The Best Dang BBQ Chicken

Ingredients

Sauce:
2 slices bacon
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 cups ketchup
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup molasses
1T dry mustard
2 tsp. paprika
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. dried thyme
salt & pepper
8-10 pieces chicken, or 1 whole 4-pound chicken cut into parts

1. Sauce: In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, sauté the bacon until crisp, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside for another use. Leave the bacon fat in the pan. Add the onions to the pan and sauté until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes more.

2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the ketchup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, dry mustard, paprika, cayenne pepper and thyme. Bring the liquid to a simmer, lower the heat to low and continue simmering for 20 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. Wash and pat dry the chicken parts. Trim off any extra fat that hangs off the chicken meat. Season with salt & pepper, set aside.

4. Pre-heat oven to 350º F. and preheat your BBQ grill to medium-high.

5. Place the chicken on the grill skin side up and grill for 5-7 minutes, then flip the chicken and grill for an additional 5-7 minutes until skin is nice and brown.

6. Remove the chicken from grill and place skin side down on a cooling rack on top a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Spoon the BBQ sauce on top of the grilled chicken pieces; you will have some sauce left over.

7. Place in a 350º F oven for 25-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165°.

8. Remove the chicken to a platter and serve with the extra BBQ sauce.

TIPS & TRICKS

• This BBQ is sauce is fantastic on beef and pork. I love to make a double batch; it can last in your fridge for weeks.

• I prefer to cook chicken on the bone whenever possible. The bone insulates the meat so that it doesn’t dry out when cooking and they are so flavorful. If you want to use boneless thigh, follow the timing of the recipe. If you wish to use boneless breast they will cook completely on the grill, no need to cook in oven. Top with BBQ sauce before serving.

• Cooking time for bone in thighs & legs are about 35 minutes, bone in breast 25 minutes

• We are going to start the chicken on the grill then finish it in the oven, so we get the smoky grill flavor and a sauce that isn’t burnt.

• Start by preheating you grill. Pat dry your chicken pieces and trim off any excess fat that is hanging off the side of the meat. This prevents the fat from catching on fire on the grill.

• Season with salt & pepper right before cooking so that the salt doesn’t bring out any moisture in the meat.

• When cooking the chicken, if the flames should flare up around the chicken, with your tongs simply pick the piece up and allow the flames to subside then place back on grill. If your fire gets to hot, lower the temperature to medium.

Perfectly Roasted Turkey

Ingredients

1 14-16 pound turkey
1T dried sage
3 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
3 slices bacon, cut in half
fresh thyme & sage leaves
olive oil
3 cups chicken stock

1. Wash the turkey inside and out, removing the little bag of goodies.

2. Pat the turkey dry.

3. In a small bowl, combine the dry sage, salt and pepper

4. Using your fingers, separate the skin from the breast meat. Sprinkle with spice blend. Place 3 half slices of bacon, thyme, and sage leaves under the skin of each breast.

5. Rub the bird with olive oil, then rub with spice `mixture.

6. Let stand on the counter for 1 hour.

7. Preheat oven to 425° F.

8. Loosely stuff the cavity of the turkey with stuffing, not too stuffed.

9. Place the stuffed turkey on the rack in a roasting pan, and then pour the stock into the pan.

10. Place uncovered turkey in a preheated 425º F oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, cover the roasting pan with foil. Using potholders, crimp and press the foil into the edges of the pan making a tight seal and return to oven and reduce the heat to 350º F and continue roasting for 3-3½ more hours.

11. Check the internal temperature; it should be 160-165º F deep in breast. If it is not 165º F, recover with the foil and continue cooking, checking every 30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 160-165º F.

12. Remove foil; baste with pan drippings, if necessary place back in oven and brown an additional 5-10 minutes. Remove from the oven.

13. Rest the turkey at least 30 minutes before carving. The turkey will remain warm for about 1½ hours

14. To carve the turkey, remove the stuffing, then use a carving knife; remove the leg and thigh. Then separate the leg from the thigh. Remove the meat from the bones and slice into bite-size chunks and place on platter. Repeat with other leg.

15. Cut down the breastbone to remove the breast meat from the bone. Remove the bacon and herbs from under the skin. Slice into slices of the desired thickness and place on platter. Repeat with other side. Enjoy!

TIPS & TRICKS

• I wash the turkey (step #2) the night before then place in a clean garbage bag.

• On Thanksgiving Day, 6 hours before serving, I take the turkey out of the refrigerator and start the recipe from step #3. This allows the turkey to sit an hour on the counter. Then 4 hours to roast and an additional hour in case it needs longer roasting time and time to rest before carving.

• The cooked turkey can sit up 1½ hour before carving. The meat will still be warm. Serve with plenty of hot gravy.