Best Grilled Chicken On Earth

Grilled Chicken can be really touchy.  So, here is one process which I have found works really well.  Get the best chicken you can afford, brine the chicken and then marinade it in the wet rub I use, let it rest for 15 to 30 minutes and then grill over medium fire until the internal temperature is about 145-150 degrees.  As I have noted before, I take my chicken off the grill before it hits the correct internal temperature.  That way, after it rests, it will be perfectly cooked and juicy.

Before starting, this process and recipe was published in Issue #63 of Cuisine at Home. I did do a little tweaking to make the rub a bit taster, but for the most part, this is the basic recipe and process.  This is one of the best cooking publications I have found.  It includes great tips, recipes and reviews of cooking gear.  You should go to their site and take a look.  Thanks to Cuisine at Home.

Ingredients

• Chicken and Brine
• 1 whole chicken cut in half without back bone.  
• 1 liter of Coca-Cola
• 1/2 cup of kosher salt

• For the Rub
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 TB brown sugar
• 1 TB kosher salt
• 1 TB garlic powder
• 1 TB ground black pepper
• 1 TB dry mustard
• 2 teas. paprika (I use Hungarian medium hot) 

Procedure

• Brining the chicken
• Mix the Coca-Cola and salt.  Be very careful. You should use a large pot and put the Cola in the pot first.  Add the salt slowly (1 Tablespoon at first) or you will have a foaming mess on your hands.  Make sure the salt in fully desolved in the Cola.
• Cut the whole chicken into two halves.  Take out the back bone.  
• Using a small paring knife cut little slits into the chicken pieces to allow the brine to penatrate the chicken.  Nothing deep just about 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch up and down pokes with the knife.
• Put the halves of chicken in a large zip lock bag or plastic container and add bline mixture.  Let brine for a 3 to 4 hours in the refrigerator.  Be sure to put the brine and chicken in a pan if you are using a zip lock bag or sealed plastic container to reduce spillage.
• After 3 to 4 hours remove from refrigerator and pour off brine.  Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and put in plastic or glass container to receive the wet rub.
• Wet Rub Preparation
• Combine the rub ingredients (do not include the vegetable oil) in a bowl or better yet a food processor to break up the rub into fine bits.
• Incorporate the oil into the dry rub ingredients until the mixture is a paste.  You really do not want this rub to be very runny.  It should be pasty when you apply it to the chicken.
• Rub the paste over the chicken making sure you hit every nook and cranny.  
• Let sit for 20 minutes.
• Grilling Chicken
• Grill over medium fire watching for flare ups until internal temperature is 135-140 degrees.  Start with the boneside down (skin side up).  Flip chicken every 15 minutes (very important).  When you take the chicken off the grill, put them in a large pan, cover with foil, and into a 300 degree oven to finish.  You will need to check in internal temperature of the chicken about every 10 minutes to make sure it does not over cook (165 breast temperature max).  If you are not going to let the chicken finish in a 300 degree oven, then cook breasts on the grill to 155-160 degrees. Let the chicken rest for a minimum of 15 minutes before serving and cutting into pieces. 

Spicy Brussels Sprouts with Fried Capers

I know, who likes Brussel Sprouts?  Well, I found this recipe in the November 2009 issue of Sunset Magazine (thanks to Jessica Battilana).  It is easy to make and tastes great.  So, give it a try.  The recipe is for 2 pounds of sprouts, so adjust as needed.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 1/2 cup drained brined capers
• 1/3 cup EVOO
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 oil-packed anchovy fillets, finely chopped
• 1/2 to 3/4 teas. red chile flakes
• 1/2 lemon

Procedure

• Bring large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add sprouts and cook just until tender and bright green - about 5-6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, blot capers on a paper twoel.  Heat oil in large saute pan over high-medium heat. Add capers and cook, stirring carefully (mixture will splatter) until capers start to open and are brown and crispy - about 5 minutes (watch carefully).  With slotted spoon, transfer capers to a paper towel to drain. 
• Add garlic and anchovies to oil in saute pan and cook until fragrant - about 1 minute (watch carefully and do not burn).
• Add sprouts and red chile flakes and stir to coat with sauted oil.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown - about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with capers and squeese of lemon and toss.