INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

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@aol.com on
Aug 14, 1997

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