Roast Chicken

Roast chicken is an simple and satisfying dish that I really enjoy doing on the grill. The only real trick is to get a nice, diffused heat that surrounds the birds – cooking them evenly and crisping the skin. I always do two birds at once, since they take no more time to cook and the leftovers disappear quickly into lunches, stews, and casseroles.

2 whole chickens (I like 3-5 pound young chickens, free range if possible)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
3-5 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 tablespoons of your favorite barbecue rub Continue reading “Roast Chicken”

South Carolina Barbecue Sauce

Not all barbecue sauce is tomato-based.  Mustard-based sauces are very popular in the South Carolina midlands. This sweet and tangy recipes goes well with almost any pork dish, but is particularly tasty on pulled pork sandwiches.

1/2 cup of prepared yellow mustard
1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons of molasses, mild or dark
1/2 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon of Hungarian or Smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon hot sauce (I like Marie Sharp’s in this)

Combine everything In a medium saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Pour into a container and refrigerate overnight before using.

Book Review – Commander’s Wild Side

Commander’s Palace has been a fine dining institution in New Orleans since 1880. Executive Chef Tory McPhail and managing partner Ti Adelaide Martin have mined this restaurant’s extensive collection of recipes to coauthor the Commander’s Wild Side: Bold Flavors for Fresh Ingredients from the Great Outdoors.

As the title suggests, the book focuses on wild game dishes – crayfish, rabbit, elk, boar, etc., prepared in ways that enhance the natural flavors, not cover them up.

The book is organized into nine sections: Sea, Stream, Air, Land, Not-So-Wild Game, Campfire Cooking, Showstopping Dishes to Impress Your Friends, Sensational Sides, and The Sweet Finish.

While the focus is on the entrees, care has been taken to ensure that all of the side dishes and desserts are designed to “fit with what you’re fixing.”

Now, there are lots of great game recipes out there, but this book is more than that. There’s a strong theme that runs through every recipe of doing the best with what is fresh. I’ve always thought that the best way to test a cookbook is to make a full meal from it, so I (and my dear wife) put together five recipes to create a feast for some of our foodie friends. Continue reading “Book Review – Commander’s Wild Side”

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