQ sauce theme, we paired this dish with Bush's Grillin' Beans Southern Pit Barbecue flavor.  The beans slow cooked in a tangy, rich barbecue sauce were a perfect match for the Old School BBQ Chicken. 

Old School BBQ Chicken

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 6 ea chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1.5 tsp black pepper
• 1.5 tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup tangy, Southern style BBQ sauce (see recipe for Old School BBQ Sauce)

Instructions

1. Preheat a charcoal grill to 350f degrees (medium heat).  
2. Season chicken on both sides with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  
3. Grill the chicken until it hits an internal temp of 155f, about 6-8 minutes per side*.
4. Brush the chicken with the BBQ sauce and cook until it hits an internal temp of 165f, about 2 more minutes per side.  
5. Serve with Bush's Grillin' Beans Southern Pit Barbecue flavor beans.  

Notes

• Cook according to internal temperature, not times.  Cooking on an open park grill on a windy day like we did took 28 minutes total compared to the 14-16 minutes I get on my covered grills at home.  

Old School BBQ Sauce

Source:  Adapted from my mom, who adapted it from her Home Ec teacher Ms. Baldwin. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 cup sweet onion, diced
• 2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 4 tsp stone ground mustard
• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp roasted garlic
• 2 Tbsp honey

Instructions

1. Preheat a sauce pan over medium high heat.  
2. Add the butter and simmer the onion for 5 minutes.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Use an immersion blender to blend the ingredients until smooth.
5. Simmer for 5 more minutes.
6. Cool and store in a jar for up to two weeks.

It was a very good meal considering the beast of a grill on which I was cooking!  My mom mentioned that she had a coupon for Grillin' Beans but didn't know which one to try.  Easy!  I told her that they are all good! 

Here are some pics of the food

Park grills are horrible to use but they have pretty views.

I left the rub at home so we raided the utensil packets for their salt and pepper.  It worked!  Photo credit:  Mom 

My dad and me at the grill.

We went with the Southern Pit Barbecue beans.

So this goose walks up all agitated as if to say, "You're cooking POULTRY!?!?"

A small foil loaf pan fits a can of Grillin' Beans perfectly and doesn't take up much space on the grill.

Notice that I brought my grill grate from home?  The park one was all nasty! 

Here are some pictures of the fun stuff we did.

There are 14 grill areas at The Cove at Concord.  We got the one we wanted on the point.

My mom is around and I act like a kid again, climbing trees.  Photo credit:  Mom

Trevor tried out kayaking in the lagoon area....

And then headed out to the lake.

Alexis and my dad on the swing.  Photo credit: Mom

Reverse angle of that same basic shot.

People swam at the beach and played volleyball on the sand courts.

We caught up about the past 3 months.

We may be out doors but have to have a center piece.

Some people napped....

Then my mom and I took pictures of the Super Moon.

As we left, I took this shot of Trevor "holding" the moon.  

It was a great weekend.  I hope you all get to have as great of a time as we did for your Mothers' Day weekend.

Standard Disclaimer:  This post is part of a series sponsored by Bush's Grillin' Beans.

Five Tips: Grilling Crab Legs

Crab legs are some of the easiest things to grill.  All you have to do is warm them up.

I was foraging the wild rivers and forests of East Tennessee tonight (shopping at my Food City*) when I ran into a trapper (Justin who works the meat/seafood market) who offered to trade snow crab legs for a relatively few pelts (had them on sale for a good price).  

As he was packing up my order, another customer noticed the price and heard our conversation.  She was intrigued that I was going to GRILL crab legs.  Justin assured her that since they are already cooked, it was functionally no different than warming them up in an oven or steamer.  

Here are my five tips for grilling snow crab legs on the grill.

1. Grill 'em last - Like fish, crab legs do NOT require a rest period after grilling like steaks do.  Have all of your other dishes ready to go before you warm the legs up on the grill.
2. Intensify seasonings - Since all of the seasoning is on the OUTSIDE of the crab legs, you need to go heavy on the seasoning.  I like to cut a few lemons in half and grill them cut side down for 2-3 minutes.  Squeeze 1 half lemon per pound of crab legs over the legs and then quickly sprinkle heavily  with your seasonings.  My two favorites are Old Bay seasoning or Dizzy Pig Raging River.  The grilled lemons concentrate the flavor and helps the seasoning stick.  
3. Gentle heat - Go at 300-350f direct heat on a grill.  That means you should be able to hold your hand over the grill area 7-9 seconds.  Done with the foil nest, it should take about 10-15 minutes to get them warmed up.  I don't have an internal temp goal, I just go by a warm touch.
4. Nest egg - Loosely wrap the crab claw clusters in a double layer of aluminum foil.  This will help warm them evenly, add a little steaming effect from the lemon juice (you read #2 right?), and keep them from drying out.
5. Better butter - Crab meat dipped in melted butter is awesome.  But if you REALLY want to take it to the next level, do two things.  First use clarified butter (butter heated and then the milk fats and solids removed).  Second, place a hot grilled lemon half in a small dish and pour the hot butter over it.  The guests can squeeze the lemon juice into the butter.  Great presentation and a WOW on the flavor impact.

I grilled some fresh corn first. 

Brushed with some cilantro, butter, and seasoning.

A loose foil packet like this lets you get the best out of steaming and grilling to reheat the crab legs.

The little detail of grilled lemon halves in the clarified butter.....big difference!

*Food City - I have no affiliation with Food City but I call their store on Morrell Road "my store" for a few reasons.  

Alexis and I both worked in the retail grocery industry for 16+ years each in our first careers so we are picky about our grocer.   When we first moved here in 2000, this particular store (it was a Bi-Lo then) was within walking distance of our apartment.  

In addition to the pricing, merchandising, etc that the corporate structure provides, the STAFF at this store make a difference for us.   It would be easier to walk into a bank and take their cash than it would be to walk through this store without SEVERAL staff either greeting you or asking if they can help you.  The staff at this store makes all the difference between shopping here and at what I call "stupidmarkets" where you can buy tires but have staff that can't tell you the difference between a flat tire and a flat iron steak. 

What is YOUR favorite local grocery store and what makes it your favorite?

Pepper Jack Chicken Wraps

Did you see the Supermoon last night?  We went to the lake with my parents who are visiting and watched it come up.  

You've been "supermooned"

Earlier this week dinner needed to be easy because I had a bunch of things to do and Alexis was working late.  I took the opportunity to try out a few things and throw them all together in a spicy grilled chicken wrap.  Turned out to be one of our favorites.

No real recipe needed for this one.  Grilled some spicy chipotle chicken breasts about 6-7 minutes a side at 350f until it reached an internal temp of 160f.

Sliced the chicken breast.  Then on a sour dough wrap, I put a few slices of pepper jack cheese, thin sliced tomato (lightly seasoned with salt), chicken, avocado, and roasted red pepper.

Always cheese slices first.  Think of them as a "moisture barrier" to keep the other ingredients from making the wrap soggy.

Topped that with seasoned lettuce and fried onion bits.

Then rolled it all up burrito style and dove right it.  It was one of our favorite wraps that I've made and had a lot going on in it.  The spicy chicken and cheese were balanced by the cooling lettuce avocado.  The fried onions added a surprising extra layer of texture.

The three products I tried out on these wraps were...

Tumaro's New York Deli Style Deli Wraps
I received a sample of these from Tumaro's Gourmet Tortillas and wasn't expecting much, a wrap is a wrap.  Wrong!  The flavor is absolutely noticeable.  They take traditional deli bread flavors like pumpernickle, rye, and sour dough and pack them into a thin wrap.

My favorite was the cracked black pepper flavor, which I used to make a grilled bean and rice burrito.

The "everything" flavor to be a close second, similar to an "everything bagel", every flavor took on a slightly different flavor combination.  We also did things like a BLT on rye.  The only variety that I didn't care for was the pumpernickel, only because it seemed super fragile and tended to break or tear instead of bend.  We didn't have that issue with any of the other flavors.  Overall a very good product and much different that your ordinary tortilla!

Weber Chipotle Marinade Mix
This actually wasn't the marinade I was looking for.  I was looking for Weber's new Just Add Juice line of marinades that sounds very exciting.  I've been a customer of Weber Seasonings for years.  Yep, the same folks that product the iconic Weber grills and smokers.   I particularly like their Kick'n Chicken seasoning and Gourmet Burger spice mix.  Unfortunately, the Just Add Juice line hasn't hit the Knoxville market yet.  Hopefully soon.


But I did find this set of Weber instant marinades at Food City and at $1 a pack, I couldn't resist buying all three.  

Upon opening the Chipotle mix, I could see the red chunks of chipotle in the marinade mix and could smell the hint of smokiness.  The instructions are simple, mix with water, oil and a hint of citrus.  It boasts a marinating time of 15 minutes but I let mine go for an hour.  I was very happy with the final result.  The marinade cooked on well, leaving a tangy, spicy coating that you can see in the picture at the top of this post.  No sauce was used, just the Weber marinade.  A definite winner for me.

Loeb's Onion Crunch
I got an email from the Loeb's Onion Crunch folks a while back but never took them up on their offer of a free sample because I thought, "Meh - fried onions, I can buy Durkee's at the store."

Face palm.  Turns out these are NOT like Durkee's.

I saw them at Food City and decided to buy it and try them out.  This are crispy little bits of fried onions.  You know how Durkee's are a little...."soft" straight out of the can unless you bake them?  Not Onion Crunch.  They are crispy and ready to rock and roll.  Even used in this wrap with some damp ingredients, they held their texture and ABSOLUTELY added something to the dish.  Can't wait to try them on burgers.  Be forewarned - these are addictive and it is hard to stop eating them straight out of the jar. 

[Standard Disclaimer]  I received free samples from Tumaro's Gourmet Tortillas.

ABT Pizza

No recipe needed for this one, it's just an idea that you can run with on your own.  Take this and riff on it - pizzas that use sliced ABT's (bacon wrapped, cheese stuffed jalapenos) as a topping.

Brick oven pizzeria's like Brixx Wood Fired Pizza or Hard Knox Pizza are all the rage the past few years.  Well the Big Green Egg is not only a grill and smoker, it's a great wood fired oven right in my back yard!

I smoked a dozen ABT's on my Smoke Hollow Smoker.  I only needed 6 but they have a 50% "quality control tasting" attrition rate.

First Alexis made a plain pepperoni pizza for Brett and Trevor.

Beats delivery.

Sliced the ABT's.  They HAVE to be cold or they won't slice clean.

Topped with the ABT slices and 4 oz of browned chorizo.

The fiery belly of the beast.

Golden and bubbly.

Proof of concept.

The idea of adding browned crumbled chorizo to our normal ABT pizza was one of those things where the sum of the parts was less than the ingredients on their own.  The ABT slices ROCK on their own on pizza.  Chorizo ROCKS on it's own.  But the two together on one pizza were a little distracting from each other.  

But you HAVE to try an ABT pizza some time.  

Hot Chick On A Stick

This has to be the oddest way to grill chicken wings that I have done.  And I have done a ton of chicken wings.

Chicken wings on a kabob.....what the cluck?

But I wouldn't even have tried this recipe tonight if I had not been given a hard time a few days ago from Brandi of Brandi's Excess Baggage.  She told me that I was a big poo poo head politely mentioned that I had never posted about anything from this book.

Why would she care?  Because she bought this book for me when it came out.  Okay, she didn't just buy it, she waited in line to have AB sign it himself when he was at Mall of America where she lived at the time.  Okay, she didn't just have him sign it, she talked him into breaking the book signing rules that day and personalize it for me.

I had just gotten my first degree black belt, he wasn't commenting on my fashion sense.

So back to the wings.  Here are the totally weird things about this recipe

• It only uses the chicken and two other ingredients.
• It puts chicken wings on skewers.  
• It cooks the chicken twice, in the oven and then on the grill
• No sauce.  I like to toss my wings in sauce and put them back on the grill the last few minutes.

And here is why those oddities work

• You can cook the wings ahead of time and then just a quick grilling haves them ready to serve
• It makes grilled wings EASY for folks that aren't grill experts
• The skewered wings is a cool presentation
• It gives crispy wings (despite being bunched up together on a stick, I was surprised)

Hot Chick On A Stick

source:  Feasting On Asphalt - The River Run

Ingredients

• 16 chicken wing pieces*
• 1 tsp Cajun seasoning (used Emeril's)
• 1 tsp season salt (used Lawry's) 
• 4 bamboo skewers

Instructions

1. Preheat indirect grill or oven to 400f.  
2. Season wing pieces with seasoning on all sides.  Slide on to skewer using like pieces. (see picture)
3. Place wing skewers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast for 40 minutes, flipping once.
4. Remove and place wing skewers in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
5. Preheat a charcoal grill to 350f direct heat.  Grill 5 minutes per side.  

Notes

• The recipe called for only drummettes but I used wingettes and drummettes.  Just keep the wingettes together on kabobs and the drummettes together so they fit closely together.  For the drummettes alternate them "head to toe" so they fit tightly.

Smashed together, I know.   You think it would make them soggy without air circulation.  Oddly, it works.

After the oven roasting and just before going into the fridge.

On the grill - I cooked these on my Weber Smokey Joe.

Since this was dive bar food, I served it simply with chips and ranch dip.

Mini Contest

I'm turning off the comments to this post because I want you to help me exact revenge for the poo poo head comment thank Brandi for getting this book for me.  Brandi LOVES burgers with a lot of stuff on them, the more toppings and condiments the better.  Hop over to Excess Baggage and leave a comment about YOUR favorite burger UPGRADE toppings.  I will pick one winner from the comments at random on Friday and give you a prize pack of a half dozen McCormick's products to kick off your grilling season.