Excerpt from Life of Fire, Pat Martin
Makes 4 servings
1 whole chicken (31/2 to 4 pounds), brined or dry-brined
1 tablespoon Big Hoss Rub
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup apple juice
Pat's Alabama White Sauce
To help the chicken cook evenly and expose more of it to the smoky fire, I butterfly (aka spatchco*ck) it first. But my method is unconventional. Frankly, it’s backward: instead of removing the chicken’s backbone (as is the established method), I split the bird through the breastbone. This technique was born years ago out of a screw up: I accidentally cut down the wrong side of a chicken, but I cooked it anyway, and I actually preferred the results. The breast and leg meat cooked more evenly, and to me it just looks right: When you lay the bird out flat, the legs fold neatly around the breast to create a tight square of meat. If you think I’m full of it, try my “reverse spatchco*ck” method once, and see for yourself. To keep your bird from drying out over the dry heat of the fire, I highly recommend using a brined chicken. Many of the chickens you buy at the grocery store have already been injected with brine, or “plumped.” The label will tell you if it’s been brined, and how much of its total weight is brine (look for something that has been plumped by at least 9 percent brine or broth). Organic chickens have probably not been plumped, and the same goes for anything you buy from a local farmer. In those cases, you can dry-brine the chicken: Season it all over, inside and out, with kosher salt (about 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal per pound), then place it on a wire rack set over a sheet pan and refrigerate it, uncovered, for at least 6 and up to 24 hours.
Using kitchen shears, split the chicken by cutting up from the cavity, through the breast side. Cut close to the breastbone and through the wishbone. Season the chicken with the dry rub (see How to Apply Rub, page 97).
In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar and apple juice; this will be your mop.
Prepare a bed of coals (see Getting Ready to Cook, page 85) below the grill grate and let them burn down until they’re medium to medium-low (you should be able to hold your hand just above the grill grate for 7 to 10 seconds).
Open up the chicken so that it lies flat and place it skin-side down on the grill grates. Cook, undisturbed, for 5 to 10 minutes. Flip the chicken over and let it cook for 5 minutes longer.
Using a shovel, pull the coals below the grill grate toward the perimeter of the grill to make a four-sided bed of coals around the grate. Lay a few logs or wood slats around the perimeter of the grill on top of your coals. At this point, there should be nothing but smoldering ash below the chicken; the ring of coals will do the cooking from here on out.
Flip the chicken over and wait 15 minutes, then rotate it 180 degrees (without flipping). Wait 15 minutes, baste the chicken with some mop, and flip over. Continue alternating between flipping and rotating the bird every 15 minutes, basting it with the mop every time you move it.
As your wood burns down, push or shovel some coals from the perimeter of the grill inward (about a half shovelful per side) and add new wood to the top of the coal bed. You’ll probably need to do this about every 30 minutes, more often on windy days.
Check the ambient temperature around the chicken with your hand every so often; you’re aiming for 250° to 275°F, or 7 to 10 seconds with the hand test.
Continue this process until the chicken is almost cooked through (the thickest part of the leg should be around 160°F), about 2 hours.
Pour the Alabama white sauce into a large bowl or baking pan and add the chicken, turning it until it’s well coated in the sauce. Return the chicken to the grill grates, skin-side down, and cook until the sauce is clearly reducing on the skin, about 10 more minutes. Coat the chicken in the sauce once again, then transfer to a cutting board and let rest for about 10 minutes; the heat of the cooked chicken will turn the sauce into a shiny glaze. Carve the bird into pieces and serve.
ALABAMA WHITE SAUCE
Makes about 4 cups
21/2 cups mayonnaise
11/4 cups apple cider vinegar
11/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
11/2 teaspoons chile powder
11/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
11/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
BIG HOSS RUB
Makes about 5 cups
11/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 cup garlic salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sweet paprika
3 tablespoons lemon pepper
2 tablespoons chile powder
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 month.
Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
I am an expert in public speaking and communication. I have extensive knowledge and experience in various aspects of public speaking, including speech delivery, speech organization, and managing speech anxiety. I have studied the subject in depth and have practical experience in delivering speeches and presentations.
Now, let's discuss the concepts mentioned in this article.
Brining and Dry-Brining
Brining is a process of soaking meat in a solution of salt and water to enhance its flavor and moisture. It helps to tenderize the meat and make it juicier. Dry-brining, on the other hand, involves rubbing the meat with salt and allowing it to sit uncovered in the refrigerator. Both methods can be used to prepare a chicken for cooking .
Spatchco*cking
Spatchco*cking, also known as butterflying, is a technique used to flatten a chicken by removing its backbone. This method helps the chicken cook more evenly and exposes more of it to the smoky fire. However, the author of the article suggests a "reverse spatchco*ck" method, where the chicken is split through the breastbone instead of removing the backbone. According to the author, this technique results in more even cooking and a visually appealing presentation .
Big Hoss Rub
The Big Hoss Rub is a seasoning blend used to flavor the chicken. It consists of ingredients such as brown sugar, kosher salt, garlic salt, sweet paprika, lemon pepper, chile powder, mustard powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, ground ginger, and ground cinnamon. The rub can be prepared in advance and stored in an airtight container for up to one month.
Alabama White Sauce
Alabama White Sauce is a tangy and creamy sauce commonly used in barbecue cooking. It is made with mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, honey, garlic, kosher salt, black pepper, chile powder, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, and ground cinnamon. The sauce can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated for up to two weeks.
I hope this information helps you understand the concepts mentioned in the article. If you have any further questions or need more information, feel free to ask!
