Summer is full of tastes and smells that memories are made of, and cold barbequed chicken is one of my favorites. This recipe has chicken marinate overnight in a potion of Boat Sauce and buttermilk before it gets the grill treatment.
Serves 4
Recipe
1 chicken, cut into 6-8 pieces, or about 4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts
1 ½ tablespoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons Bobbie’s Boat Sauce (Classic or Hot)
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 ½ tablespoons fresh rosemary
juice of one lemon
Method
Season chicken generously with salt and pepper.
Blend the rest of the ingredients together in a blender or by hand then combine with chicken in a bowl or gallon-sized freezer bag and marinate in refrigerator for 12-24 hours.
Saving the marinade, remove chicken pieces from marinade while grill heats. Place chicken on a rack that allows pieces to air dry a bit before going on the grill.
Prepare your grill. For a gas grill, preheat to between 325-350. For charcoal, you’ll want an indirect heat, so move coals to one side of the grill, indirect from where you’ll be grilling your meat. Clean and lightly grease the grates.
Cook chicken, turning every 20 minutes and basting turned sides with marinade until pieces are burnished and meat temps to 160, up to 4 or 5 turns. You want a rather slow cook.
While this is wonderful hot, right off the grill, I think this is the ultimate cold-chicken recipe. Store in your fridge for up to 4 days, if it lasts that long.
Variations
You can also make this in the oven; lay pieces on a lined sheet pan and bake at 350, with the same instructions.
Sometimes I omit the rosemary and marinate with ground dried coriander and minced cilantro stems, and sub lime for lemon. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Don’t be afraid to try other herb or spice combos.
