Lickin' chicken grilling poultry? don't go down in flames

1 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
Info; see instructions

Directions

It has come to my attention that some of you are afraid of grilling chicken. How can this be? Chicken is cheap. Chicken is mild. Chicken is made for the grill the way straw hats are made for sunny days. Undercooked chicken? Overcooked chicken? Burned chicken? Banish those thoughts. Draw up a lawn chair and let me tell you about chicken: Once upon a time, I lived in a land of fried food and lard biscuits, where the cobblers oozed sugar and a stove wasn't complete without a foil-covered can to save bacon grease. Healthy was not a big priority. So when I grew up and took over the grilling at my house, imagine my surprise to discover that my family's three-generation-old chicken-grilling method was actually downright healthy. You could have knocked me over with a chicken feather. See, here's how a chicken neophyte might do it: Slather on a sweet bottled barbecued sauce. Slap the chicken over still-flaming coals. Roll it around until it's covered with carcinogenic carbons. Yank it off the fire with a meat fork.

Consume. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Here's how we do it, handed down from my South Georgia grandfather (a former tombstone carver turned barbecuer-for-hire, but that's another story): First, build your charcoal fire. Do this at least 30 minutes in advance, so the flames die down and the coals have a nice white ash. While the coals are getting ready, squeeze two lemons into a measuring cup, then add water to make 2 cups. Place your chicken on the grill skin side down, unadorned and naked as another kind of bird. Brush with the lemon juice and water. Close the lid. Now, leave it alone. Go consume your favorite beverage and let your chicken commune with the smoke. If there's too much (smoke, not beverage), tamp down the vents a little. After 15 minutes or so--coincidentally, the same amount of time it took my dad to consume a can of his favorite beverage--open the lid. Turn the chicken. With tongs, please, not a fork. (Why spill all those chicken juices?) Brush the chicken with more lemon juice and water. Close the lid.

Go fetch a refill of your favorite beverage. After another 15 minutes, check your chicken. Poke it and make sure the juices are running clear.

Then, and only then, brush it with the sauce of your choice, just for the last few minutes on the fire. Remove from the grill and consume, with your favorite beverage and extra sauce on the side. This has several advantages, as I have come to understand: The lemon juice and water seal in the juices.

Keeping the lid on the grill holds down flames and ensures steady heat to thoroughly cook the chicken. And saving the sauce until last keeps it from burning, especially if you're the sugary-sauce type. (Personally, I treat sugary sauces with the same suspicion I hold for sugary corn bread. But that's another story, too.) Now, I'm not going to tell you that's the only way to grill chicken. Chicken's charm is its adaptability, and we've got a flock of grilled chicken recipes for you. But all good grilled chicken depends on three keys: a simple marinade, to keep it moist. Lid on, for steady heat and no flames. And no sugar. Save it for your favorite beverage. Iced tea, of course.

From Chicago Tribune

Posted to TNT - Prodigy's Recipe Exchange Newsletter by Rrairie@... on Aug 14, 1997

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