Spatchcock Chicken

Spatchcock chicken is one of my favorite methods for cooking chicken.  I would much rather cook a chicken this way than beer can chicken.  I think spatchcock chicken is much more moist and cooks more evenly.  Typically, we will make two chickens.  The leftovers are great for chicken salad or quesadillas.

Ingredients:
Brine:
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup garlic juice
1/4 cup onion juice
2 cups hot tap water
1 1/2 quarts cold water
Mix all the ingredients together except the cold tap water and stir to disolve.  Let stand for 10 minutes for flavor to combine.  Add cold water and stir to mix.

Once the brine is cooled down submerge the chicken and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.

Chicken:
1 whole chicken, spatchcocked
You favorite rub (Wild Willy's for us)
You favorite BBQ sauce

After you brine the chicken rinse it off and pat it dry.  The next step is to spatchcock to chicken.  If you do not know how to spatchcock a chicken check out this link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-8tMEwBnSA&feature=player_embedded

Preheat the Egg to around 300 to 325.  Add you favorite rub to the chicken.  I like to cook the chicken 15 minutes skin side down then the remainder of the time skin side up.  This will allow the skin to get a lot more crispy.  During the last 15 minutes baste once or twice with BBQ sauce.  The total cook time will be around an hour or until the thigh temp is 180 or the breast temp is 180.

Salmon with Brown Sugar and Butter Barbecue Sauce

We found this recipe in the BBQ USA cookbook.  This was a really good dish.  All four of us loved it.  This will most definitely be made again

Ingredients:
Salmon and Marinade:
2-4 pices salmon fillet (about 6 ounces each)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons dry white wine
2 tablespoons sake or sherry
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 to 2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Brown Sugar-Butter Barbecue Sauce:
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 cup minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Using a paring knife, make 2 to 3 slashes in the skin side of each piece of salmon, taking care not to cut all the way through.  Place the fish in a non-reactive baking dish.  Cover the salmon with the mixed marinade ingredients, flip once of twice to cover well.  Marinate the salmon covered for 2 to 4 hours in the fridge.  Turn the fillets once or twice so they marinate evenly.

 

To make the barbecue sauce: Place the butter, brown suger lemon juice, wine, Tabasco sauce, onion and garlicin a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Lower the heat to medium and let the sauce simmer until richly flavored and syrupy, 3 to 5 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper; the sauce should be highly seasoned.  Set the sauce aside.

Preheat the grill to high.  Arrange the salmon pieces, skin side down on the hot grate.  Pour any leftover marinade over the fish.  Grill the salmon until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per side.  During the last 2 minutes on each side baste the salmon with the barbecue sauce.

Place the salmon skin side down on a platter and spoon the remaining sauce over the top.