Virginia Willis’s Barbecued Chicken

It is officially grilling season, and one of the first things I tried upon uncovering the grill was barbecued chicken. The last time I made barbecued chicken, I had just graduated from high school and was spending a weekend with my girlfriend, Chris. Back then, we only knew how to make three things: barbecued chicken (that we did very badly), green bean casserole, and lemon squares. So any time we were able to get together, this is what we made. 

Because the chicken was always overcooked, dry, and the barbecue sauce burned, when I reached adulthood, I never barbecued chicken again. Then I found Virginia Willis’s recipe, and now I’m going to be making it all of the time. Virginia’s recipe results in chicken that is moist and flavorful, with a wonderful taste that you only get from grilling. I have a feeling that this summer, I am going to be grilling up a lot of chicken.

Here is her recipe. If you’re not familiar with Virginia, she is an award-winning southern cook with a number of books full of recipes for delicious food. You need to check her out, while you’re nibbling on your delicious and perfectly grilled barbecued chicken.

Virginia Willis’s Barbecued Chicken

1 gallon cold water

3/4 cup kosher salt

1/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1 whole chicken, cut into 6-8 pieces

Freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil, for the grill

Your Favorite Barbecue Sauce, warmed

Combine the water, salt, and brown sugar in a large plastic container and stir to dissolve. Add the chicken; cover and refrigerate to marinate for 4 to 6 hours.

Prepare a charcoal fire using about 6 pounds of charcoal and burn until the coals are completely covered with a thin coating of light gray ash, 20 to 30 minutes. Spread the coals evenly over the grill bottom, position the grill rack above the coals, and heat until medium-hot (when you can hold your hand 5 inches above the grill surface for no longer than 3 or 4 seconds). Or, for a gas grill, turn on all burners to High, close the lid, and heat until very hot, 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the chicken from the marinade and rinse under cool running water. Pat dry with paper towels, season with pepper, and set aside.

Season the chicken with pepper. Apply some oil to the grill grate. Place the chicken on the grill, leaving plenty of space between each piece. Grill until seared, about 1 to 2 minutes per side for legs and thighs, and 3 or so minutes for breasts. Move the chicken to medium-low heat or reduce the heat to medium; continue to grill, turning occasionally, until the juices run clear when pierced, 12 to 18 minutes.

During the last 5 to 7 minutes of cooking, brush the chicken with BBQ Sauce.

Remove the pieces from the grill as they cook and transfer to a warm platter. Give them a final brush of sauce for flavor and serve immediately with additional sauce on the side.

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If you don’t have a favorite barbecue sauce, you might try mine, Sugarfire Smoke House Coffee Barbecue Sauce. Delish!

This post is linked to:

Wow Us Wednesday

Wine’d Down Wednesday

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Full Plate Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things
Feathered Nest Friday
Funtastic Friday

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Sugarfire Smoke House Coffee Barbecue Sauce

It was “picnic supper night” tonight, meaning that I wasn't about to cook after such an exhausting day, so chose my favorite barbecue spot to pick up a bit of dinner. I feel fortunate that I live in an area of great barbecue joints. Now, I'm not picky when it comes to barbecue, I pretty much love it all, but there is one sauce that surpasses every other and that is the coffee barbecue sauce from Sugarfire Smokehouse in St. Charles, MO. The first time I tasted it I was in heaven. I liked it so much that I wrote the food editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch asking that she try to get the recipe from the owner. Within weeks my prayers were answered and the recipe appeared in the paper (You can read the entire article here.). The special seasoning called for in the recipe is available at their restaurants, and I bought a large container. I realize that the majority of you can't do this (although, trust me, it's worth the trip), so my experimentation finds that it is similar to Emeril's seasoning used in his coffee barbecue sauce, and can be found here. I keep a bottle of this barbecue sauce in the fridge at all times, using it in place of ketchup in almost every instance. It is oh, so yummy! 

Sugarfire Smoke House Coffee Barbecue Sauce

1½ cups ketchup

½ cup tomato sauce

¾ cup apple cider vinegar

¾ cup Worcestershire

½ cup honey

½ cup strong dark-roast coffee

2 tablespoons brewed coffee grounds

2 tablespoons Sugarfire Smoke House rub

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Notes: For ketchup, Sugarfire uses a West Creek product labeled “33% ketchup” that’s not available to consumers. It tastes a lot like Heinz mixed with some portion of tomato sauce. For tomato sauce, Sugarfire uses a West Creek product labeled “fancy tomato sauce.”

Combine all ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 15 minutes until slightly reduced and the sauce coats the back a spoon.

Refrigerate to store but rewarm to serve. Yield: 4 cups

Recipe adapted for home kitchens by the Post-Dispatch.

This post is linked to:

Full Plate Thursday

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Tasty Tuesdays

Foodie Friday