Is My Blog Burning? Grillers (and Barbecuers) Delight!

ASIAN GLAZED GRILL-ROASTED CHICKEN

click on the link to see Asian Glazed Grill-Roasted Chicken:  http://radio.weblogs.com/0129838/images/Asian%20Glazed%20Grill%20Roasted%20Chicken.7.18.2004.jpg

There are few culinary frontiers that remain dominated by men. The barbecue grill is one of them. I mean, where else is a man more in his element that bobbing over smoke and flame, wielding lethal-looking brushes and tongs? And, quite frankly, as women, who are we to deny them this barbaric rite?  BUT, having spent most of my life (okay, my ENTIRE life, minus the last 3 weeks) subjected to one too many dinnertime disasters at the hands of self-proclaimed grill-masters, I had no choice.  I mean, what’s the point of having a schwanky Weber gas grill if you must subject yourself to the caveman menu: charred chunks of chuck.  I had to take matters into my own hands.

I’m a woman. I ask for help; I ask for directions. Thanks to the on-line course, How To Grill Well, I received directions in spades!  Boldly facing my fears, I risked blowing-up my home and myself.  I rolled up my sleeves and got down to business.  And, no time like a blog burning event to give myself the ultimate final exam – a grill-roasted chicken. (I think I got an A+, but you be the judge!).

Steve Raichlen’s How to Grill taught me griling basics, but Karen Brooks’ and Diane Morgan’s Dressed to Grill helped me discover fun with fire… and boy, do I like playing with fire!  Grilling is a new way to combine my love for elevating flavor and my female instinct for deep, sensory gratification.  No heavy, smoky ketchup-based sauces and fiery hot rubs for me.  No.  Instead, for this event, I opted for the ethereal pleasures of Asian flavors and subtle smoke to transport my spirits and tantalize my tastebuds.

Leaner, more expressive and more exotic than your man’s favorite beer-can chicken, I proudly present Asian-Glazed Grill-Roasted Chicken (or for the carb-counting cave men out there… diet Dr. Pepper-can chicken). Hey, grillfriends! It’s not just the boys’ fire anymore!!

Asian Glazed Grill-Roasted Chicken
Adapted from "Can’em" in Dressed to Grill and "The One and Only Beer-Can Chicken" in How to Grill.

2 cups applewood chips soaked in water to cover for at least 1 hour.

1 cup hoisin sauce
½ cup plum sauce
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup pale, dry sherry
¼ cup Asian sesame oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ cup honey

In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients. Whisk thoroughly to blend. Use immediately as a marinade, or refrigerate up to one month.  Note: the leftover glaze can be used for ribs, chicken, (chicken wings), and pork tenderloin.

Marinating times: baby back ribs, 6 to 8 hours or overnight; whole chicken, 6 to 8 hours or overnight; chicken parts including wings, 6 to 8 hours; pork tenderloin, 2 to 4 hours.

Grill the marinated glazed meats as desired.

1 whole chicken (4 to 4 ½ pounds), fat removed and marinated overnight in about 1 ½ to 2 cups Hidden Pleasures Hoisin-Ginger Glaze
1 can diet Dr. Pepper

Set up the grill for indirect cooking (with smoker box in place), preheat on high until you see smoke from the box and then reduce the heat to medium.

While the grill is preheating , prepare to impale the chicken on the can. Open the diet Dr. Pepper and pour about 1/3 of the can out. Reserve the rest in the can. Using a key styled can open, add a few more holes to the top of the can. Using the leftover marinade/glaze you refrigerated, add about 2 teaspoons of the glaze into the can.

Remove the chicken from the marinade. Stand the chicken up and ease it over the can, inserting the can into the bird’s main cavity. Adjust and spread the chicken’s legs to form a tripod and stabilize the bird; tuck the wing tips behind the chicken’s back.

Move the chicken to the grill and stand the chicken up in the center of the grill and smoke-cook the chicken until the skin is a dark golden brown and crisp. The meat is cooked through when and instant read meat thermometer registers about 180 degrees F, about 1 ¼ hours (basting at the 30 minute and 1 hour intervals with the leftover glaze).

Using potholders and tongs, carefully transfer the chicken, still standing up, to a baking dish and let rest on a carving board for about 5 minutes. Lift the chicken from the can, taking care not to spill the can – the liquid is still extremely hot. Quarter or carve the chicken and serve.

Note: As you can see from the picture, I opted for Weber’s nifty beer can pan you can purchase at your favorite grill store. Its certainly more grillfriendly than trying to balance the bird on a can over grates! The recipe and method are identical. Shopping for grill accessories! This could be love!!!

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Too Many Chefs